If doctors just spent more time with their patients so they felt more reassured, that might help.

Patients who trust their doctors and have a psychological expectation of getting better could trigger a reaction in their body.

Perhaps 10 percent of patients who are prescribed antidepressants are really benefiting from the drugs' active ingredients.

There seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients.

There are a variety of techniques to help people change the kind of thinking that leads them to become depressed. These techniques are called cognitive behavioral therapy.

Anything that instills a sense of hope will at least temporarily help treat depression.