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Alternative Treatment For Depression

Depression symptoms can present themselves physically, emotionally and psychologically. No matter where you've been, Stella's experts can help you navigate a way forward.

What Is Depression?

Depression looks different for everyone. It affects how you think and feel throughout the day and can cause sadness, worry, and loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. Unaddressed symptoms of depression can create additional physical and mental health challenges.

Though there can be underlying causes like hormonal imbalance or environmental factors causes, the brain's chemistry can often play a major part in whether one experiences depression.

Depression can be debilitating, and the nature of depressive symptoms can make it difficult to envision a hopeful path forward. This is one of the many reasons it can be helpful to work with an experienced, licensed treatment guide, like the team of experts at Stella.

Biological Treatments For Depression

Stella treats the biological root cause of depression and anxiety symptoms with innovative modalities like ketamine infusions and the Dual Sympathetic Reset, an advanced protocol of Stellate Ganglion Block.

Other modalities, like in-office ketamine infusion therapy, have also shown promising results. Ketamine is a fast-acting treatment that has been found to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.

When combining biological treatments with psychological ones, like therapy, the results can be life-changing.

Cutting-Edge Depression Treatment

Treating your depression symptoms starts with a remote assessment with Stella's Advanced Practice Providers. Alternative depression treatment can include cutting-edge modalities like:

Stella's advanced Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) protocol of two injections of local anesthetic on the same side of neck near a bundle of sympathetic nerves that can bring the fight-or-flight response back to its pre-trauma state.


 

 


In-office medically guided infusions that follow a responsible innovation approach paired with integration sessions to effectively treat mental health conditions, such as depression.

 

 

 


Work directly with Stella's Advanced Practice Provider to discover the most impactful relief through smart applications of safe and effective treatment modalities.

 


 

 


Meet with Stella's Advanced Practice Providers to track symptoms, discuss nutrition, supplements, medication adherence & gain trauma-informed insights.

 


 

 

Stella Integration Sessions are built to optimize healing and growth by making meaning of ketamine infusion sessions and create individualized action plans that turn insights into growth.

 

 

 

Alongside biological treatment, meet with trauma-informed APN therapists to gain greater personal insight and understanding in support of better long-term clinical outcomes.

 


 

 

Internal Patient Study based on responders treated with SGB by Stella between Dec '16 - Aug '22 

Lipov EG, Jacobs R, Springer S, Candido KD, Knezevic NN. Utility of Cervical Sympathetic Block in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Multiple Cohorts: A Retrospective Analysis. Pain Physician. 2022 Jan;25(1):77-85. PMID: 35051147. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35051147/

Mandal S, Sinha VK, Goyal N. Efficacy of ketamine therapy in the treatment of depression. Indian J Psychiatry. 2019 Sep-Oct;61(5):480-485. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_484_18. PMID: 31579184; PMCID: PMC6767816.

We measure success by lives changed

Depression Patient Testimonials

Stella's biological therapy for depression gives patients a pathway to comprehensive care through a variety of innovative depression treatments. 
 
 

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Christina

Christina had dealt with trauma at a young age, causing her to suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It had affected her life to the point where she struggled with work, and her social anxiety would keep her from even wanting to leave her house. She just wanted to find peace so that she could have the ability to live her life. Her best friend had gotten the Dual Sympathetic Reset, an advanced SGB, and told her how well it worked on her trauma symptoms; Christina decided to give it a chance. Immediately after the treatment, she felt a surge of emotion and happiness that she couldn't believe. Now she's looking forward to living her best life.

 

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Aaron

US Marine veteran Aaron Williamson wasn't aware of the severity of his symptoms of post-traumatic stress. After he received DSR SGB treatment in the fall of 2022, everything changed. He describes the feeling as if something vacuum-sealed was opened up, and he could see everything returning to its normal size. He could process and understand why all the negativity, anxiety, stress, and trauma associated with post-traumatic stress happened and continued to work toward a better quality of life. 

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Janelle

After years of sleepless nights, violent ideations, and suicidal thoughts due to military sexual trauma, Janelle needed a path toward healing. Her trauma symptoms were holding her back from the positive impact she was looking to make in this world. To Janelle, trauma was a prison she could not escape. After the dual sympathetic reset, relief came quickly. Besides a temporary expected short-term effect called Horners Syndrome (a droopy red eye with a dilated pupil on the side of the injection), Janelle's thought process changed immediately, and her mind felt healthier and more optimistic. Her hope of making an impact has been revived.

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Joe

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Depression Signs and Symptoms

Depression Signs and Symptoms

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Frequently Asked Questions About Depression

What are the signs and symptoms of depression?

Depression is more than just melancholy or sadness; it's a serious mental health challenge that impacts both physical and mental health. The symptoms of depression can vary and range from relatively minor to significant symptoms that negatively affect our day. Below are some of the common symptoms for individuals who experience depression.

  • Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
  • Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
  • Irritability
  • Problems with concentration or thinking
  • Chronic pain
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Gastrointestinal problems


Stella's Symptom Quiz is a brief assessment that measures symptoms related to post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and stress. By taking this quiz, you can get an understanding of your symptoms and see if you may be a good fit for Treatment by Stella, take the quiz here.

What is treatment resistant depression?

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is one type of major depressive disorder. TRD occurs when at least two different antidepressants don't have a positive effect on one's symptoms.

How do you treat TRD? The American Journal of Psychology called ketamine treatment (which Stella pairs with Integration Sessions) "one of the most important breakthroughs in antidepressant treatment in decades."2 Ketamine treatment caused a paradigm shift in the treatment of major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression because it can decrease symptoms within hours instead of weeks or months. This finding is incredibly encouraging because when we're struggling with depression, we might not be able to wait for relief.

While larger-scale trials are needed, the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) shows promise as a potential treatment for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). A 2023 clinical trial investigated the feasibility and explored the efficacy of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) in improving depressive symptoms. Both the active treatment and placebo groups showed decreases in depression scores by the end of the study.

Does Treatment by Stella work for depression?

Stella takes on a multi-modality holistic approach of treating depression by combining the cutting-edge biological treatments with traditional treatments. Our biological treatment modalities are proven to improve symptoms of depression:

Ketamine Assisted Therapy

The American Journal of Psychology called ketamine treatment (which Stella pairs with Integration Sessions) "one of the most important breakthroughs in antidepressant treatment in decades."2 Ketamine treatment caused a paradigm shift in the treatment of major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression because it can decrease symptoms within hours instead of weeks or months. 

Dual Sympathetic Reset

While larger-scale trials are needed, the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) shows promise as a potential treatment for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). A 2023 clinical trial investigated the feasibility and explored the efficacy of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) in improving depressive symptoms. Both the active treatment and placebo groups showed decreases in depression scores by the end of the study.

Does Ketamine therapy work for Treatment Resistant Depression?

Years of research has shown that Ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects in treatment resistant patients and was associated with a significant clinical improvement in depressive symptoms within hours after administration. Also, ketamine was found to be effective in reducing suicidality in treatment resistant samples.

Most publications indicate Ketamine can be considered a valid antidepressant option for the treatment of Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). Further studies are needed to evaluate its long-term antidepressant efficacy in patients with TRD.

Source: Serafini G, Howland RH, Et al. The Role of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review. National Library of Medicine,  V.12(5); 2014 Sep, doi: 10.2174/1570159X12666140619204251

 

 

 

Why haven't I heard about DSR SGB for Depression?

SGB is a novel application of an existing treatment that has been documented since 1926 in medical literature and in 1947 as a treatment for depression.

So why are you just hearing about SGB treatment for depression? One theory why it was not further explored when it was first identified in 1947 is that pharmaceutical agents to treat depression, like Prozac and other medications developed thereafter, came to the fore as potentially promising.

A second theory, proposed by Stella Chief Psychologist, Dr. Shauna Springer, is that SGB has primarily been deployed and studied within military medical facilities. For nearly two decades, with the exception of the clinical practice of SGB pioneer Dr. Eugene Lipov, SGB for symptoms of emotional trauma has not been available to civilians.

With the establishment of Stella as a nationwide network of certified providers, SGB is only now starting to gain public awareness.

How do I determine if treatment by Stella is right for me?

Call 908-293-7559 to schedule an intake assessment with our Advanced Practice Provider. Our trauma informed team will create a curated care plan based on your symptoms, health history and experience.

Treatment For Depression Near You

Stella's biological depression treatment modalities help relieve symptoms and provide peace. Start your journey towards healing today. 

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