Causes Of Depression: The First Antidepressant

Over the years the “rate of antidepressant use among all ages [have] seen an increase by nearly 400%...” even though deemed ineffective (Smith). This increase came about after more doctors were given a wider range of prescription rights; this allowed them to access a wider range of drugs, capable of delivering a greater level of high if misused. Patients are often prescribed medications without being fully evaluated, leading to treatments which might not be needed. As a result “‘… at least half the folks who are being treated with antidepressants aren't benefiting from the active pharmacological effects of the drugs themselves but from a placebo effect’ " (Hollon, Smith)which affects a person’s state of mind. The Placebo Effect creates the feeling that an ineffective drug is working because it is supposed to work even if the prescribed medication was a simple sugar-water mixture. The efficiency of antidepressants decrease as the prescriber moves across the classes. They are especially less effective when used to treat serious medical conditions but are often used instead of more serious

When most people hear the phrase “The Great Depression” they only associate it the crash of the stock market and the hard times that followed. Here in the Midwest, when we think of the Great Depression we also think of the Dust Bowl and the Dirty Thirties. The Great Depression was a very climactic end to a series of poor choices that greatly affected the entire United States.

Although this is a fake way to treat depression, it does actually help the disorder depending on the person. Still, this effect is a huge hole in the credibility of antidepressants. On the bright side, there are some people who have had good cases involving only antidepressants. In other words, “Make no mistake: For many people, antidepressants do work. In fact, they can be life-saving.” (Web MD) Mainly stating that for some users antidepressants are all they need. Still it all comes down to the user or person, and what works the best on them personally. With it’s many flaws the other argument does make it’s vital points on the subject.

The belief is that antidepressants work by increasing levels of a group of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. Certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and noradrenaline, can improve mood and emotion, although we do not yet fully understand this process

Lastly, what effects to antidepressants have on mood, behavior, and suicidal tendencies? In her article, ‘The Hidden Harm of Antidepressants’, Diana Kwon, a science writer with a Master’s degree for McGill University in neuroscience, she reviews several studies about the use of antidepressants, and had found the safety data on some of these drugs have been withheld from the public. She mentions research done in Copenhagen by some researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center, and how they discovered that “pharmaceutical companies were not presenting the full extent of serious harm in clinical study reports…” (Kwon para 2). These clinical study reports are then used by people at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve or deny new

In 2005 the Center of Disease Control and Prevention 's (CDC’s) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tracked Americans using antidepressants for three years. The study concluded in 2008 that more than 1 in 10 Americans ages 12 and older have used an antidepressant drug. This study comes in the wake of a heated debate in the media about the effectiveness of antidepressants treating depression. Last year, antidepressants were the second most commonly prescribed medication, right behind drugs directed to lower cholesterol. With so many people in the United States relying on these drugs, it is easy to question if they are just expensive, overused placebos.

It’s simply easy to discard a young adult with a hint of depression or anxiety in society’s eyes. In fact, depression is a fickle box, a diverse illness, with different prior causes and abstract theories (Mukherjee, New York Times Magazine, 2012). Most adults might be under a false impression that it’s a normal for children to have severe mood swings. As for the adults who have worked under the physiatric/medical field, knew professionally that wasn’t the case. Antidepressants is the key ingredient and solution for these young adults to handle for their own mental problems. Con: However, The U.S Food and Drug Administration slapped “black box” warning on antidepressants, with even a small minority chance of increased suicide risk, behind the agency's strongest safety alert (Olson, Omaha World-Herald, 2005).

Many people who are against the idea of taking medication to relieve their depression, are apprehensive about the side affects that arise with taking them. The answer to this problem is easy, contact your doctor and try another one out. The original antidepressant made me awfully drowsy and lazy. So my mother made an appointment, and I converted to a different kind of medication. There is more than one type of antidepressant for that purpose and many other purposes as well. For me, the second antidepressant not only gave me extra energy, but also made me more cheerful. For the people who do not favor with taking antidepressants, merely because they do not work, also should then explored the different types of medications to see which one suites that individual the best. Some medications work for people, but in contrast, they don’t change a thing for another. That’s what I found so attractive in the idea of antidepressants. The flexibility of various kinds of medications so you can find the one for

“I feel trapped”, “I feel empty”, “I feel hopeless and numb”, are all ways that people have described their depression. Usually this would be followed with going to the doctor and expressing how the person feels and then the doctor prescribing an antidepressant. The question that stands is “does everyone on antidepressants actually need to be on antidepressants?” Antidepressants should be reserved for the cases and people who really need them rather than someone who has situational depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or even seasonal affective disorder, all types of depression that can be treated using talk therapy rather than medication (Illiades, 7 Side Effects of Antidepressants).

This can make it difficult to tell precisely which drug is affecting an individual’s emotions. Doctors do, however, have a pretty good idea of what each narcotic can do due to research in individuals that have taken one drug at a time.

I know that antidepressants produce side effects that can turn out to be worse than what they are being used to treat, such side effects can include suicidal thoughts/actions, insomnia, and anxiety. Antidepressants are used to treat disorders such as anxiety disorder, depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is an accurate representation of medication for depression. It does not make you want to live, it does not fix your thinking, it just makes you functional. It allows you to do things you wouldn’t usually be able to, and maybe after a while you will be able to function on your own.

Mood disorders can often be treated with success. Treatment may include three types of it: First the Antidepressant, and mood stabilizing medications -- especially when combined with psychotherapy have shown to work very well in the treatment of depression. Second the Psychotherapy, most often cognitive - behavioral and/or interpersonal therapy. This therapy is focused on changing the person’s distorted views of himself or herself and the environment around him or her. It also helps to improve interpersonal relationship skills, and identifying stressors in the environment and how to avoid them. Third the Family therapy, other therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial stimulation. Families play a vital supportive role in

The first step to treating many of these new cases of depression is the prescription and use of antidepressant medication, however this has cause a mass flooding of our society with unnecessary prescription drugs. Due to the ease of treatment, primarily with prescription drugs, and the large range of severity in depression is often over diagnosed, adding to the problem.

As mood is associated to serotonin, low mood implies decrease in serotonin levels (Cowen, 2008). Motivation and exhilartion is associated to dopamine, however decrease in dopamine level thus results in low motivation and low energy (Meloy & Fisher, 2005). Hence, antidepressant drugs is an alternative solution to depression as dopamine agonist can be found in some antidepressant medication (Hori, & Kunugi,