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Antidepressants help treat depression

By: inofo56

Everybody feels down every now and then. Ten percent of Americans are estimated to suffer from a depressive disorder. This type of mental diseases includes major depression. Symptoms of major depression are the following:
- Feeling emotionally numb
- Crying easily for "no reason"
- Feeling slowed down or feeling restless and unable to sit still
- Losing or gaining weight
- Thoughts about death or suicide
- Trouble making daily decisions
- Trouble sleeping, particularly in the early morning or waiting to sleep all the time
- Feeling emotionally numb
Depression is considered to be related to chemical imbalances in the brain that makes it difficult for cells to communicate with one another.
Depression can be triggered by nerve-wracking times, such as the death of someone you love, a breakup or downsizing. But it can also come unexpectedly. Certain medicines, alcohol and drug addiction, can trigger depression.
Depression can be treated with medicines, or special type of counseling known as psychotherapy, or with both. Antidepressants are medications used to help people suffering from depression.
Antidepressants work by raising the activity of certain chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters. Antidepressants help make the chemicals more available to the brain.
Ordinarily, antidepressants are taken leastwise for 6-12 months.
Antidepressants can improve your mood, sleep, concentration and appetite. It may take a few weeks to see the results. Antidepressants are divided into a few classes. You and your general practitioner may have to try several before discovering what works best for you.
Sometimes drugs bring on unwanted side effects. They may vary from person to person and from medication to medication. For instance, when you first begin your antidepressant you may feel exhausted, have sleeping problems or feel sick to your stomach. These side effects normally disappear after a while.
Nevertheless, even after 12 months of treatment, there is still about a 10% probability of depression returning when treatment is over. Some people take an antidepressant for several years.