The future - putting it into practice Why is this important? Affecting 300 million people, depression is amongst the leading causes of disability in the world according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).4 Besides having significant social and functional impairments that severely impact on quality of life, patients with chronic depressive disorders experience significant morbidity and mortality from their disease.4,5 At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Evidently, the burden of depression and mental health conditions are on the rise globally and should be taken seriously.4 Currently, there are several effective non-pharmacological, pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches to the clinical treatment of depression. The most common first-line and second-line pharmacological treatment methods include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRIs) and tricyclin antidepressants. 6-8 …show more content…
Hence this considerable proportion of patients, who do not sufficiently respond to conventional therapeutic regimes, is left with chronic and treatment-resistant depression.6-8 On top of that, the adverse effect profile of current antidepressant regimes are concerning. The commonest adverse effects reported with current antidepressant regimes such as nausea, insomnia and loss of libido is troubling. (4,13) It is not surprising that patients have issues with concordance to treatment, discontinue their medication and
It is said to effect all age groups, ethnic and racial groups, and geographical locales (Carrington, 2006). Due to the invasive nature of this disorder, it often deeply impacts the diagnosed individual’s livelihood and well being. Currently, it is the fourth leading cause of disabling and the leading cause of nonfatal disease burden in the world. In the United States, depression is said to have a lifetime prevalence of 16.6% and has been on the rise during recent years (Bailey, Blackmon, & Stevens, 2009). With growing numbers of impacted individuals, this disorder is of great importance to mental health professionals in the U.S. and around the
“Recent data estimate the overall prevalence of depression at about 11.1% of the American population, or nearly 35 million individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). A predictive models suggest that up to 50% of the population will experience at least one episode of depression during their lives” (Life Extension, 2014). Depression has negatively affected the lives of many individuals throughout the world. Look around you there may even be someone close to you that is demonstrating signs of its stifling affects. Depression does not discriminate with its suffocating
Although antidepressants can be used as an alternative treatment for depression, there are many concerns with regards to this type of treatment. One of the many concerns is that there is a risk of suicide when taking antidepressants. Study by Olfson et al, (2006) support this claim as their comparison between individuals treated with antidepressants and individuals not treated with those, has shown that there was a significant link between suicidal attempts and individuals taking antidepressants. However, this study presents only a link between those and this
With an estimated 9.3% of Americans currently living with major depression or bipolar disorder, according to the NIMH, the safety of antidepressant drugs is at the forefront of many pharmaceutical discussions. At present, the most common drugs used to treat the debilitating lethargy, anxiety, and fatigue often associated with major depression fall into three key categories based upon mechanism of action: SSRIs, Tricyclics, and MAOIs. Since major depression and bipolar disorder are characterized by imbalances of certain chemicals within the brain, prescription medications are often the best way of relieving the symptoms of these disorders. As with any medication, antidepressants carry risks of side-effects, which usually relate to the drug
Pharmaceuticals are a very popular method of curing depression. Although they are popular these drugs show little to no progress in curing depression. In the article, "Taking Anti-Depressant Medication: A Qualitative Examination of Internet Postings,” proves this. The article gives accounts of multiple patients who have taken the medication and recorded their results. One patient states, “It seems like I’m about five times as anxious/depressed as I was pre-Paroxetine”. (353). Research proves that pharmaceuticals do not help individuals with their depression, but in fact cause it to worsen. The studies shows that many individuals receive a
Most common groups of drugs are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) which increases the level of serotonin (NHS, 2014). Bernstein et al (1994) conducted a study and found out that antidepressant drugs are an effective way to treat depression in the short run, significantly helping 60-80% of people. Cuijpers et al (2011) also supported Bernstein et al (1994) study found out that medication was more effective in psychotherapy in improving symptoms (Cuijpers, et al., 2011). However (Blumenthal, et al., 1999) found that exercising was just as effective as SSRIs in treating depression in an elderly group of patients. In another study conducted by Leuchter and Witte (2002) found that depressive patients receiving drug treatments improved just as well as patients receiving a placebo. The findings suggest that effective placebo treatment induces changes in the brain function that are different from those associated with antidepressants medication, however both treatments are effective, indicating that there are other ways to improve from depression other than antidepressants, which may have side effects (Leuchter, et al., 2002). Generally antidepressants drugs are an effective way to treat depression, but only in the short term. Medication will not cure depression or possible side effects, caused by taking drugs, such as sexual problems, insomnia, and dry mouth (MayoClinic,
More people suffer from depression than you might think. People of all ages, backgrounds, lifestyles, and nationalities get clinical depression. An estimated 35 to 40 million Americas living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives. (4) This is about 13 to 20 percent of all Americans. (1) About half of these individuals will experience recurring depression. (3) Despite being what authorities call "the nation's leading mental health problem" (6), depression is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, and therefore not treated. (4) Often as a result, about 25 percent of these people attempt suicide to end their
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.
Psychological issues affect people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Depression is a condition in which a person’s main emotions withdraw and there is a prolonged sadness over a long period of time. Main causes of depression consist of abuse in one’s lifetime, horrific or tragic events and or certain medications. “About 121 million people world-wide are believed to suffer from depression” (Naurt, 2008). Symptoms consist of low self esteem, disturbed sleep habits, appetite loss and the feeling of being not wanted; “It can lead to suicide and is associated with 1 million deaths a year” (Naurt, 2008). Antidepressants are the common treatment for depression, but music therapy is becoming increasingly popular. The biological perspective on the anti-depressants given to patients diagnosed with depression can have very horrific side effects. One such group of anti-depressants is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): “…there is also an established direct link between suicide and violent behavior and the use of SSRIs” (Tyrell, 2001). Most people stop using anti-depressants because of the drugs’ side effects. The SSRIs are just one example of malicious effects anti-depressant drugs that can create on people. Another research study completed by Kikuchi, Mimura, Suzuki, Uchida and Watanabe (2013), affirms their hypothesis that antidepressants has profound negative effects on patients with
All three types have proven to be effective, but SSRIs probably the most commonly recommended, mainly due to the smaller body of side effects they have shown. SSRIs function by balancing the brain’s neurotransmitters. They increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels (Comer,2005). There are a vast number of other treatment options that are on the market, most of which are just not as commonly prescribed. Studies have shown that drug treatments are most effective when used in conjunction
Chronic intake, delayed onset of action, drug resistance and numerous side effects of current antidepressants have forced researchers to look for new and safer drugs (1, 2) with rapid onset and longer acting times.
According to Lawrence, Mitrou and Zubrick (2009), mental illnesses remain one of the commonest causes of disability. Mental health disorders such as the depressive disorders have accounted for unprecedented numbers of disabled individuals in Orlando. Ideally, Ferrari (2013) cite the statistics that indicate that among 26% of individual Americans aged 18 years and above, 1 out of 4 adults suffers from mental disorder that are detectable each year. There are many cases of reported depressive disorders in the U.S as many individuals also present with symptoms of depression. This means that mental illnesses lead to early death among many Americans. Elsewhere, Coutts, Horner and Chapin (2010) found that depression was the leading cause of burden
Depression puts thoughts in your head to make you think that you’re not enough and that you will never be loved. If you give in to the thoughts and commit suicide you may not think that it affects the people around you but it does. Everyone you know would slowly lose interest in life as well cause you aren’t there to make them feel better on a bad day, or comfort them after a break up. Depression causes suicide, and suicide causes unimaginable pain on friends and family members your really close to. 5,000 teenagers kill themselves each year because of depression.
One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1
Depression is the most common of all psychological disorders, affecting 100 million people worldwide. The depression ranges from mild feelings of uneasiness, sadness, and apathy to intense suicidal despair. (Kasschau) If left untreated, it could lead the