What are some good natural alternatives to anti depression medication?

my little brother has been diagnosed with depression. my mom dose not want to use the medicine from the doctor because it can increase the urge to harm one self. she is looking for natural supplements instead. dose any one have suggestions or have taken them and what is your experience with the natural supplement?

Thank You.

It is good your mom noticed the medicine has suicide as a side effect. Some people don't know it and sometimes the doctor won't tell you. It is good your mom is concerned about it. A good alternative to drugs is a healthy diet that eliminates MSG from your brother's diet. MSG is a chemical food additive that many manufacturers put into processed foods. Your brother can avoid by avoiding all junk foods and fast foods and by eating only fresh fruits and vegetables. Your brother should also avoid fluoridated water and dairy products. You should get your drinking water from purified water machines. It's OK to use tap water for washing but don't drink it without testing it for copper, lead, mercury, and fluoride. Put your brother on that healthy diet for 4 weeks and then ask him if he feels better.

omega 3 and 6 fish oils. a healthy diet and exercising.

Don't fall for this depression crap! Jesus, he is only a kid!

I think your mom should seriously consider using the drugs. Doctors can help her weigh the pluses and minuses. There really are no alternatives that have been proven to be effective. The only thing I know of that is scienfically backed is exercise, but that will only help minor cases. Of course, psychotherapy will be helpful.

Good luck and please encourage your mom to get a second opinion about the meds.

st. john's wort works for most people but it does cause increased sun sensitivity and for girls it lowers the effectiveness of birth control. good luck to your brother.

Natural supplements do not work and have worse side effects than regular medication.

Use what the doctor gave you, I'm sure your mom has a medical degree and everything, but obviously she trusts the doctor more than herself. She should see that he gets the medication and she should keep an eye on him, talk to him, get him to talk about how he feels. Maybe if it is age appropriate he could use a journal to write down how he feels and keep track of good times vs. bad times. As far as natural cures exercise is about the best, your brother should go out for sports in school, or at least get outside and play with the other kids (the exercise and the social contact will do him good). They say st. johns wort works, but it made me noticeably worse to the point I stopped taking it and sought actual medical help.

I put in a lot of info from this site, but I guess it was to much! Go to this site for some great alternatives to prescription meds. But, please you may want to let his doctor know that you are going to try natural remedies first before using the ones he prescribed, or ask the doctor to write a prescription for a med that has less of a risk of bad side effects. Depression is a hard thing to go through at any age and I feel for your little brother. Just continue to show him lots of love and support to help him during this time! I know it can be hard on all involved. God Bless you all and I pray for better days ahead!

Natalie - good for your mother! Don't start him on drugs. A lot of times depression is caused by people keeping all of their emotions bottled up. Your brother may not be able to figure out what he's feeling or know how to let those feeling go.

Let your brother know that emotions are ENERGIES IN MOTION in our bodies. Emotions are meant to be FELT and RELEASED.

Every time you don't allow yourself or you aren't allowed to fully experience an emotion, to feel it, and to move through it, the energy of that emotion becomes stopped and blocked in your body. It remains blocked until you go back and re-experience that emotion. Then the energetic block is freed and cleared. It takes a lot of ENERGY to keep those emotions blocked up and the blocked emotions cause depression.

One good way to help your brother release his blocked emotions is by teaching him to use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Emotional Tapping. In EFT you apply gentle acupressure tapping to specific body points to release blocked emotions. EFT is easy to learn (you can learn the basics in 15-30 minutes). You can use EFT anytime, anywhere for any emotional or physical issue. One basic round of EFT takes about one minute to complete. EFT works quickly and painlessly for anyone of any age. You can use it, too.

Please download the FREE EFT Instructional manual from the EFT website (www.emofree.com) and share it to your mom. Also, have your mom watch the FREE EFT Introductory video with you.

One more thing, there is an EFT book specifically for kids called "Good Bye Ouchies and Grouchies, Hello Happy Feelings: EFT for Kids of All Ages" by Lynne Namka.

I learned EFT last year and I now use it everyday. I have shared it with my family (including my children) and they use it, too. It is amazing!

Good luck to you and your family.

Awesome comments dragonsong!! EFT works!

He should get some rigorous physical activity for at least 30 every day, preferably an hour or more.

How about Mindsoothe? It has several good reviews and is all natural.

Here's a review site:
http://www.mindsoothereview.com/

-Adam