Once you have a depression diagnosis, your doctor will discuss various depression treatment options with you.
The
kind of depression treatment that's best for you depends on the type of
depression you have. For example, some patients with clinical
depression are treated with psychotherapy, and some are prescribed
antidepressants. Others are prescribed antidepressants and
psychotherapy. Still others who don't respond to standard depression
treatments may opt to try brain stimulation techniques such
as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also called electroshock therapy,
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), or vagus nerve stimulation
(VNS).
What's a midlife crisis? It's the stuff of jokes and stereotypes -- the time
in life when you do outrageous, impractical things like quit a job impulsively,
buy a red sports car, or dump your spouse.
For years, midlife crisis conjured those images. But these days, the old
midlife crisis is more likely to be called a midlife transition -- and it's not
all bad.
The term crisis often doesn't fit, mental health experts say, because while
it can be accompanied by serious depression, it can also...
In
people with bipolar depression, traditional antidepressants are not
always effective and sometimes can make mood swings worse; doctors
therefore often prescribe other types of medicines to treat bipolar
depression, including mood stabilizers (such as Depakote, lithium or
Lamictal) or some atypical antipsychotics (such as Seroquel or Symbyax)
that are proven remedies for bipolar depression.
Whatever
depression treatment your doctor prescribes, it's important to
understand that there are no "instant" solutions. You may have to try
different antidepressants to find the most effective drug for you. In
addition, you'll have to take the antidepressant for several weeks to
see if it benefits you at all. Being patient is important. Trust your
doctor to know your personal history. With that, he or she can find the
best depression treatment options that help improve your mood.
What Are Depression Drugs?
Depression
drugs can help lift your mood and ease the sadness and hopelessness you
feel. You'll need to work with your doctor to find the depression
medicine that is most effective with the fewest side effects.
For in-depth information, see WebMD's Depression Medicines.
How Do Antidepressants Work?
Many
chemicals are involved in the brain circuits that regulate mood. Three
known important chemicals are norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine,
which are neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit electrical
signals between brain cells.
Researchers have found a
link between a chemical imbalance in these brain chemicals and
depression. Antidepressant medications increase the availability of
neurotransmitters or by changing the sensitivity of the receptors for
these chemical messengers. It is believed that modifying these brain
chemicals can help improve mood, although the exact way they work is
still unclear.
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