| Lots of people undergo from depression, and | | | | it can cause problems for those already |
| it's not something that anyone need be | | | | suffering with heart disease, and getting the |
| embarrassed of. This is an essential starting | | | | precise dosage right is far more complex than |
| point for those who are in need of treatment. | | | | with Prozac or Zoloft. People certainly have |
| Depression should be treated like any other | | | | been known to gravely overdose on tricyclics. |
| physical illness, and like other physical | | | | |
| illnesses it can often be fixed with | | | | These issues highlight the need for |
| prescription drugs. Having said that, it can | | | | antidepressant medication to be administered |
| also often be dealt with without drugs, | | | | by a trained psychiatrist and not by a |
| through psychotherapy. | | | | general practitioner. A good psychiatrist |
| | | | will also be the best person to decide if the |
| Psychotherapy unfortunately also has a stigma | | | | subject requires hospilisation. |
| surrounding to it in the minds of various | | | | |
| people, but it is nothing more than a method | | | | For those who need to be hospitalized, |
| of counselling where the depressed person is | | | | electric shock therapy (ECT) is another form |
| given an occasion to discuss about life and | | | | of treatment that has proven very |
| the way they feel. The very procedure of | | | | advantageous to some people. This is |
| being able to talk about pain and unhappiness | | | | generally only used with people who have rare |
| in a non-judgemental atmosphere can have an | | | | and acute symptoms of depression and who have |
| extremely healing effect, especially for | | | | become manic. ECT is normally only considered |
| those who are suffering mild or moderate | | | | for those who have not been successful on |
| cases of depression. Severely depressed | | | | antidepresasnt medication and when all other |
| persons do not typically benefit from | | | | methods of treatment have failed to make the |
| psychotherapy and counselling to the same | | | | symptoms of the depression less serious. |
| extent. Severe depression generally requires | | | | |
| supplementing counselling with other | | | | ECT involves electrical stimulation that |
| depression treatments. Even so, counselling | | | | causes the brain to seizure in order to ease |
| is not only a good starting point in the | | | | the depression. While this sounds awful, this |
| process, but a professional counsellor will | | | | treatment should not be connected with the |
| generally be the best person to provide | | | | torturous forms of shock therapy often |
| advice as to the need for further treatment. | | | | portrayed in the cinema. Today, patients who |
| | | | are given ECT you are also given muscle |
| Severe depression needs medication and | | | | relaxants so as to get rid of all discomfort |
| sometimes hospitalisation. Even then, it can | | | | and pain. ECT is generally used in |
| frequently take some time to get treatment | | | | conjunction with both antidepressant |
| right, as there are a collection of | | | | medication and counselling. Sometimes the ECT |
| antidepressant drugs available on the market | | | | will allow a person to become free of a |
| and some of them can have risky side-effects. | | | | depressive episode after which they will be |
| | | | able to keep up their equilibrium through the |
| Part of the reason for the popularity of | | | | use of normal antidepressants. |
| antidepressants such as Prozac or Zoloft is | | | | |
| that they usually have few and far between | | | | Dealing successfully with depression can |
| side-effects, apart from a regular decrease | | | | evidently be very tough, and the cost |
| of libido, and hence are relatively safe to | | | | (financially as well as physically) can be |
| prescribe. However such drugs do not work at | | | | high, but these costs generally pale in |
| all for some people who may require | | | | comparison to the toll taken by depression |
| 'tricyclics' such as Vivactil, Norpramin or | | | | that is left untreated. |
| Pamelor. The problem with tricyclics is that | | | | |