science behind depression

I'm not a professional in the field of neuroscience, so I can't give you a definitive answer - however, from my understanding and my personal opinion, I feel that a lot of depression has to do with chemical imbalances and lifestyle. However, the latter can become a very sensitive topic so I will defer on commenting on that point for now. There has been a lot of research on this area in the field of neurosciences, so if there are any neuroscientists out there you may be able to clarify this a little better.

Drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, etc. all work because they are in a class of medications called SSRI's or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - basically means that they prevent they reuptake or reabsorption of serotonin.

Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter produced in the body that is believed to affect mood, sleep, sexuality, and appetite to name a few. Imbalances of serotonin can cause headaches, mood swings, depression, bipolar, etc. So it is thought that people with depression suffer from not enough or imbalances in their serotonin or norepinephrine (another neurotransmitter involved with moods) levels. SSRIs help regulate serotonin levels.

There are some other medications like Effexor, that focus more on the norepinephrine and serotonin.

That is really VERY GENERAL information. Bottom line - I personally feel that these medications are beneficial, but you have to monitor them closely with your PCP. Some medications may work better than others, and sometimes the best effects are noticed at higher doses - again - this needs to be closely monitored by a medical professional as the side effects are potentially dangerous - many SSRIs have "black box" warnings now, if I remember correctly. However, I think that is more for individuals under the age of 18.

Good luck in your research. Hopefully this provided you with some insight.

PS - I have no affiliations with any drug companies. Most of this is based on experience with my patients.

Although I do not know that much about the medical process of how depression is aggravated in an individual I know it is one sickness that I would rather do without.

I only found out a couple years ago that I have been living with Anxiety all my life. Low and behold that untreated anxiety will manifest its self into depression if untreated. So here I am.

I’m one of the lucky ones that just have it genetically. It has not been brought on by any one or more events. So its looking like I will be on medication for the rest of my life.

I have been working to revamp my lifestyle since this revelation to try and be less accommodating to Anxiety and Depression. Food, sleep, alcohol, junk food, physical activity all needed to be changed. I’m sure that this has had just as much of a positive effect as the medications, but well doing some adjustments with the medication it’s clear that they are pulling there weight as well.

I have been doing some writing about my depression in my blog.

http://ricemantoironman.blogspot.com/

The link is on the right “life in a Ricepatty” I’m trying to be very open with this and I really want to do more work with it in the future because I believe it is a grossly misunderstood sickness.

Cheers.

Rice.

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Edited by AcesFull 2006-10-04 3:01 PM

I took antidepressants for about 6-9 months on and off while in medical school (another reason not to become a doctor), and evenutally requested therapy b/c of what Ace said...the two together are more effective. I saw a clinical psychologist for 2-3 sessions and she really pissed me off, so now I do my own therapy!

She pissed me off because she challenged my thinking processes. That's hard to deal with and hard to change. But I found that 1) taking meds lifted my depression enough to be able to function beyond basic survival mode...and this in itself taught me some survival skills. 2) I learned enough about cognitive behavioral therapy from my few visits with a therapist that I am able to do it effectively myself now. I have not needed to consider any medications for about 4 years now, after having several episodes of major depression as a teenager, pre-med and then in medical school. I sought some help in pre-med too, but the psychologist was CREEPY and made me feel like a loser, so I fired him. I survived that one myself too.

I have never discussed this in public before, but I had to deal with the nightmare of my disability insurance company digging up every single old record, so I'm over trying to keep it a secret.

The bottom line is that yes, the neurotransmitter theory is based on science; just because you take meds doesn't mean you need to take them forever, and cognitive behavioral therapy is (in my experience) extremely effective at helping to manage both anxiety and depression.

Great points, AdventureBear.

I'm not sure if your asking about the science behind depression because you are thinking about using anti depressants or for other reasons but I'll give my 2 cents about both.  I have had several friends that have been on some form of anti depressants on and off for years and it seems like they always ended up going back to the medicine for help.  A therapist recomended them to me this summer and I dragged my feet on it and found that forcing myself to exercise and spend time with my friends got me through my depression.  I may have gotten over it faster with meds but this worked for me.  Exercise and social interaction have a positive chemical effect in your brain  so in can be just as helpful for a bout of depression as medicine.  I'm sure there are plenty of people that don't respond to this and for them medication would be the answer, but if you are trying to make a decision for yourself, it can't hurt to try other things first right?

Four years ago I would have been behind you 100% to even go as far as to say “no one needs meds if they would just work hard at it”. I was very wrong.

I do agree with you that life style, fitness, and friends help out a lot. But some forms of depression can not be taken out with this. The point that got me when I was debating with my doctor about going on medication was “no amount of positive thinking or affirmations will help you if you had hart disease”.

I was/am so glad that I listened to him. And the medication isn’t like the days gone by when all they could do is give you velum. Today’s meds are not sedating. They in no way inhibit your mental or physical capacity. And they take weeks to have any effect at all. The effects that they do have would be related to not losing your temper when someone cuts you off in traffic. So they have come a long way over the years.

Cheers.

Rice.

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Thanks for all the replys. So if your taking drugs how do you know when you can stop taking them? Can't you test for these chemical imbalances?

There is no blood test that you can take. It is entirely diagnosed by symptoms. Most people recommend doing a 6 month course of anti-depressants before stopping, other wise the risk of a recurring episode is much higher.