Did you know that antidepressants are one of the most popular drugs in the United States? According to Time, 13% of Americans are taking antidepressants—which is approaching nearly 1 in 7 people. Furthermore, 8.3% of adults take sedatives and hypnotics, and 1.6% of adults take antipsychotics.

It has been found that women are much more likely to take antidepressants than men—up to double the amount, according to NBC. Women are also twice as likely to develop depression as men.

Here are a few more stats from Time:

“As TIME reported in a recent cover story, clinical depression affects about 16 million people in the U.S. and is estimated to cost the U.S. about $210 billion a year in productivity loss and health care needs. Global revenue for antidepressants is projected to grow to nearly $17 billion by 2020.”

It’s no secret that American society is heavily invested in medication. Some patients are eager to pop pills, and some doctors are just as eager to prescribe. Whatever side of the fence you’re on with antidepressants, there are a few ways to help improve your mood, such as:

1 – St. John’s Wort

St. John’s wort is a flowering plant of the genus Hypericum. This plant dates back as far as ancient Greece and it’s named after John the Baptist. St. John’s wort originally aided with kidney and lung ailments and insomnia, but today it serves another primary purpose.

St. John’s wort is used as a supplement to help alleviate depression. It also helps with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as obsessive compulsive disorder.

Cochrane Researchers studied the results of 29 trials which involved 5,489 patients with major depression. In these studies, St. John’s wort was compared to standard antidepressants. St. John’s wort was found to be just as effective and participants were less likely to drop out because of adverse effects.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, you should never combine St. John’s wort with anti-depression pills. It’s very dangerous and the results may be life-threatening.

2 – Light Therapy

If you live in a climate with variable seasons, you might have experienced SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that occurs during late fall and early winter. It often resolves itself during the spring or summer once it begins to stay lighter for longer periods of time. Between 4% to 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD.

Light therapy is an alternative to SAD over antidepressants. According to Psych Education, the type of light that hits the interior of your eye differs from normal living room lighting and daylight outside. Outdoors on a sunny day is 50-100 times brighter than office or room lighting.

The idea is to essentially trick the brain into thinking that it’s not really winter. Those who try light therapy will use a dawn simulator, which is a device that gradually increases light in your room in the morning as you sleep. It gradually turns on your bedside lamp so your retina detects light while your eyes are still closed.

It might seem like a simple approach, but it works with some people. According to a study published on The JAMA Network, it’s concluded that light therapy is highly effective for both SAD and major depression.

3 – Exercise

Exercise might be a popular method of weight loss, but it can also improve your overall mood. Many studies have shown that exercise increases serotonin levels which improve well-being.

In one such study, a clinical psychologist at Duke University (James Blumenthal) assigned sedentary adults with major depressive disorder to one of four groups: supervised exercise, home-based exercise, antidepressant therapy or a placebo pill. After four months of treatment, Blumenthal found, patients in the exercise and antidepressant groups had higher rates of remission than did the patients on the placebo. Exercise, he concluded, was generally comparable to antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (Psychosomatic Medicine, 2007).

4 – Meditation and Yoga

Many people don’t link meditation or yoga to treating depression, but new studies support this claim. A study from Massachusetts General Hospital concluded after an 8-week study that depression symptoms were reduced in 29 participants. They also showed other improvements such as optimism, quality of life, and cognitive function.

Furthermore, researchers at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center also conducted an independent 8-week study:

“In the study, 23 male veterans participated in twice-weekly yoga classes for eight weeks. On a 1-10 scale, the average enjoyment rating for the yoga classes for these veterans was 9.4. All participants said they would recommend the program to other veterans. More importantly, participants with elevated depression scores before the yoga program had a significant reduction in depression symptoms after the eight weeks.”

If you’re looking for alternatives for antidepressants, we hope you consider some of the aforementioned techniques. For more information on how you can help improve your mood and live a better life, keep following the blog here at Best Life Hub.