"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
This is one of our most oft-repeated Puritan-ethic American
catchphrases, reinforcing the
message that everyday trials and tribulations build character, strengthen
personality and turn us into true He-men and women.
The down side is that although it may not kill you, it may provoke in such
acute distress that you slide right into depression.
Psychologists believe that the occasional stress-induced bout of depression
is a natural part of normal life progression. But what happens when mild
stress escalates in intensity and turns into a never-ending funk? When
distress becomes a depression that zaps all your emotional energies, even as
you are trying to climb out of your own pit of despond?
More than 30 million Americans suffer from chronic depression, and more than 28
million take antidepressant and/or anti-anxiety drugs. One out of every four
women and one out of every 10 men will suffer with clinical depression during
their lifetimes. About 15 percent of people with untreated depression will commit
suicide.
So how can you tell the difference between a dismal mood and an emotional
illness, feeling down in the dumps versus being clinically depressed?
"The difference lies in the
severity, the duration, and the other signs and symptoms that accompany the
illness," said psychiatrist Dr. Andrew L. Morrison, recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill and author of "The Antidepressant
Sourcebook."
The American Psychiatric Association says that if you have five of the eight
symptoms listed below, and those symptoms last longer than one month, you are
suffering clinical depression.
Overview of
Clinical Depression:
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Hyperactivity and agitation or low energy and doing almost nothing
- Chronic moderate to severe fatigue
- Self-loathing, feelings of worthlessness, or excessive, inappropriate
self-guilt
- Decreased pleasure or apathy for activities you used to enjoy, like sex,
socializing or sports
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating
- Decrease in appetite and weight loss or increased appetite with weight gain
- Frequent musings about suicide and death
Dr. Morrison cautions people to be evaluated for treatment even if they
experience only two or three of the above symptoms. Try this
clinical depression
screening test.
So how is depression treated? One way is to make lifestyle changes that
reduce the chronic stress associated with financial obligations, work and
relationship pressures. See a therapist. Alter your diet and increase your
exercise. And perhaps the most therapeutically effective way of all may be
taking a prescribed regimen of antidepressant drugs.
Although a
prescription of antidepressants by itself will not get rid of your depression, the pills
will often serve as the essential bridge that leads you back to the joyous
life you once lived.
While the older generation of antidepressants like Tofranil are still being prescribed, they are no longer the drug of choice. Because
they have broad, systemic effects on the body, this class of drugs is more
apt to cause unwanted side effects. Referred to as "shotgun" drugs by some
pharmacists, these psychotropics can lead to constipation, weight gain, rash,
hives, swelling of face or tongue, tremors, fainting, dental cavities,
decreased/increased libido and sleepiness.
That's why the newest antidepressant drugs designed in the 1980s and 1990s
have become so popular and heavily prescribed. Known as designer drugs, they
possess
"smart bomb" precision that focuses on specific neurotransmitters
and brain receptor sites. There are about 10 new-generation antidepressants
on the market today.
These drugs, also referred to as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRI), enhance serotonin function. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter referred to as "the Happy Messenger." SSRIs work to
restore pleasure, reduce anxiety, provide energy and promote self-worth.
Paxil (paroxetine) is the current hot TV-commercial-advertisement
antidepressant. It is the "fav" new-generation antidepressant for treatment
of social anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
Prozac (fluoxetine) has been prescribed to more than 24 million
people worldwide and is the most widely used antidepressant on the globe. It
is also helpful in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and
bulimia. Sales of Prozac are $2 billion annually.
Zoloft (sertaline) is
popular because it is the antidepressant most unlikely to cause a negative
interaction with other drugs. So it is especially useful for people taking
multiple medications.
Wellbutrin (bupropion) is also known as Zyban. Besides being an
antidepressant, it significantly reduces the craving for nicotine.
Celexa, Effexor, Luvox, Remeron and Serzone are other new-generation
antidepressants, and like this entire classifaction, have a low rate of side
effects.
Once symptoms of clinical depression begin to abate, how long should you
remain on your antidepressants? Research has shown that the first six months
after a person's depresson lifts is a time of very "high risk" for relapse.
In fact, a person is not considered "recovered" until he has been free from
symptoms for one year.
Although there is no guarantee that continuing to take an antidepressant for
six months following your clinical depression is a guaranteed cure, it is
much more likely that stopping the medication before the recommended six-month course is finished will greatly increase the odds of your relapse.
Battling depression is hard to do -- the gray moods pull you down deeper and
deeper into negativism and, like a vicious circle, just when you need the
strength to fight hardest, your mental energy is at its lowest.
In the past two decades, the war against clinical depression has gotten a bit
easier to win, thanks to designer antidepressant drugs. If you're feeling
chronically funky and lowdown, talk to your doctor.
Part Two: Depression and Women
Additional Resources:
