| Now and again everybody feels down. Ten percent of Americans are estimated to suffer from a depressive disorder. This type of mental disorders includes major depression. The main symptoms of major depression are the following:
- No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy
- Feeling sad or empty
- Feeling slowed down or feeling dissatisfied and unable to sit still
- Losing or putting on weight
- Thoughts about suicide or death
- Trouble thinking, recalling things or focusing
- Problems sleeping, particularly in the early morning or waiting to sleep all the time
- Feeling numb emotionally
Depression seems to be connected with chemical imbalances in the brain that makes it hard for cells to communicate with one another.
Depression can result from nerve-racking events, such as the death of someone you love, a divorce or layoffs. But it can also develop unexpectedly. Certain medications, alcohol and drug addiction, can lead to depression.
Depression can be treated with medications, or special form of counseling called psychotherapy, or with both. Antidepressants are drugs used to help people having depression.
Antidepressants work by increasing the activity of chemicals in our brain called neurotransmitters. Antidepressants help make the chemicals more available to the brain.
Normally, antidepressants are taken at least for 6-12 months.
They can better your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks to see the results. There are a few classes of antidepressants. You and your medical practitioner may have to try several before you find what medication is the most effective for you.
Medicines sometimes lead to unwanted side effects. They may range from person to person and from medicine to medicine. For instance, when you first begin your antidepressant you may feel tired, have trouble sleeping or have upset stomach. These side effects typcally go away after a while.
Even after 12 months of treatment, there is still about a 10% chance of depression returning as soon as treatment is finished. Some people take antidepressants for a few years. |
Article Details
