My father is 69 years old. He is suffering from Depression since many years. We went to many doctors But we are not able to find a permanent solution for his mental illness. Please help.
Ask Free Question
I suspect that he is one of many who have been taking medicines but not working with a counselor in tandem. He needs both counseling and medical intervention. The combination is ideal for the cure to be complete. In fact counseling will need to go on for a long time to develop skills and techniques to cope with everyday challenges of his life. If he remains episode-free for three years at least, he can be weaned off of the medication. So I assume that for all of these many years he has been letting the medicine do all the work on his depression and very little effort from his side. This will not do at all. So please start him on counseling immediately. In the meantime please get him to do the following that can be done all by himself as he desires: he must be active and work towards his reformation. Many lifestyle changes need to be made to progress away for the condition. When he is depressed, he will feel lazy though I would like to call it lethargy. There is an inertia and lack of energy to even think, let alone act. He is required to literally do the opposite of what he feels like doing. Depression makes one want to withdraw, lie down, sleep, become lethargic, slow down, make one too lazy to even think etc. So when I suggested doing the opposite, he will need to fight this disease. He must become active; stay upright during the daylight time; meet people; never sleep during the day, wake up by 6 am every day, play some active games, especially contact games, do physical exercises, talk to people and join some social clubs, eat more of proteins and vegetables, attend yoga classes etc. Watch sitcoms on tv or comedies and cheer himself up. Go for excursions in groups, for outings, camps, conferences, and religious conventions. Get a pet dog and spend time training it, exercising it and relating to it. Expose himself to some sunlight every day, at least 30 minutes but not in the scotching heat. Whatever happens, he needs to incorporate these three important adaptations in his life: always be responsible, be respectful, and be functional. If he did these three things, lots of things will go well in life. Have him pray and have faith in god to alleviate his sufferings. He should not wait for others to help. Use his own motivation, which might be at its lowest, but if he perseveres he will win this battle. The doctor and counselor are there only to facilitate him, all the hard word must come from him, and his cooperation with them is very critical for his success.
Take help from the best doctors
Ask a free question
Get FREE multiple opinions from Doctors