No longer depressed, or on meds

Doctors show new interest in mind-body therapies for mental illness and are using everything from herbs to meditation and massage to treat depression without medication.

Henry Quant was just 5 years old and bedridden with chronic fevers when he began taking pills for anxiety and depression.

His mother knew that the drugs helped, but they made her nervous.

"The really scary part," Elizabeth Quant said, "is we don't know what these do long term."

This summer, under the watchful eye of his physician, Henry, now 7, replaced his antidepressants with vitamins and learned some stress-relief exercises to calm himself.

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Backlash against antidepressants fuels alternative treatments.

From lobotomies with ice picks to early antidepressants that caused brain hemorrhaging, Americans have a complicated and ever-changing approach to treating mental illness. Now, spurred by the growing disenchantment with antidepressants, an increasing number of people are seeking treatment for depression, anxiety and eating disorders from naturopaths, acupuncturists and even chiropractors. At the same time, more traditional psychiatrists are incorporating massage and meditation in their practices.

The treatments go beyond needles and spinal manipulation. They include Emotional Freedom Techniques -- tapping on the body's "energy meridians" as the patient thinks about upsetting incidents -- and craniosacral therapy, which involves a gentle rocking of the head, neck, spine and pelvis. In cranial electrotherapy stimulation, a AA-battery-powered device sends mild electrical currents to the brain. (The procedure has its roots in ancient Greek medicine, when electric eels were used.) Clinicians are also prescribing supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, or amino acids like L-theanine, found in green tea.

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