DEPRESSION CAUSES AND TREATMENT

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. While often described as a dysfunction, there are also strong arguments for seeing depression as an adaptive defense mechanism.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines a depressed person as experiencing feelings of sadness, helplessness and hopelessness. In traditional colloquy, feeling "depressed" is often synonymous with feeling "sad", but both clinical depression and non-clinical depression can also refer to a conglomeration of more than one feeling.

Causes of Depression

It is estimated that about 1 out of 6 adults suffer from depression sometime during their life.Although depression does not have a single cause, many things contribute to the feeling of depression, such as family history, pessimistic personality, trauma and stress, physical conditions, and other psychological disorders. Gender may additionally be a contributing factor. Women and men may experience depression in different ways. The imbalance of key brain chemicals may also be a contributing factor. These brain chemicals are called neurotransmitters which include serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Treatments

There a number of different treatments for depression: Antidepressants include clinical drugs like Prozac and herbal remedies like St John's Wort. Physical activity has been linked to the reduction in blood serotonin after exercise, similar to the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Research published by the American Medical Association concludes: Findings are consistent with a beneficial effect of physical activity on feelings of sadness and suicidal behaviors in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white boys and girls. Various initiatives promote dialogue and non-drug therapy, arguing that drugs should be only used as last resort in cases of depression. R U OK Day, an Australian initiative promoting depression awareness and dialogue, received nationwide media coverage at its inauguration on 29th November 2009.

Medications

Finding a treatment plan for depression that's right for you can take time, so don't feel discouraged. It is not unusual for some people to change their treatment plans several times before finding the one that seems to work best for them.

Antidepressants are medications commonly used to treat depression. In 6-week clinical studies, ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) was added after an inadequate response to these commonly prescribed antidepressants, or their generic equivalents where available:

Lexapro®

Zoloft®

Prozac®

Effexor XR®

Paxil CR®

If you're taking an antidepressant and feel like you might need more help with your depression symptoms, as your doctor about the option of adding ABILIFY to your current medication.

Counseling and therapy

Counseling, or psychotherapy, is often called "talk" therapy, and comes in many forms. You may participate in individual, group, or family therapy sessions. You also have options in regard to the type of professional you may like to talk to. Some common ones include:

Psychiatrist: A doctor with an MD, who is certified in treating mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, and can prescribe medicine.

Psychologist: This person has either a PhD or PsyD and is often called a therapist. Unless trained as a clinical psychologist, these professionals cannot prescribe medicine.

Clinical Social Worker: A mental health professional who must be licensed to practice psychotherapy and cannot prescribe medicine.

DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine): A doctor with the basic science and clinical training of an MD, who takes a holistic approach to medicine and applies different techniques to the muscoskeletal system – including the nerves, muscles and bones that comprise it.