Drug Therapy Treatment for Depression

Drug therapy is the most common form of treatment for depression, but it's also controversial. Many patients are concerned that the drugs that are prescribed for depression don't cure depression and might even make depression worse. Many of the drugs that are commonly prescribed to treat depression can have very serious side effects like increased risk of cancer or other illnesses, or having suicidal thoughts.

The drugs that doctors prescribe to treat depression are very different but work in very much the same way. They all increase natural chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters that are supposed to help the body and mind deal with stress and manage emotions. When the brain creates these chemicals they are used by the body and reabsorbed.

Anti-depressant medications block the neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed into the body so that there are higher levels of these chemicals in the brain, which should make a person that is normally depressed start to feel better and less negative.

The biggest problem with using prescription anti-depressants to treat depression is that they don't work for everyone.

Most patients will respond to the drugs but even in the best case scenario the drugs only partially alleviate the symptoms of depression. Without ongoing cognitive therapy or other treatments the person will continue to suffer from some level of depression even if they are taking anti-depressants.

Anti-depressants can have very bad side effects that some people just can't tolerate even if the medication helps their depression. When a depression patient first starts getting treatment for depression it could take months for doctors to find out what the best anti-depressant for that person is. Only a long process of trial and error can show the patient and the doctor which drug seems to work the best and which one the patient can tolerate the best.

There is always a danger that people who are on anti-depressants could become dependent on them. Most of the drugs used to treat depression are expensive and are considered controlled substances and are subject to a lot of special handling rules because there is a strong chance that they could be misused or even sold. Because of the risks involved in taking anti-depressants that might not work at all or might only partially work many people are searching for alternative therapies that can treat depression.

Those patients that choose to stay on drug therapy have several different types of drugs that that they can try that might help them manage their depression.

Drug therapy isn't always effective at treating depression although some people find that a combination of psychological therapy and the right medications can really help them deal with their depression and learn how to function in the world.