Numerous different types of depression affect millions of individuals. According to a recent study, the prevalence of adult depression increased significantly between early 2020 and 2024, rising from 8.5% to 27.8% and then to 32.8%, or 1 in 3 people, respectively. The severity of the problem might significantly impact your mood and quality of life.
Simple things may feel impossible when you’re depressed, which can be crippling. The decision to seek treatment can change your life, but it’s not always easy to understand where to begin or which approach is best for you. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sometimes known as HBOT, has effectively treated depression.
Although the number, intensity, and frequency of symptoms vary from patient to patient, many patients suffer from problems that are so severe that they interfere with their everyday activities and leave them feeling unwell all the time. Breathing inside a multiplace chamber from reliable companies like oxyhelp.com would help a lot. Don’t know how? Keep reading!
Check out additional information about HBOT and its ability to cure depression, treat its symptoms, and restore your health.
Kinds Of Depression
Among the several types of depression are persistent depressive illness, chronic anxiety, seasonal and clinical depression, and much more. Different people may react significantly to different therapy approaches, and all these kinds might have multiple signs and symptoms.
Every year, roughly 10 million Americans are affected by seasonal depression, also called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Many individuals experience despair as the days become shorter and the weather turns cold. While it can occur in the summer, seasonal depression primarily affects people in the fall and winter. SAD sufferers notice that their conditions fluctuate with the changing of the weather. The signs of seasonal depression are avoidable with the right therapy and diagnosis.
Which Factors Contribute Most to Depression?
Numerous variables can contribute to depression, but they’re typically the primary causes:
- Hereditary
- Genetic characteristics
- Social concerns,
- Psychological.
Along with other persistent illnesses, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Parkinson’s disease, depression is frequently a sign of or an adverse reaction to other persistent infections.
What Treatments Are Used Most Frequently for Depression?
Even some of the most severe depression cases are treatable, with the most common treatments being drugs, psychotherapy, or a mixture of the two. In certain circumstances, medicines that stimulate the brain, such as electroconvulsive therapy, may also be administered to lessen its effects.
To cure specific ailments or to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of conventional therapies, some people look for additional treatment options like normobaric oxygen treatment or hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
HBOT: What Is It?
Breathing pure oxygen in a compressed atmosphere is essential as part of HBOT. It is also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Treatments may help address depression and several disorders and conditions, lasting 60 to 90 minutes. In a pressurized duct, patients lie down and breathe properly. The entire process can be soothing.
HBOT increases blood oxygen levels which cause this effect. Life requires oxygen, and the oxygen content of the air we breathe is roughly 21%. Although this is sufficient to sustain life, ordinary air doesn’t offer all the advantages of pure oxygen.
Blood and plasma that are oxygen-rich can lessen tissue injury. Your body produces more white blood cells as oxygen rises, bolstering your immunity and defending you from disease. HBOT also promotes the growth of new blood vessels, which also results in the production of collagen and new skin cells.
Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work for Depression?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be highly beneficial to patients with depression that need additional treatment beyond medication and psychotherapy.
Studies are taking place to assess the clinical effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for mental illnesses like depression. Still, it’s hypothesized that it may mobilize stem cells to injured body parts, modulate immunity, and impact neurotransmitters.
A recent study looked into the efficacy of managing depressed individuals with escitalopram. This specific serotonin uptake inhibitor drug helps to treat depression and severe anxiety disorders in conjunction with HBOT. According to the research, individuals’ brain abilities improved considerably after four to six weeks of treatment.
A further study examined the impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on neurological function following partial spinal cord injuries and behavioral problems, including depression and anxiety. After eight weeks of treatment, HBOT dramatically enhanced neurological functioning and daily activity capacity while treating patients’ depression and anxiety at a comparable level to counseling.
How Does HBOT Treat Depression
Numerous health advantages of HBOT include improved mental clarity, less inflammation or irritation, athletic therapies, anti-aging, and much more. Some people claim to feel focused and sharper mentally after HBOT. Higher oxygen levels enhance brain activity, which influences stem cells and neurotransmitters. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments are considered a powerful method of treating it. In the end, this assists in balancing brainwaves, which balances the chemicals made in the brain.
Unlike other types of treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not seem to lose effectiveness over time or become habit-forming. When combined with psychotherapy, HBOT produces very favorable outcomes. Every patient reacts uniquely to various treatments. But, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a successful depression treatment for many.
What to Anticipate Throughout HBOT Procedure?
Treatments last almost two hours unless there is depressurization sickness or a cerebral arterial gas embolism. Treatments are held five days a week unless otherwise specified. The assessment and the complexity of each specific circumstance determine the overall number of therapies. Treatment durations range from about ten days for certain severe instances to thirty or more visits for more chronic ones.
It is possible to provide hyperbaric oxygen treatment in a multiple or monoplane acrylic chamber. You will be exposed to increased air pressure while breathing just 100% oxygen within the tube. In a pressured atmosphere, breathing oxygen boosts the body’s natural healing processes.
Conclusion:
If you experience these, the wintertime melancholy could be seasonal depression. Although coping with it might be terrifying, you are not alone in this. You have access to care. HBOT could be the best option for you, allowing you to unwind and resume loving life. To understand even more and to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the best cure for you, speak with a group of qualified experts.