The Depression Cure - One Pager | Alex's Second Brain

The Depression Cure - One Pager

The TLC Protocol #

1. Measure #

Get a baseline and track improvement. Do the CESD-R once per week and track your score in a spreadsheet to observe trends.

2. Supplement #

Omega-3, Vitamin D, and Vitamin C supplements once per day:

Omega-3: 1000 mg EPA, 500 mg DHA
Vitamin D: 2000 IU
Vitamin C: 1000 mg

Evening primrose oil once per week: 500 mg

3. Anti-Ruminate #

4. Exercise #

Buy portable heart rate (HR) monitor for best results. 3 1 hour aerobic workouts per week. Goal is to get 30 minutes of between 60% to 90% of max HR. Can be anything but brisk walking is easiest to start with for most people. Estimate HR max with formula: 220 - age = ? .

5. Light Therapy #

Sunlight or light-lamp (SAD lamp). 30 minutes of bright light (10000 lux) within 1 hour of waking. Outside sunlight is only effective at 30 minutes of exposure if it’s actually sunny out. Otherwise it takes several hours of being outside on an cloudy/overcast day to have the same therapeutic effect. Get a light box and make it a habit. Supplement with outside sunlight as necessary.

Week 1 #

Supplements

Omega-3 1000mg EPA 500mg DHA per day
Vitamin D: 50mcg vitamin D3 per day

Rumination

Cultivate rumination awareness

Week 2 #

Supplements - Continue from week 1 Rumination

Start replacing rumination with engaging activities. Schedule one activity per day.

Exercise

Get HR monitor (or learn to reliably check pulse)
Choose exercise and put in place equipment, membership, etc
Consider hiring a personal trainer for first 6 weeks

Week 3 #

Rumination Continue working to improve noticing rumination. Continue experimenting with different activities to interrupt it. Schedule one activity per day.
Exercise * Schedule 3 hour-long blocks of time for exercise. * Aim for 30min. in target aerobic range Light If using a light box order it this week.

Week 4 #

Exercise
	Continue as before.  If you weren't successful in week three consider
	hiring a personal trainer or finding a workout partner.
Light
	Begin scheduling 30 min. of bright light exposure each morning. (Unless
	you wake-up too early then schedule for -5hr. from bedtime).  Try to
	find other times during the day to get natural light exposure.

Week 5 #

Exercise
	Continue as before.  If not satisfied with chosen exercise experiment
	with other forms.
Social Support
	Schedule 3 social activities this week and put on calendar. Best to
	spend time with friends or loved ones in person.  Phone calls and
	supportive online forums are alternatives.

Week 6 #

Social Support
	Schedule at least four social activities and put on calendar.
	* Evaluate for toxic relationships:
        - Work to improve if possible
        - Limit or eliminate contact with irredeemably toxic individuals
Sleep
	* Adopt goal of getting adequate sleep each night: 7-9hr
	* Start first 2 healthy sleep habits:
        1. Use bed only for sleep (or sex)
        2. Wake up at the same time every morning

Week 7 #

Evaluation
	Most people will see some benefit by this point.  Look at weekly
	depression scores.  If less than 25% improvement review ch. 11 for
	troubleshooting and contact therapist if not done already.  
Supplements
	If less than 50% improvement increase dosage to 2000mg EPA/1000mg DHA
Exercise
	If less than 50% improvement increase to 5 sessions per week
Light
	If depression scale score below 10 decrease light exposure to 15min.
Social Support
	Schedule 5 social activites
	* Continue to reduce time spent with toxic individuals.
Sleep
	* Continue as before
	* Work to incorporate remaining habits of healthy sleep from Ch. 9

Week 8 #

Light 
	If depression scale score is below 10 decrease exposure to 15 min per
	day.
Social Support
	Schedule at least one activity each day
	Target one form of community involvement for this week
	Eliminate contact with irredeemably toxic individuals.

Weeks 9 - 12 #

Light
	When depression scale score drops below 10 decrease bright light to
	fifteen minutes each day.  Try to get natural light exposure throughout
	the day.  
Social Support
	Continue as before, and increase community involvement to at least two
	forms of activity each week.
Evaluation
	Expect to see at least 50% decrease in severity from pretreatment with
	an overall trajectory pointing towards complete recovery.  If you don't
	see this improvement use Ch. 11 and licensed therapist.

The Depression Cure - One Pager #