Editors' note: Depression is a serious illness, and these classes are designed to be used in addition to -- not instead of -- medical treatment. If you think you are depressed, particularly if you feel suicidal, please seek help immediately.

Therapy and medication are two of the big guns when it comes to battling depression, but it can't hurt to have a few extra weapons in your arsenal. Dancing, pet therapy, and yoga are some of the many other ways to feel better. Outside-the-box approaches to depression are rarely meant to replace standard treatments, but they can be valuable additions to counseling and drug therapy.

Relaxation techniques like meditation, for example, may offer you a new weapon against depression. A Cochrane review of relaxation techniques found they had potential as a simple first-line treatment for depression, adding that those who didn't respond within a set time should be offered more complex treatment.

Some doctors and therapists have already integrated such techniques into their practice. One 2008 British study compared a group of patients with depression who took antidepressants alone with a group that took antidepressants and participated in a special kind of cognitive therapy that included "mindfulness" techniques like yoga and meditation. Researchers found that the patients who took antidepressants and practiced "mindfulness" techniques needed antidepressants for a shorter period of time as compared with those on antidepressants alone.

Other complementary treatments for depression have had mixed results in scientific testing. In this class, we'll cover a few that showed special promise.

Music can exert a powerful influence on mood. It can ease your mind or make you want to get up and dance. Music therapy can be as simple as listening to a CD that makes you feel good, or it can be part of therapy in an office setting. A therapist might use music to help you relax and open up emotionally. A therapist might also choose specific background music to help you bring up old memories. Music therapy might be good for the people around you, too. In two cancer centers where patients received music therapy, surveys of staff members found that music boosted their mood and improved patient care and teamwork.

Another nice thing about music therapy is there aren't any side effects to worry about. It shouldn't take the place of regular treatment and therapy, but it couldn't hurt to try a little music on your own to see if it helps you feel better.

Once there's music, can dance be far behind? Dance or movement therapy is often used in clinical settings. The physical exertion of dance can release endorphins, brain chemicals that create a state of well-being. Plus, dance is good exercise. It gives your circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems a workout and can help you stay fit. It can also enhance your self esteem and body image. A small Korean study of mildly depressed teens found that 12 weeks of dance movement therapy reduced levels of psychological distress, and balanced blood levels of the hormones that control mood.

You don't have to join a clinical program to enjoy the benefits of dance. While you might not be in the mood to waltz or hip hop when you're feeling down, simply putting on music you love and swaying to the beat might help take your mind off your troubles for a while and lift your spirits. Better yet, consider asking your partner or a friend to go dancing or take dance classes with you.

If cats make you sneeze and dogs annoy you, pet therapy probably isn't for you. But many people find it soothing to be around animals. Sometimes a therapist will have a dog or cat present in the room during a therapy session so clients can pet or hold the animal for comfort. Owning a pet can help you feel less lonely and anxious, and can help shift your focus to something outside of yourself. A Canadian survey of 1,000 adults over the age of 65 found that pet owners remained more physically active and able to live on their own -- reducing their risk of depression that often accompanies an older person's loss of independence.

Service dogs, traditionally trained to help people with physical disabilities, are now being trained to help people with emotional distress. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about Tuesday, a golden retriever that prompts Luis Carlos Montalvan, an Iraq vet, to take his medicine for post traumatic stress disorder. Tuesday also provides comfort when Montalvan is feeling down. Montalvan says, "In bad moments, he'll lay his head on my leg, and it'll be like he's saying, 'You're OK. You're not alone.'"

If caring for a pet is more than you can handle, consider volunteering to walk the dogs at a local shelter or fostering some kittens. You may find you're not only doing something to help the animals, you're also giving yourself an emotional boost.

Yoga uses breathing techniques, postures, stretches, and meditation to balance the body's energy centers.One theory suggests that yoga helps ease depression by regulating the body's physical distress signals -- it reduces the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and relaxes breathing.

There are many different types of yoga -- some gentle and easy on the body, and some strenuous and challenging. One type of yoga that has proven helpful in relieving depression in some people is Sudarshan Kriya yoga, or SKY. This form of yoga uses several different breathing patterns, ranging from slow and calming to quick and energizing. One small study of 45 people hospitalized for depression found that 30 minutes of SKY breathing done six days a week was almost as effective as a prescription antidepressant in relieving depression.

Yoga is also good exercise, and we know that physical and mental health often go hand in hand. If have any medical problems that could limit your movements, check with your doctor before trying yoga.

Massage therapy has been around for thousands of years and has been used all over the world. Some research suggests that massage therapy can do more than get the kinks out -- it may help relieve depression and promote a feeling of wellness. Experts aren't sure how massage works on depression, but one theory is that it may release "feel-good" chemicals in the body.

There are many types of massage, including Swedish massage, in which the therapist uses long, smooth strokes. Deep tissue massage and trigger point massage target knots in muscles that can cause problems elsewhere in the body, and reflexology operates on the theory that specific pressure applied to the feet (and sometimes the hands or ears) can promote relaxation and healing in the body.

If you want to try massage, make sure your massage therapist is a licensed professional. You should not get a massage if you have a bleeding disorder, are taking blood-thinning medications, or have a low blood platelet count. Also avoid being massaged on areas of the body with blood clots, fractures, wounds, or infections. You shouldn't have massage where you have weakened bones from osteoporosis or cancer, or where you have had recent surgery. Pregnant women should check with their doctors and find a practitioner who specializes in prenatal massage.

•If you think you'd like to try one of these complementary therapies, tell your therapist. Your therapist needs to know about all of the things you're doing to help yourself feel better in order to give you the best, most informed treatment.

•If you are being treated for another medical condition, check with your doctor before trying anything your body is not accustomed to.

•Keep an open mind. At first you might feel silly dancing alone in your living room, but with a little time, the pleasure of it might sneak up on you.

•Remember that complementary therapies are not meant to replace medication or psychotherapy. You can find more helpful news and articles about depression in our Depression Self Care Center.

-- Nancy Montgomery is a senior editor for Consumer Health Interactive.

References

First published December 18, 2009
Copyright © 2009 Consumer Health Interactive

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