Depression is very common. In just one year alone, nearly one million individuals in Australia suffer from depression. One in six men and one in ten women will experience major depression at some point in their lifetime. While the symptoms of depression can mirror those of normal sadness or boredom, a lack of sufficient oxygen and other chemical imbalances in the brain can result in severe emotional distress.
Most people who are depressed will experience some level of sadness or sorrow for something that has happened to them. However, some individuals who are depressed will go through a prolonged period of sadness or bereavement without any apparent reason for doing so. Some individuals may only feel sad for a short period of time before becoming more upset. Others may feel sad for longer periods of time before feeling better.
In severe cases of depression, these prolonged episodes of sadness can lead to chemical imbalances. The brain uses neurotransmitters to communicate with different parts of the body. Once the neurotransmitters are reduced due to a chemical imbalance, the messages they are sending aren’t as clear as they should be and can cause different bodily and emotional reactions. For instance, if the neurotransmitters are reduced in the facial area, the individual may start to lose their facial expression and other non-verbal cues which can make them look extremely sad.
There are many different forms of depression medications on the market today. Many individuals use one or more forms of prescription medications such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Prozac (Sertraline). Other individuals take the medication in the natural course of the depression treatment process using only herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). Other individuals may only need mild doses of prescription depression medications, but will still need to take other forms of prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications to deal with the symptoms of their depression. Some of these other types of prescription medications include Niacinamide (Niacinamide is an oil extract from red grapes), Lithium Orotate (used with acetaminophen), and Valproic Acid (Vitamin D). In recent years, ketamine IM treatment has been gaining a lot of popularity.
When an individual is suffering from depression, they can experience a number of different physical symptoms. For example, someone experiencing depression may feel sad or fatigued all of the time. They may even have trouble sleeping and maintaining sleep patterns. Mood swings and frequent sadness or irritability may occur as well as problems concentrating and having trouble with memory recall. If not treated, a person suffering from depression can suffer from physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and even infections because of the improper functioning of their immune system.
When a depressed individual is first diagnosed, doctors usually treat the symptoms of depression by prescribing a variety of anti-depressant medications. However, in most of these cases, the symptoms of depression can be successfully treated with only one type of medication or at most two weeks of treatment. When treating depression, doctors usually try to find the most effective medication that will help to balance the brain chemicals that are normally out of balance when a person is depressed. The most successful medications for depression affect the levels of Serotonin and Norepinephrine in the brain. These chemicals help to reduce the physical symptoms of depression like insomnia, fatigue, headaches, irritability, lack of appetite, and the inability to concentrate properly.
In order to treat symptoms of depression, doctors often combine medication with therapy in an attempt to treat depression as a whole. These medications used together usually involve the use of SSRIs, including Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa. Doctors who choose to use this combination usually begin antidepressant therapy within thirty days of the depression diagnosis, with the use of SSRIs and then switching to Niacinamide, which affects the brain chemical that interacts with serotonin, which is known to alleviate depression symptoms. Another commonly used antidepressant medication that combines with electroconvulsive therapy is Pameloride, which has been shown to help balance the brain chemicals that cause feelings of depression.
There are other medications that can be used for symptoms of depressive disorder. For milder cases of depressive disorder, there are also non-drug therapies that are used to treat these symptoms. These include interpersonal therapy, which help patients deal with their problems and relationships in more productive ways, as well as exercise and dietary change, which can be very beneficial. By treating the symptoms of depression, people who suffer from this form of major depression can live more productive and happier lives.
