Depression

What is Depression?

Depression Medications

Depression medications are serious business, because they’re strong drugs that impact your brain functioning. They’re not to be taken lightly and some are even addictive. There’s a reason why all antidepressant medications are strictly controlled. They need to be taken only under the supervision of a doctor.

Not everyone wants to turn to depression medications for relief though. Each person must work with his or her doctor to determine which course of treatment is right for your situation. Some people try all other forms of treatment first while others begin a combined treatment of medication and another therapy. These other therapies can include group therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy, and even self-help therapy to name a few.

So how do you know when taking one of the depression medications is the right choice? The first things most doctors will consider is how long your depression has been occurring and which therapies you have tried. Other factors in the decision to use depression medications include religious values, other medications currently being taken, pregnancy and propensity for drug dependency. As you can see, it may be a very complex decision to use depression medications.

In our society, we too frequently see drugs as a quick fix for everything that ails us. But even if you and your doctor decide to try drugs, they won’t work instantly. There are no quick fixes for depression. You will probably have to take the medications for many months and it will take weeks before you notice a change in your depression disorder. In the meantime, you want to continue any other therapies currently being used to treat your depression.

One of the main considerations for deciding to use depression medications is the severity of the disorder. If you have bipolar condition or are depressed at least 2 hours every day, you have severe depression. If your depression is preventing you from working and creating other serious problems in your life, medication might be used in the beginning. The nice thing about medication is it can be stopped down the road. You can take it for the months you need it and then as other therapies work, or your depression abates, you can withdraw from the drugs.

Treatments other than depression medications offer a change in thinking and lifestyle for the long term. Using medications is a short term solution except in the most severe cases. When you learn positive self-talk or positive thinking, they’re techniques you can use anywhere.

When you use depression medications, it might be necessary to try more than one in order to get the best drug combination. You also must be aware that most of them have side effects, but these side effects are different for everyone. That’s another reason why you need constant doctor supervision.

Depression Medication

Sometime depression medication is deemed necessary by the doctor, especially in the case of severe depression. But medication is not an instant cure by any means. It takes weeks before the medication benefits are felt and researchers aren’t sure why it takes so long. But there are certain depression symptoms that warrant medication.

• Having suicidal thoughts or preoccupation with death
• Experiencing psychotic delusions
• Have severe depression that has overwhelmed your life
• Have recurring depression that hasn’t responded to other treatments

Sometimes depression medication is prescribed when other forms of treatment have already been tried and are not proving to be effective. Depression can be elusive because so many different things can contribute to its existence. Medication can be a last resort form of treatment in these situations.

Most doctors will not prescribe depression medication until psychotherapy has been tried if at all possible. Medication is seldom the first choice of treatment unless there are no alternatives available to the patient or the patient is considered to be a threat to him or herself.

There are several different kinds of depression medicine commonly prescribed today. Basically, depression is considered to be the result of the brain not producing the right amount of chemicals needed for proper functioning. The result is increased feelings of stress and anxiety among other effects. Medication attempts to restore balance in the brain so neurotransmitters operate properly.

The most common depression medication prescribed will be one of the following.

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
• Tricyclics
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAO inhibitor)

• Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor Medications
• Benzodiazepine Tranquilizers (BZ)

These are a lot of fancy names for antidepressants. There are even other medications that can be tried if any of these depression medication choices are not acceptable. Varying side effects will have to be taken into consideration when deciding whether to continue a particular medication. For example, some of them are addictive. That means when it’s time to get off the drug, you must slowly withdraw.

There is another class of drugs that is not considered an antidepressant. Instead, the drugs are actually mood stabilizers. They don’t affect the same chemicals in the brain like the antidepressant drugs. Instead of impacting serotonin or dopamine, they have an impact on glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Not everyone chooses to take medication, but instead try to find alternate treatments. Also, there are times when taking medications is not appropriate. For example, when you’re pregnant or taking a drug for another medical problem you might not want to use antidepressants. Some drugs cannot be safely mixed together. In addition, sometimes the side effects of the depression medication are so uncomfortable that people choose to quit taking the drug.

Depression medication is an effective form of treatment under certain conditions. You must work with your doctor to determine which medication will best suit your situation.

Causes of Depression

There are many theories about the causes of depression, but none of them are definitive. In other words, even medical researchers to this day don’t know for sure what causes depression. They continue to study the disorder though and great progress has been made towards narrowing the search. In the final analysis, a person gets depressed because of many causes and not one.

Current medical theories cover the gamut of possibilities. Some doctors believe depression might be an inherited trait. In other words, genetics plays a role in whether or not experience depression. It’s not uncommon to hear people say they have several members of a family who have been diagnosed with depression over the years. There’s not a “depression gene”, but we all inherit certain personality traits. In addition, some genes apparently affect the production of serotonin in the brain and are suspect as a cause of depression.

The possible causes of depression also include possible childhood experiences. For example, if you were physically, emotionally or sexually abused then you might have very well developed your dark thoughts at a young age. It would be easy to see why you view the world as hopeless. Another theory says that parents who are excessively strict and inhibiting raise children who are unable to socialize normally. This can lead to social dysfunction and withdrawal.

Still another one of the causes of depression is related to biology. The body is designed to respond to perceived threats quickly. The brain produces chemicals that enable the body to either take a stand or flee (fight-or-flight response). When these chemicals are not produced at the right time and in the right quantity, the result can lead to a chemical imbalance and depression. But related to this biological cause is the ability of the body and mind to handle stress. If you have suppressed feelings related to stress in your life, depression can ensue.

There are also many medical conditions reported to be causes of depression. Hyperthyroidism can lead to panic attacks and anxiety and affect your ability to cope with life. A sudden tragedy can also cause depression. If someone you love dies, your spouse leaves you or you are fired, depression can develop. Your self-talk and coping skills and ability to handle stress all impact how you respond to grief and tragedy.

Another one of the causes of depression is the use of drugs. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines over stimulate the brain and lead to anxiety and depression. Some drugs are known to cause brain damage also and the brain is left in a perpetual state of imbalance.

Human beings are complicated and so are the causes of depression. Finding the cause in your life will take a determination to seek the source of your depression through one or more of the effective treatments.