Anyone who has known someone who has killed himself may ask why it happened. Was there a way to prevent it? There are some signs recognized by the medical community that may be indications of suicidal thoughts. While not all suicides can be...
Recognizing the signs of possible suicidal behavior in teens can help you prevent tragedy from occurring in your family. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds and the sixth leading cause of death for 5- to...
People are often caught off-guard when they hear that someone intentionally killed herself. In suicide, the decision to take your own life may come through irrational thought or because life seems too painful to continue. According to the National...
Kids are not likely to sit you down and start talking about their mental health. They instead offer clues through their behavior to what's going on inside their minds. A child who starts acting aggressively, especially when the behavior is coupled...
For teenagers, adjusting to the loss of a parent, sibling or close friend can be particularly painful. Even without the additional stress of grief, teen years can be tumultuous and challenging. Changing body image, feelings, attachments and...
Gabapentin, known as the brand name Neurontin, is an anti-convulsant, or anti-seizure medication. Neurontin is most commonly used to treat partial seizures in adults. Neurontin has also been shown to be effective in treating neurogenic pain, which...
Topamax (topiramate) is a daily, prophylactic medication used to treat migraines and to control epileptic seizures. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, according to Topamax.com, Topamax is thought to "calm" over-excitable nerve cells, which...
Depression exists in varying degrees, ranging from a mild case of the blues to severe feelings of worthlessness. Although the symptoms of depression do not vary much, the persistence and severity of these symptoms can indicate how serious the...
Lexapro, clinically known as escitalopram, is a medication used to treat depression and anxiety in adults and adolescents. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. It is the second most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the...
In 2004, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning stating that antidepressant drugs may cause increased risks of suicidal behavior, particularly in children and adolescents. Although most antidepressant medications take about two...
Rebif, or interferon beta-1a, controls the return of symptoms in multiple sclerosis. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society explains that MS affects the central nervous system, causing the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed and often...
Clinical depression is a serious mental health condition that affects large numbers of both men and women. While in the past, this disease has not always been well understood or accepted as a legitimate illness, the medical community and the...
Trazodone is a mood stabilizer used to fight mental depression and anxiety disorder depression. It is marketed as Desyrel or Desyrel Dividose in pill form. A major depressive episode, RxList.com states, is when you experience symptoms of...
It's normal to feel sad every once in a while. People who are depressed feel sad or irritable most of the time and struggle with other feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
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...
Celexa, the brand name of the medication cialopram, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, antidepressant medication. Celexa may restore the balance of serotonin and improve certain mood problems in people with depression, according...
Although antidepressant medications help to relieve the symptoms of depression, they also may produce unpleasant or even dangerous side effects. While many of these side effects are physical, some potentially dangerous behavioral side effects may...
Affex (fluoxetine) is a prescription medication indicated for the treatment of symptoms associated with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bulimia (an eating disorder). This medication is manufactured in Ireland and is marketed under...
Effexor, known generically as venlafaxine, is an antidepressant classified as a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SNRI. It is prescribed to treat major depressive disorder, or MDD, according to the drug's manufacturer, Wyeth...
Topamax is a highly effective migraine preventive medication, according to several clinical trials reported on Topamax.com. The antiepileptic medication raises a patient's pain threshold to prevent head pain from occurring. Occasionally, seizures...
Abilify, the trade name for aripiprazole, is a newer-generation antipsychotic agent (also called atypical antipsychotic) that is used to treat schizophrenia, mania and bipolar conditions and--at times--major depressive disorder. Abilify may be...
Levofloxacin is an antibiotic medication belonging to the category of drugs called fluoroquinolones. According to Drug Information online, levofloxacin is used to treat bacterial infections of the skin, kidney, bladder, sinus or prostate (male...
Suicide is not always the end result of depression; however, untreated depression can increase the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and attempts. When a person experiences severe depression, acting upon the thoughts of harm to self is less likely...
Venlafaxine (Effexor) is a prescription antidepressant in a class of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). Effexor is used to treat many different mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Effexor...
While people are complex and may hide their true feelings, some common signs of suicidal behavior can spur caring people to give support and direct a suicidal person toward help. Suicide.org states that 75 percent of the people who kill themselves...
Tetrabanazine (xenazine) is a medication used to manage Huntington's chorea, a debilitating genetic disease in which there are involuntary movements of the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, Tetrabanazine prevents such neurotransmitters (natural...
Major depression presents with sadness or loss of interest, and thoughts about death or suicide sometimes occur in severe cases. This symptom may present with favorable thoughts about death and suicide, known as "suicidal ideation," or, more...
People with borderline personality disorder have an intense fear of being abandoned. They will go to great lengths to avoid being left alone, such as wanting to be included in every trip or grilling people on when they will return and where they...
Acute depression symptoms may appear slowly or suddenly, depending upon the person and circumstances. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as DSM, contains symptom criteria for major depressive disorder. The...
Depression is fairly common among teens and can be difficult for parents and teens to understand. Learn how to help a teenager overcome depression in this parenting video.
