Depression is mental illnesses characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, despair and worthlessness that interfere with daily functioning and personal relationships. It is an illness caused by an imbalance of the chemicals in the brain. It affects about 19 million people and cost billions in any given year (Ford-Martin). Some of the symptoms of depression are having a hard time focusing, constant crying, and loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary everyday activities, sleep problems, problems with eating and weight (gain or loss). Depression strikes all age groups, and often goes unrecognized or inadequately treated.
There is a recent debate is on the different treatment methods for depression and which are the most effective. The different methods that can be used are biological treatments, psychological treatments, or the use of both. Biological treatments include antidepressant medications, electroconvulsive therapy, photo therapy, and also sleep deprivation. The different types of psychological treatments are cognitive-behavioral treatment and interpersonal psychotherapy. Surveys have shown that 50% of individuals with this disorder seek treatment from a mental health specialist, the other half visits physicians or seek assistance from family or friends (Hammen 125). I believe that the way to overcome depression the successful method would be a combination of the two methods. The medications will help the chemical imbalances in your brain then the psychological treatment can help you work on you as a person and teach you methods on how not to relapse.
There are a variety of medications that can help with the treatment of this disease they are called antidepressants. Some include serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSPIs)...
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...ffects, supporting sessions over time to prevent recurrences after successful medication treatment.
All psychotherapy tends to be more effective when used in conjunction with antidepressant medications. Major depression typically is treated with antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. Antidepressants alone just stabilize your mood and psychological treatments just provide opportunities for a person to learn more about how to be successful. Certain patients experience prompt relief from their symptoms but cannot cope with their lives and relapse into old ways. I believe that these people should be given a chance to enter psychotherapy so that they can learn how to avoid new depressions by taking on more than they can handle. Combination treatment result in very good results in the care of depressed patients it has an improvement rate of 80-85% (Wasserman 123).
I have also came across in publications including WebMD, mention the uses of antidepressants. On the other hand I have found other articles that contradict the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. I have also information on from the Mayo Clinic that talks about different antidepressants and which ones work better for different mental illnesses.
Treating depressive and bipolar disorders with antidepressants remains a popular option in clinical practice. Most clinicians choose the drug or class of drugs, usually selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRI's, that is most effective and best tolerated with fewer severe side effects. These drugs are beneficial because they specifically target serotonin-based areas of the brain without affecting other neurotransmitter systems. SSRI's largely replaced tricyclic antidepressants which work by blocking the absorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby increasing the levels of these two neurotransmitters in the brain. Tricyclic antidepressants present severe side effects and thus are usually only used when other treatments have failed. If SSRI's or tricyclics are not effective Monoamine oxidase inhibitors may be prescribed. MAOI's, enhance tyramine to increase norepinephrine and serotonin. While taking MAOI's you must abstain from foods and alcohol that contain tyramine such as, yogurt, aged cheese, and substances such as cold medications. This is because a potential toxic reaction could occur. Additionally, other antidepressants may be utilized such as Wellbutrin (bupropion) an NDRI-
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of correcting invalid thought patterns to a more positive view of the person and their place in their world. Some people do not believe that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a real treatment for depression, claiming it is a form of positive thinking ("The Daily Mail," 2009). On the opposite end of the spectrum, others argue that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be used in all therapies for depression as it allows the patient to take an active role in their treatment. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefit of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a viable treatment of depression, either as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other therapies.
 Despite the long-term nature of this type of depression, psychotherapy is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression, and assisting the person in managing his/her life better.
I am quite fascinated by generalized control mechanisms and the role they play in the nervous system. I am also quite curious about the relationship between different generalized control mechanisms. The concept of mood and depression in particular have always interested me. I have always wondered what actually causes depression. Why can some people be in a perfectly good mood one day and then less than a week later start exhibiting the signs of clinical depression? I have always been curious about the role that experience and chemical imbalances play in depression and other mood disorders. I donUt totally understand how chemical depression can originate as the result of severe outside stressors in a personUs life. How can this stress go from simply stress in the experiences and environment of a person to a chemical imbalance? I have also wondered why certain people are more susceptible to depression than others. I am curious about whether genetics play a role in depression and whether certain people are more susceptible to depression because of the environment they live in or because of pharmacological reasons and genes. Throughout our class this year, I have wondered about the role that the I-function plays in depression. I find it interesting that it is possible to wake up one morning and be in a nasty mood even if I want to be in a good mood and my I-function is thinking RhappyS thoughts. Through my research for this paper I wanted to find out more about the different kinds of depression and exactly what goes on chemically in the brain when a person is depressed. I also wanted to do a little research on how depression can be treated. I wanted to try and determine how and when the line of simp...
Major depressive disorder is not a passive feeling of unhappiness, nor is it a feeling of grief and sadness to everyday life stressors. Feelings such as sadness and grief are normal reactions to life, and over time these feelings will lift and people will go on with their lives. In contrast, without any medical attention, major depressive disorder persists and does not just go away with time. In most cases, major depressive disorder is a recurrent illness; which means that a person, who has been depressed once in their life and has recovered, is likely to have one or more episodes of depression in the future (Kosslyn, Rosenberg...
Cognitive behavioral therapy commonly known as CBT is a systematic process by which we learn to change our negative thoughts into more positive ones. CBT is a combination of two types of therapy, Cognitive Therapy and Behavioral Therapy. Cognition is our thoughts, so cognitive behavioral therapy combines working with our thought process and changing our behavior at the same time. Cognitive behavioral therapists believe that our behavior and our feelings are influenced by the way we think; also our mood is affected by our behavior and thought process. So CBT tries to tackle our thoughts, feelings and behavior. Scientific research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy is affective for a wide range of mental health problems. The purpose is to bring positive change by alleviating emotional distress such as depression. CBT starts by breaking down your problems into smaller components, often trying to identify particular problematic thoughts or behavior. Once these problems are broken down it is then suggested a straightforward plan in which the patient and therapist can intervene to promote recovery.
Nemeroff, Charles B., et. el. (2003) Differential Responses to Psychotherapy versus pharmacotherapy in Patients with Chronic Forms of Major Depression. National Academy of Sciences, v100, i24, pg.142(4)
Depression is a mental illness, which affects millions of Americans each year. Currently there are many prescription drugs, called anti-depressants that have been proven to successfully treat it. The causes of depression are somewhat of a medical enigma, however, it is known that depression is associated with a change in the brains chemistry involving the function of neurotransmitters (Reichert). This chemical change occurs in healthy brain’s, which experience sadness, but ends after the unpleasant stimulus is removed. In people suffering from depression this chemical change does not correspond to any particular stimulus. Symptoms of depression are often incapacitating and include severe and extended sadness, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of emptiness, irritability and anxiety (Reichert, Spake).
...ion. Antidepressants make a person feel less or not at all depressed, giving them more energy and confidence. Just like any medication in the the world, they have side effects. The most common side effects with anti depressants are insomnia, sleepiness, nausea, and weight gain. Some researches say that antidepressants increase the chance of suicide. Which has not been proven, although it would not be totally impossible. If a person is willing to change and keep a can do attitude, just might stay non depressed.
Depression is much more common than most people think. Because it is essentially an invisible illness and is largely in the mind, it is difficult to correctly diagnose it and most people suffer for months, years, or even decades with depression. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines depression as “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide.” Most medical definitions are able to explain what happens and why it does, but after carefully examining this one, we only notice that it explains what happens, but not why. Usually, the symptoms of an illness are...
Considering the research question: “How do the benefits and limitations of antidepressants and psychotherapy in reducing symptoms of major depression give a better understanding of human nature regarding the different psychological perspectives?” this essay will argue that while treating major depression biologically with antidepressants can be successful, there is more credit due to psychotherapy as treatment because people are social beings with conscious, cognitive th...
You should be evaluated by a doctor (preferably a psychiatrist, but at least a general practitioner) and medicated if that doctor thinks that this will help. You should also be in at least weekly psychotherapy – not because it will help you immediately (psychotherapy takes several months of work to prove effective), but because you need monitoring for safety. Seek out a cognitive behavioral therapist for access to the best available therapy for managing depression.
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
...ssessment. Third, problem-solving therapy changes the areas of the person's life that are creating significant stress, and contributing to the depression. Psychological therapy is almost always recommended instead of or with actual medication.