Depression is more than sadness or feeling depressed for a few days.

Depression can last for years, it's a serious illness. Each year about 15 million Americans suffer from this illness.

And yet, sadly, only about 1/3 of those people seek medical care. All too often people avoid recognizing or admitting that they suffer from depression because of the negative archetypes associated with mental illnesses. Of the list of progressive ailments depression is one of the worst. It will get worse without treatment.

People should pay attention to the signs.

Depression is caused by a variety of factors. It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional. It can be given birth by the very environment that the victim lives in.

Detrimental factors such as stress can lead to it. Complicated diseases like depression aren't easy to crack. As well, the human brain and its workings are quite complex. The medical profession is working steadily in an attempt to study the mind and how it works. We know that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

More about the way this process works is learned each day. The phrase is “learning is half the battle” and with depression knowledge is power.

Depression can be treated with a host of available medications. Miracle treatments also exist, but many times these are empty claims.

Clinical tests to prove something really works in treating depression are required. At one time asylums and mental institutions were filled to the brim with mentally ill people. Fortunately that has all been changed. The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988.

Although it has side effects it is widely used and it is effective.

A new class of anti-depressants has become widely used since then. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRI, are being used today.

These include Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox.
These work even though they too show some side effects. Herbal medications also have a place in this market. The ingredient in St. John's Wort extract, heperforin, is present in those that prove every bit as effective as anti-depressant drugs. When this is present in the proper quantity it is a winner.

When seeking depression medications that work ask questions, do your research, and know the facts.

Barbara