Effective Depression Medications

A few days of feeling sad or depressed does not mean depression.  Depression can last for years, it's a serious illness.  Studies have show that around 15 million Americans are affected by this illness each and every year.  Only about 4.5 million of those people seek help, which is unfortunate.  All too often people avoid recognizing or admitting that they suffer from depression because of the negative archetypes associated with mental illnesses.  Depression gets worse with time.  Without treatment it will take over your life.  It cannot be ignored.

Many things cause depression.  It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional.  It can be given birth by the very environment that the victim lives in.  Stress and other negative influences have been known to contribute.  Depression is a very complicated disease.  We also recognize the intricacy of man's mind.  To learn how the mind works, doctors and researches are studying it each day.  It's clear that it's an imbalance of chemical compounds in the brain that creates depression.  Researches learn more about this complex series of actions and reactions with passing time.  Better treatments come from more knowledge.

Depression can be treated with a host of available medications.  Quick fix schemes exist too, but they don't work.  You have to be careful to seek medications that have been clinically studied and have been proven to display positive effects in the treatment of depression.  There was a time in our history if you were afflicted by anything that was associated with mental illness you were thrown into a mental ward and lost in the system.  It's good to know that's no longer the case.  The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988.  It has bee proven effective and is still in use today although it does come with side effects.

Since then a new class of anti-depressants has become popular as well.  Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRI, are being used today.  These include Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox.  All have been proven effective but come with varied side effects.  There are also numerous natural herbal medications available on the market.  Hyperforin, an ingredient in the St. John Wort extract, is common in those that seem to work as well as anti-depressants.   Some herbal remedies don't contain this ingredient in the proper strength so they don't work.  When seeking depression medications that work ask questions, do your research, and know the facts.

Learn more about depression and treatment visit Clinical Depression