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Medications For Depression

re with the work, social life, or daily life of an individual. Everyone has times when they feel down. Usually, that passes after a short time, and one gets back to normal. When it doesn't go away, the problem may be depression. Only a doctor can make the diagnosis, but it's important to know that help should be sought when those symptoms linger for too long. Treatments for depression can improve the world of a depressed person dramatically.

Depression is a real medical condition, and not a sign of weakness, or a character flaw. Anyone, no matter what age they are, what background they have, or what ethnic group they belong to can be the victim of depressive disorders. Nearly twice as many women as men are affected by a depressive illness each year. Medications for depression are readily available, and come in several different formulas. If one doesn't work for an individual, there are others to try. There are even herbal medications that claim to help relieve symptoms naturally, and they have none of the possible side effects that might occur with pharmaceuticals.

The exact cause of depression isn't clear. No one is sure why some people have this problem and others don't. Sometimes these symptoms seem to occur because of a stressful event--divorce, or the death of a loved one for instance. Other times there seems to be no reason at all. There does seem to be a genetic connection. While not everyone who has a relative who has or has had it will develop the illness, there does seem to be a greater likelihood for it to happen. Treatments for depression can help even in those instances where it seems to be a "family" thing. Scientists believe that this illness could be linked with an imbalance of a chemical in the brain called serotonin. Medications for depression are designed to correct that imbalance. Even in the Old Testament there are descriptions of sadness, which could have been depression. "Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid." (Nehemiah 2:2)

There are three phases of treatments for depression when only medications for depression are used. Phase 1 is the acute phase, and during that phase the person is prescribed medication that relieves the symptoms, and the person begins to improve within the first six to eight weeks. If improvement does not occur during that initial phase, the prescription may need changing. Phase 2 is the continuation phase. During this phase, medication is continued to prevent symptoms from recurring for sixteen to twenty weeks after the symptoms first subside. Phase 3 is the maintenance phase, and the treatment that was in place during the continuation phase is continued for as long as the doctor thinks necessary to keep the problem from recurring.

It is known that nearly two-thirds of depressed people do not get proper treatment because (a) the symptoms are not recognized as depression; (b) depressed people are seen as weak or lazy; (c) social stigma causes people to avoid needed treatment; (d) the symptoms are so disabling that the people affected cannot reach out for help; (e) many symptoms are misdiagnosed as physical symptoms; and (f) individual symptoms are treated, rather than the underlying cause. This is very unfortunate because, with proper treatments for depression, nearly 80% of those who suffer from this illness can make significant improvement in their mood, and life becomes enjoyable again.

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