The use of aromatherapy as a complementary treatment for depressive disorder

Abstract

The depressive disorder is considered by the World Health Organization a public health problem and affects millions of people worldwide, leading to a high rate of mortality and morbidity. It is a mental disorder constituted by multiple factors that requires a multidisciplinary treatment that includes several and integral therapies, aiming at reducing the symptoms and increasing the quality of life. Aromatherapy is revealed as an alternative and complementary form of treatment and, thus, this study aimed to identify the effectiveness of the use of aromatherapy in cases of depression, as well as to verify the most suitable essential oils for these cases. For this purpose, a review of scientific literature was carried out in relevant databases, in Portuguese and English, using the combination of the following descriptors: aromatherapy, depression and alternative therapy. The results indicate that aromatherapy stands out as an effective complementary therapeutic practice for the treatment of depression, whose promoted benefits are several, namely promotes a significant improvement in sleep, for its sedative effects, regulates emotions, causing feelings of comfort and well-being, and reduces anxiety, among others. From the scientific literature in the area, it was identified that aromatherapy associated with massage is more effective in reducing depressive symptoms and that the properties of the essential oils Bergamot, Lavender, Ylang ylang and Geranium are the most suitable for the treatment of depressive disorder. Further studies are suggested to deepen and extend the research on the use of aromatherapy for depressive disorder and other mental disorders.