Sunday, December 7, 2008

Do You Have Depression And Need Depression Medication?

By Lorna Hillier

The main intention of this article on depression medications is to give you an insight and understanding of the topic so you can make better decisions.

A couple of days of feeling sad or depressed does not mean you have depression. Depression is a very serious disease that can last for years. Studies have show that around 15 million Americans are affected by this illness each and every year.

The age- old stereotype associated with mental illness influences many to still avoid admitting they suffer from depression. It's a real shame that due to this lack of education and stigma concerning mental illness, around a third of the people suffering from depression will not ask for help.

Without treatment depression gets progressively worse and should not be ignored. It could take over your life and in rare cases may lead to serious self harming behaviors.

A variety of factors, and even combinations of these factors can lead to depression. It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional.

The very enviroment that the person lives could be a contributing factor especially stress and other negative influences. Complicated diseases like depression aren't easy to crack and can take years of treatment to show improvement.

The human mind is very complicated also. The medical profession has spent years of research trying to determine how the brain and mind operate. They have determined that depression is cause by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

We are learning more every day about how the whole mental process works and with knowledge come the power to discover better treatments.

Better and better depression medications are being tested daily and now there is a large variety of drugs available to treat depression. Also the market is riddled with magic potions but mostly you will only lose your money not your depression. Clinical tests to prove something really works in treating depression are required.

There was a time in our history if you were afflicted by anything that was associated with mental illness you were thrown into a mental ward and lost in the system. Fortunately that has all been changed.

The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988 and became the rage. It was proven to work, and thus is still prescribed today even though it can have serious side effects.

A new class of anti-depressants SSRI's has become widely used since then. The SSRI or (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox are all being used to treat depression today. These have limited side effects and have been shown to work.

The market is also ripe with herbal medications and treatments. The majority of these that have been proven to work as well as the anti-depressants contain the St. John Wort extract ingredient called 'hyperforin'. When this is present in the proper quantity it's a winner.

When seeking depression medications that work, ask questions, do your research, and know the facts.

This article was all about depression medication and the benefits and problems associated with it. Now it is for you to decide if you need to discuss depression treatment options with your doctor. - 16928

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