DEPRESSION IS A MEDICAL CONDITION

WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Depression is a serious illness that affects millions of people around the world—children, teenagers, and adults. Depression can be marked by feelings such as loneliness, emptiness, loss of enthusiasm, difficulty concentrating, and is also associated with a high risk for suicide.

It is believed that depressed individuals have low levels of certain neurotransmitters, chemicals in the brain that help send signals to other parts of the brain and body. In other words, depression has an actual physical basis and is not just a fleeting sadness that can be whisked away.

HOW IS DEPRESSION TREATED?
Depression is most often treated with antidepressants, a special class of medications designed to work in the brain to help balance the levels of neurotransmitters. The most common types of antidepressants are SSRIs (serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin & norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). There are other types of antidepressants that are not used anymore because of their side effects. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of antidepressants in adolescents, sparking some controversy.

Other treatments include talk therapy to encourage a patient’s positive behavior and thoughts, and electroconvulsive therapy, a highly successful and non-pharmacologic method of treating depression that involves stimulating the patient’s brain with small amounts of electricity.