Depression Primer Pt. 1

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The term mental health has a lot of stigma attached to it; however, millions of prescriptions are issued for anti depressants each year. Most people will experience at least a mild form of depression in response to a tragedy or stressful situation at some point in life. This type of reactive depression is very common. Normally the mood will return to normal as time passes; however, in the case of clinical depression, the mood does not return to normal. In fact, there may not even be a situation that caused it.

The symptoms of depression can vary in degrees of intensity, but generally they are:

* Lack of motivation
* Inability to concentrate
* Mood swings
* Loss of appetite
* Erratic sleeping patterns
* Loss of interest in daily activities

A seriously depressed person will withdraw from life and be unable to get out of bed. They may have thoughts of suicide.

Besides clinical and reactive, there are several other types of depression. Postpartum depression-- the baby blues--is experienced by many women after the birth of a child due to the hormonal imbalance that occurs after delivery.

Holiday depression is another type. Many people feel the need to have a perfect celebration and when this doesn’t happen, depression is the result.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is caused by insufficient exposure to sunlight. In locations where the day is short and mostly overcast, the retina doesn't send the proper signals to the hypothalamus. The result is seasonal depression.

Manic-depressive disorder, or bipolar mood disorder, is another variant in which deep depression alternates with hyperactivity.

Lastly, depression often occurs as a side effect of taking conventional medicines. Many common drugs for birth control, hypertension, and diabetes have the side effect of depression.

The conventional route for dealing with depression is to first get diagnosed by a physician. The physician will rule out physical problems that may be underlying the mood problems. There will be lots of lab tests to determine hormone levels, thyroid function, etc.

If there is no obvious cause, you may be referred to a mental health professional. Most often antidepressants are prescribed, but there may be a need for therapy as well. Many people get frustrated at this point due to the try and fail technique with drug therapy.

The most popular class of drugs are tricyclic antidepressants. The drugs do not take effect immediately so a period of at least two weeks is needed to determine if they are working. These drugs are extremely toxic so repeated blood tests are necessary. Possible side effects are delirium, seizures, heart palpitations, dry mouth, low blood pressure, reduced sex drive, depression, drowsiness, agitation, rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping.

The good news is there are newer, less toxic drugs. These include Prozac, Wellbutrin, Luvox, Serzone, Paxil, Effexor, and Zoloft. For this group the side effects only include sexual problems, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, dizziness, tremors, insomnia, dry mouth, and excessive sweating.