Drug Treatments for Depression, Bipolar, and Anxiety Disorders Explained

Drug Treatment of Depression
Depression may be treated with three types of drugs, either monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The former of the two drug treatments is currently less popular because it necessitates many diet restrictions. Though the exact manner in which most drug therapies work are unknown, both MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants seem to increase serotonin and norepinephrine. A study conducted in 1990 estimated that individuals taking either of these drugs would experience up to a 65% improvement. Conversely, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac has been designed to effect nonrepinephrine minimally and almost exclusively on serotonin. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have gained notoriety because while they diminish symptoms of depression as effectively as either monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants, they have fewer side effects. Moreover, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are so much safer that physicians have begun prescribing them.

Drug Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
Just as drugs to treat depression have a specific name, antidepressants, drugs used to treat bipolar disorder have a specific name; antimanics. Lithium carbonate was the first drug used to treat bipolar disorder (and perhaps explains Nirvana's song "Lithium"). Though the ways in which lithium work are unknown, some believe it stabilizes the effects of calcium on neuronal membranes which in turn reregulates neurotransmission. After the drug is ingested it generally works to quiet manic episodes within five to ten days but is only effective in 60-80% of patients of bipolar disorder. Furthermore, Lithium has a series of unfavorable side effects, is toxic at high doses, and cannot be taken by pregnant women or individuals with kidney disease. Other drugs which may treat bipolar disorder just as effectively, however Lithium is still one of the most effective.

Drug Treatment for Anxiety
Drugs which treat anxiety, such as Valium, are called anxiolytics and are most similar to tranquilizers. These kinds of drugs are every beneficial in treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, alcohol withdrawal, insomnia, and muscle spasms. In most cases, these drugs work by increasing neurotransmission at synapses of the GABA neurotransmitter. However, these drugs are generally only prescribed for a short term because they are extremely addictive and should never be combined with alcohol. However, new drugs which may be combined with alcohol or other drugs are being developed to treat anxiety. In addition to anxiolytics, antidepressants are also effective drugs in treating anxiety, specifically in panic disorders and with individuals who have phobias of school. Furthermore, tricyclic antidepressants are helpful drugs for treating obsessive compulsive disorder.

A Note on Drug Therapy
Obviously everyone has a slightly different biology and thus some medications will work for some and not others. Typically, after an individual has been diagnosed with a mood disorder and has agreed to try drug therapy, the psychiatrist will prescribe whatever medications appear to be the best fit and the individual, along with their psychiatrist, will try to decide if which of the drugs work best. Generally a patient will need to try a few drugs before finding the one which works best for them. Furthermore, individuals will almost always develop a tolerance for their prescribed drug after some time and will need to find another.

Though it is beneficial to understand the ways in which individual biology responds to drugs, no drug should ever be consumed without a written professional prescription.

WORKS CITED
Gleitman, Henry, Alan J. Friedlund, and Daniel Reisberg. Basic Psychology. New York, NY: Norton, 2000. Print.