Clinical depression is a serious mood disorder that involves the brain. Clinical depression involves feelings of sadness that affect normal day-to-day activities. Patients with depression also experience a variety of physical problems. Most people...
The experience of depression in children and teens is somewhat different than that of adults. Depression in childhood is more likely to lead to the continuation of depression in adulthood, as well as other, more serious mental illnesses. When...
The most commonly prescribed medications to treat depression are a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Well-known SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), and sertraline (Zoloft). Seratonin and...
When reviewing the effects of antidepressant drugs, it is important to consider both their positive effects and their negative effects. Medical professionals dub this the risk-benefit profile. Patients who are prescribed antidepressants should...
Medication that treats depression can also help patients with anxiety disorders. Antidepressants balance chemicals or neurotransmitters in the brain that affect emotions and moods, improving mental health conditions. Some people have anxiety as a...
Medications for depression are divided into major classes including tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. These medications are available...
Approximately 20.9 million American adults suffer from a mood disorder, states the National Institute of Mental Health. Moderate to severe cases of depression are treated with a combination of therapy and antidepressant medications. Mild forms of...
Depressant medications slow down your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to induce sleep and relieve anxiety or stress, according to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.
Depressant drugs are prescribed to relieve tension, anxiety and irritability. In addition, depressant drugs can treat insomnia. Orally taken, depressant drugs have a high potential for abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), prescription medications such as central nervous system depressants are very effective for reducing anxiety and helping to fight insomnia. While most patients use their medications...
Effexor, or Effexor XR, as it is known, is the generic drug venlafaxine hydrochoride (HCl). It is an antidepressant that is available by prescription, and is used to treat symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder...
Depression is a serious condition that demands treatment. The combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy is most effective for treating depression, as reported in the May 18, 2000, issue of "The New England Journal of Medicine." Despite...
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 2 million of the 35 million Americans age 65 or older suffer from depression. Another 5 million suffer from less severe forms of depression. Drugs called antidepressants work to normalize brain...
Depression is an illness that can cause significant negative effects on relationships, family and work productivity, but it is highly treatable, reports the American Psychological Association, or APA. When you experience depression, you will feel...
Depression is a type of mental disorder that can have a major impact on your everyday life. It can be caused from personal problems, financial issues, a loss of a loved one or from dealing with an illness. Conventional drugs might be effective at...
Depression refers to a chronic mental illness in which a person's mood is characterized by sadness, anger and frustration. According to the Mayo Clinic, depression is a very common condition throughout the world. Symptoms include loss of interest...
While medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants are popular treatment methods for depression, some people prefer ways of treating this condition that do not require taking a pill. Options exist;...
Depression is an illness that drains its sufferers of energy, hope and motivation, making each day difficult to get through. Overcoming this condition is far from easy. It takes a desire and willingness to see the light at the end of the tunnel,...
People who experience both depression and social anxiety can benefit from the same medication in many cases. Antidepressant drugs developed for depression also work successfully in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, also...
Anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs often work to help a patient over time. Some of these medications offer delayed-release formulations to help control the amount of medication in the human body. As with all medications, these have potential...
A mood disorder, depression causes patients to feel helpless or hopeless, and affects their perception of the world. For example, depressed patients can feel worthless even if they live productive lives. Many factors can contribute to the onset of...
Depression is considered by most physicians to be a chronic illness that needs to be treated over the course of a patient's life. Although psychotherapy is effective at treating mild depression, many patients also benefit from the use of certain...
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a severe mental disorder that causes extreme shifts in mood and can severely affect the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. First signs of bipolar disorder usually emerge during the late...
Depression is a mental health disorder that affects a person's mood. A person may experience bouts of depression throughout his lifetime. When he is depressed, he may have problems being successful in many facets of his life. Despite the...
Postpartum depression is a common complication of childbirth, occurring in as many as one in eight women, the March of Dimes reports. Postpartum depression is more severe than the "baby blues" caused by rapid hormonal changes after delivery, which...
Depressive disorders are commonly treated with medications that target emotional or mood symptoms. However, the pain sensations associated with depression have only recently been considered problematic enough to require further research for...
Up to 50 percent of people who experience depression also experience physical pain, according to a 2002 article in Psychology Today. Pain occurs because the neural pathways that regulate mood also regulate pain perception. Research has also...
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 20 million people in the U.S. have some form of depressive disorder. Everyone experiences a down or depressed mood now and then, but true depression is a serious mental illness and involves...
Prescription medications can help improve symptoms of depression and in many cases attempt to restore the balance of chemicals in the brain that were imbalanced and often the cause of symptoms. Several medications are useful in treating the...
Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an psychiatric disorder most often associated with any serious psychological trauma. Learn more about the causes, symptoms and treatments for PTSD in this medical video.