When you think of botox, you probably think of med spas that rewind the clock on your skin or celebrities who magically haven’t aged for 20 years. And while it’s true that botox can help people feel reassured about their appearance, there’s also some evidence that its benefits are more than skin-deep. Experts are beginning to ask the question, “Can botox treat depression?” This article will tell you what the most recent research says and help you decide whether research is right for you.
What Is Botox?
Technically, botox consists of the toxin Clostridium botulinum. It’s the same toxin that causes botulism, so doctors usually only inject it in small amounts, and it should not be used outside of a medical office.
However, botox treats several conditions, including moderate to severe wrinkles, bladder conditions, and more, by weakening or paralyzing target muscles and nerves. Its common side effects are fairly minor and include bruising, swelling, and pain at the injection site.
What Is Depression?
Depression is an umbrella term for mental health conditions that cause episodes of persistent sadness. There are many different types of depression, ranging from Major Depressive Disorder to depressive episodes in both types of Bipolar Disorder.
Some symptoms of depression include:
- Continuously low mood for at least 2 weeks
- A lack of motivation and energy
- Sleeping a lot or too little
- Hopelessness
- Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
- Social withdrawal
- Thoughts of death and dying (if you or someone you know is currently considering ending your/their life, please stop reading and seek professional assistance. Call 911 for an ongoing suicide attempt, seek inpatient psychiatric services when you or your loved one has a plan to end your/their life, and opt for outpatient services when you/they have suicidal thoughts but don’t intend on acting on them)
To receive treatment for depression, you’ll need to undergo an evaluation from a mental health or medical professional. The evaluations will likely be informal, with the provider asking you a series of questions and making a diagnosis before creating a treatment plan. If you wish to be treated for depression without the diagnosis, that’s possible as well through talk therapists who don’t take insurance. Insurance typically requires a diagnosis.
Can Botox Treat Depression?
Typical depression treatments include medication as well as talk therapy. Your doctor will prescribe you medication (if appropriate), and your therapist will see you for regular counseling sessions. You can pursue one type of treatment without the other, and for some people, one type might be enough. But counselors are not usually qualified to prescribe medication, and doctors are not extensively trained in counseling modalities.
While both medication and psychotherapy have received thorough research and have been established as effective depression treatments, not everyone responds equally well to them. In particular, people who take antidepressants sometimes experience a worsening of their suicidal thoughts or no decrease in their sadness. Likewise, talk therapy’s success depends on many factors, including the relationship between the client and the counselor, the therapist’s specialties and training, and so on. So, despite the fact that many people benefit from these types of treatments, they may not be the best for everyone.
The resulting need for other treatments has continued to point researchers toward investigating more unconventional drugs, including botox.
Curiously, though, botox doesn’t operate in the same way as other drugs. Medications typically focus on controlling the brain’s ability to reuptake feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin, making people happier. Likewise, professionally monitored ketamine treatments (do not try to dose yourself or procure this drug on your own as doing so can lead to adverse reactions or an overdose) primarily impact the brain and increase neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to rewire. Professionals can then use this increased ability to rewire to help the person with depression find new ways of thinking about their situation.
By contrast, botox works on the muscular system. While this treatment may seem like an odd way to target a condition that stems from the brain, muscles tense in response to depression. The tension triggers proprioception, which is your body’s physical feedback system. So, the tensed muscles you have because of depression send a signal back to the brain, emphasizing the idea that there’s something to be tense about and indirectly reinforcing the depression.
Because botox relaxes the muscles, it interrupts this feedback loop. So, your brain may still signal the muscles to tense, but your muscles won’t be able to, so your proprioception won’t send any alarm signals back to the brain.
Is Botox Treatment Right for You?
Can botox treat depression? The short answer: it depends. Botox may be an appropriate treatment option, especially if you don’t respond well to medications or talk therapy. However, it’s not often considered the first line of treatment for depression. So, you should consult your doctor and a mental health professional before you pursue botox treatment.
In the meantime, here are some tips for keeping yourself mentally healthy!
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