|
ANTIDEPRESSANTS: MEDICINES FOR DEPRESSION…
Medications
used to treat depression are called antidepressant
drugs. Antidepressants are medicines used to help people who have
depression and are often the first treatment option
prescribed by health professionals.
Antidepressant medicines are designed to
assist in lifting depressive symptoms, but are also useful
in some disorders in addition to depression.
Antidepressants are used most widely for serious depressions, but they can
also be helpful for some milder depressions.
Ø Antidepressants
represent one of the most widely prescribed classes of medications in use
today.
Ø With
the help of these depression medications, most people can achieve
significant recovery from depression. They are, however, one
depression treatment option.
Ø They
were first developed in the 1950s and have been used regularly since then.
Ø They
can only be prescribed by a doctor. All
antidepressant medications require a prescription.
Ø There
are several types of antidepressant medications
used to treat depression and conditions that have depression as a component
of the disease (like bipolar disorder).
Ø The
last few years have seen the introduction of a
number of new antidepressants. Several of them are called "selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs).
|