What are the different ways to treat mental illness?

Your treatment depends on the type of mental illness you have, its severity and what works best for you. In many cases, a combination of treatments works best. Some of the treatment are:

• Medications

Although psychiatric medications don’t cure mental illness, they can often significantly improve symptoms. Psychiatric medications can also help make other treatments, such as psychotherapy, more effective. The best medications for you will depend on your particular situation and how your body responds to the medication. Some of the most commonly used classes of prescription psychiatric medications include:

• Antidepressants.
• Anti-anxiety medications.
• Mood-stabilizing medications.
• Antipsychotic medications.

• Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, involves talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health professional. During psychotherapy, you learn about your condition and your moods, feelings, thoughts, and behavior. With the insights and knowledge you gain, you can learn to cope with and stress management skills.

• Brain-stimulation treatments

Brain-stimulation treatments are sometimes used for depression and other mental health disorders. They’re generally reserved for situations in which medications and psychotherapy haven’t worked. They include electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation.

• Hospital and residential treatment programs

Sometimes mental illness becomes so severe that you need care in a psychiatric hospital. This is generally recommended when you can’t care for yourself properly or when you’re in immediate danger of harming yourself or someone else.