Depression Medications - Information and Tips
Just because you feel sad and depressed for a few days does not mean that you have depression. Depression is a very serious disease that can last for years. Each year about 15 million Americans suffer from this illness. The sad fact is that only a third of those Americans will ever seek help for their affliction. The age-old stereotype associated with mental illness influences many to still avoid admitting they suffer from depression. Depression is a progressive illness. It will get worse without treatment or depression medication. It cannot be ignored.
A variety of factors, and even combinations of these factors, lead to depression. It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional. It can be given birth by the very environment that the victim lives in. Detrimental factors such as stress can lead to it. It takes a lot of knowledge to address a complex issue like depression. As well, the human brain and its workings are quite complex. Work continues into the mind and brain and how they work, what makes them tick. We know that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. More about the way this process works is learned each day. The more we learn about depression the better we can treat it.
There are a variety of depression medications available to treat this illness. Of course the market is full of ‘quick fix’ antidotes. Make sure the treatment has been studied and scientifically proven to address depression. 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. It was 1988 when Prozac, an anti-depressant, first came into wide use in America. It has bee proven effective and is still in use today although it does come with side effects.
Since then a new class of anti-depressants has become popular as well. The SSRI or (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox are all being used to treat depression today. All have been proven effective but come with varied side effects. There are also numerous natural herbal depression medications available on the market. 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’. If this ingredient is used in the proper strength it is effective. Research and information are your friends when it comes to the right medications for depression.
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