Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that aims to resolve mental or emotional issues through conversation with trained therapists.
Psychiatric medications are a form of treatment for mental illnesses that acts on the brain’s chemical makeup and nervous system. Antidepressants are psychiatric medications prescribed for patients with diagnosed moderate to severe depression, and usually require weeks of consistent use to take full effect.
Forms of talk therapy include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), in which therapists help their clients understand and change the way their thoughts influence their emotions and behaviours, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), in which therapists help their clients regulate their emotions through mindfulness and the development of healthy coping mechanisms, and psychodynamic therapy, in which therapists help their clients identify and change how their attachments and relationships shape their emotions and behaviours.
Antidepressants work by increasing levels of neurotransmitters in the synapses that improve mood, emotion and sometimes focus. Common types of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that block the reabsorption of serotonin by the nerve terminals, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) that block the reabsorption of serotonin and norepinephrine, and norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) that block the reabsorption of norepinephrine and dopamine.
You are an individual just entering university who has suffered with depressive symptoms for a significant period of time and are now seeking professional treatment.