Depression Treatment

Depression is a mental disorder that affects a person's moods. It affects millions of people around the world. People with depression may feel sad, angry, irritable, tired, confused, guilty, hopeless or worthless. When a person is diagnosed with depression, it's painful for the person and can also be difficult for the person's family. Depression if left untreated can get worse and it can affect a person's ability to function in daily life.

As serious as depression may be, it is treatable. Proper treatment can help people with depression get back to normal daily activities.

Main treatments for depression are antidepressants and psychotherapy. Antidepressants are medicines that help to relieve depression so that a person suffering from depression can function more normally. There are mainly four types of antidepressants:

1. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline). These antidepressants help the brain absorb the chemical serotonin. 2. Tricyclics antidepressants (TCAs) - Adapin (doxepin), Anafranil,(clomipramine), Elavil (amitriptyline), Endep (amitriptyline), Ludiomil (maprotiline), Norpramin (desipramine), Pamelor (nortryptyline), Pertofrane (desipramine), Sinequan (doxepin), Surmontil (trimipramine), Tofranil (imipramine), Vivactil (protriptyline) 3. Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) - Nardil (phenelzine), Parnate (tranylcypromine) 4. Serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) - venlafaxine (tradenames Effexor XR, Efexor), nefazodone (tradename Serzone), milnacipran (tradename Dalcipran/ Portugal; Ixel/ France), desipramine (tradenames Norpramine, Pertofraneis), duloxetine (tradename Cymbalta)

On the market, there are also antidepressants that don't fall in the above categories such as buproprion (Wellbutrin), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), venlafaxine (Effexor), and mirtazapine (Remeron).

Certain antidepressants cause side effects. In most cases, side effect disappears once a person's body has adjusted to the medication. Sometimes people on antidepressants may feel worse before feeling better. It takes time for depression medication to work correctly.

Besides taking medications, psychotherapy or talk therapy can be also of help to depressed individuals. It includes short-term therapy sessions, usually from ten to twenty weeks. Positive results will generally be showing up after one or more sessions of psychotherapy. This type of depression treatment actually helps the individuals by slowly helping them open up about their feelings, the root of their problems, and most important of all, the root of their depression. Healthy verbal exchanges between the therapist and the client is the goal by helping them discuss whatever they have been keeping inside.

Even though medication or psychotherapy may work independently, many experts feel a combination of both medication and psychotherapy can work more effectively to help depressed individuals overcome depression and become mentally healthy.

Forest Sun

Forest Sun is a healthy lifestyle enthusiast and advocate. His website at http://managedepressionnow.com/ offers information on depression and how you can manage depression successfully.

Source: http://www.ezinearticles.biz/article/Depression-Treatments/4070

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