One of the most common questions people ask when they first learn about SPRAVATO (esketamine) is whether the medication alone is enough. This is a very understandable question. If you’re looking to undergo treatment for depression, you naturally want to know what’s going to make the biggest difference.
Spravato has made quite a positive impact on the lives of many people dealing with treatment-resistant depression. But we’ve found that the treatment is most effective if it is part of a broader treatment plan that includes regular therapy as well. Medication and therapy work in different ways that complement each other, allowing for a more effective approach to the treatment itself.
What Is Spravato Designed To Treat?
SPRAVATO (esketamine) is an FDA-approved nasal spray prescribed for adults suffering from treatment-resistant depression. Unlike antidepressants, which target serotonin, Spravato works through the glutamate pathway. This mechanism allows for faster relief of depressive symptoms for many patients.
In many cases, this improvement helps to provide something that depression often deprives people of: the ability to engage more fully in their lives. As symptoms start to ease, people may find it easier to engage with others, reconnect with loved ones, or begin working toward goals that previously felt impossible for them.
Why Medication Alone Isn’t Always Enough
Depression doesn’t only impact one’s mood. It leads to changes in how a person thinks, behaves, interacts with people, and how a person sees themselves. Someone might start withdrawing from friends, lack self-confidence, have low motivation, or develop negative thought patterns that have been reinforced over time.
While it’s true that medication may be useful in alleviating the effects of depression, it does not necessarily translate into changing such behavior patterns and coping methods. Feeling better is of course an important step, but knowing how to move forward and build healthy habits is just as important. That is where therapy can make a meaningful difference.
How Therapy Complements SPRAVATO Treatment
As depressive symptoms start to get better, people find they are able to better engage in therapy than they were before treatment. Conversations that used to be difficult before may become easier to discuss now. They may find themselves more easily reflecting on difficult experiences, spotting patterns, and making changes that seemed unachievable before.
Therapy allows patients to work through problems that medication alone would not have been able to do. Therapy can teach you new coping skills, how to deal with difficult emotions, how to navigate relationships, and how certain thought patterns play a role in depression.
While SPRAVATO can help improve mood, therapy helps people understand themselves better and how to apply these improvements in their everyday lives.
Why We Require Therapy During Spravato Care
At Deep Centered Mental Health, we require all patients receiving SPRAVATO to also participate in therapy during treatment. This doesn’t mean your therapist has to be one of ours. If you have an existing therapist that works well for you, we encourage you to continue with them. All we want is to guarantee our patients receive the best comprehensive care throughout treatment.
This requirement is not about adding another obligation. It’s about ensuring that patients have the resources they need while going through treatment. Depression is complex, so approaching it from different perspectives offers a more complete approach than medication alone.
If you don’t have a therapist yet, we can help you find one. What’s important is that therapy becomes a part of your overall treatment plan.
What Therapy Can Look Like During Treatment
People who have never gone to therapy may find it quite intimidating. In reality, therapy looks different for everyone.
Sometimes therapy involves managing stress or anxiety, others discuss relationships, grief, or life transitions. Many discuss the everyday challenges caused by depression. There isn’t a “right” way to approach therapy. It is what you make of it. It’s all about making an environment where you can express yourself freely, learn more about yourself, and continue to make progress throughout treatment.
Is A Combined Approach Right For You?
Every person has a unique journey with depression, which means that there is no universal treatment that fits everyone. However, many mental health professionals believe that combining biological treatments like SPRAVATO with psychotherapy offers a more comprehensive approach to care.
To get further information on SPRAVATO or to schedule a free consultation to see if SPRAVATO may be a good treatment option for you, click here or call us at 972-694-4930.
