1cmanny1 wrote:Somebody Else's Problem wrote:1cmanny1 wrote:Depression medicine
I don't think depression is an illness that doctors can fix.
They can't. What they can do, though, is mitigate the symptoms,
allowing you the ability to tackle the issues causing the depression with a slightly clearer head. They can also refer you to a psychologist, in order to help you work out what the issues are that are causing you to be depressed, which is the first step to tackling it.
But don't people usually stay on them for a long time? They think it will "make them better", and so they aren't willing to try and sort themselves out.
And how hard is it working out why you are depressed? If you don't know why you are depressed, you aren't really despressed according to my logic. But I don't think it is that simple for some people.
Depression isn't a simple thing. A lot of people don't recognise they are depressed because they convince themselves that they aren't, and that everything is alright.
SSRIs and MOAIs used to treat depression can only provide a nudge in the right direction. Only in very mild cases can drugs alone help to 'fix' depression, but it's more about changing your outlook in life and finding something to do.
Just like many other drugs, treatments for depression can become somewhat addictive and you find that you are significantly more depressed when you're not taking them. The science behind it is quite simple, but unfortunately, simply flooding receptors with serotonin won't help because there are many disorders caused by excessive levels of serotonin and dopamine. Essentially it's all about fine tuning and finding the right receptors and then the right agonists/antagonists to treat the problem.
With each year we're finding out more about receptors which previously weren't viable as drug targets, and with time we'll find the ideal treatment for the majority of depression sufferers.