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What Is Depression Article
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Depression Medication
from: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.
What Is Depression Specific links
Depression Health Center
- Expert advice, articles, articles, tips and more - all about depression and bipolar disorders.
-- http://www.yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/
Blinkx Video Search
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Free Online Kids Games
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Comedy: Farewell George W. Bush
- Farewell Dubya: As we bid adieu to the 43rd President of the United States,here's a look back at the humor he inspired.
-- http://www.atom.com/
What Is Depression News
The Big Three Depression risk (CNN Money)
The U.S. auto industry weathered the Great Depression. But there are some fears that its current crisis could cause another one.
Read more...Jacob Savage: We've Been Down This Road Before: A Great Depression Quiz (HuffingtonPost)
Your task is to decide what era and person each excerpt refers to: Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and the events of 1929-1933, or George W. Bush, John McCain, Barack Obama, and the events of the last four years.
Read more...Magnetic treatment lifts some depression (The Columbus Dispatch)
WASHINGTON -- Steve Newman had suffered from major depression since age 13.
Read more...The Great Depression of the 21st Century: Collapse of the Real Economy (Baltimore Chronicle & Sentinel)
The financial crisis is deepening, with the risk of seriously disrupting the system of international payments. This crisis is far more serious than the Great Depression. All major sectors of the global economy are affected.
Read more...Recent Features (The Globalist)
Friday, November 21, 2008 New President, Different World What kind of global economy will Obama inherit when he takes office? Thursday, November 20, 2008 Stop! You're Giving Me the Blues How should the United States pull itself out of this current state of (economic) depression?
Read more...