Local 12: Doctors explain treatments for clinical depression

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman recently announced he is being treated for clinical depression. While not commenting directly on Fetterman's care, the University of Cincinnati's Caleb Adler spoke with Local 12 on effective treatments for clinical depression.

Fetterman suffered a stroke last year, and Adler noted about one-third of patients who have had a stroke or brain injury experience clinical depression. Therapy for patients like this often focuses on positivity, he said.

"Keeping a positive outlook, recognizing that one can recover, that a stroke is not a death sentence or doesn’t have to be debilitating,” said Adler, MD, professor and vice chair of research; co-director of the Division of Bipolar Disorders Research; and director of the Center for Imaging Research in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience.

Adler said outside of talk therapy and medication, other effective treatments include electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Editor's note: If you are experiencing a suicide or mental health crisis, call or text 988 to connect directly to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Watch or read the Local 12 report.

Featured photo at top courtesy of iStock.