Depression and Anti-Depressants

Anti-depressants have played a major part in the field of psychiatry. Giving pills has become an alternative solution to talking.

Millions have started taking anti-depressants of different kinds, and many have been satisfied. Nevertheless, you must generally recognize that anti-depressants take around 30 days to work and around 30% of depressed patients get little benefit from them. You must consider these important factors when you are deciding to take anti-depressants.

Most people do not realize that primary care doctors, in general, have little training and experience in dealing with serious psychological disorders, including depression. Depression is a very intricate illness. It isn’t something to be diagnosed in a few minutes. And since anti-depressants take 30 days before results can be seen, you need repeated and careful supervision immediately and during the first several weeks.

You must know that the treating physician needs to have a well-informed mental health history (mental problems or illness often accompany depression) and he or she should strongly encourage the patient to also get psychotherapy as well as drugs. Depression is not an easily treated disorder when it becomes serious. When you are suffering serious depression and decide to have your own doctor/therapist for treatment, you should expect him or her to maintain long-term contacts with you as the patient, at least every week for a few months and maybe much longer because depression frequently comes back.

A severe issue that you might not able to notice is the obvious connection between depression and suicide. You often don’t expect suicide to be an integral part of depression. But in many cases, suicide has been the outcome for victims of serious depression. It is the third leading cause of suicide in 15 to 24-year-olds and the fourth most common cause of death between ages 10 and 14. This seems to be very serious because 60% of high school students have had thoughts about killing themselves, 9% have even tried. Thus, at every age, depression must not be ignored.

Average or serious depression carries with it a danger of self-injury. This may require special safety measures. For you to decide whether or not to take an anti-depressant, you must carefully consider important factors that may affect your situation. The drugs may slightly increase the risk of irritability and anxiety. In worst case scenarios, suicide may cross your mind. This treatment plan must involve your trusted family doctor, the collaborating psychotherapist, your parents or trusted relatives/friends, and you.  

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