New Antidepressants for the Treatment of Depression

Depression is a major mental and emotional illness that is caused from either biological or emotional responses. This single condition has affected millions of people every day, which is directing medical experts to come up with new antidepressants for treating depression. New medicines are continually being introduced to the marketplace.  In 2002, there were an 8.5% of United States civilians who were noninstitutionaized and who had purchased at least one antidepressant drug. Some of the new classes of drugs included Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, tricyclic, Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors, Tetra cyclic, and Novel.

According to online sources, aside from two other medications, antidepressants are the third most prescribed medication in the United States. Common antidepressants given to patients include also Prozac, Paxil and Lexapro, which does not seem to offer much benefit except to those with mild depression.

Exceptions however include the group of people who suffer severe depression will often find some benefits in taking antidepressants. People who express suicidal thoughts or even those who are incapacitated may find some relief from taking the drugs. Just this past couple of years, medical doctors have written more than 160 million prescriptions for ministering to depression. Most people did not benefit from some of the older prescriptions, which has caused the emerging of new medications to treat depression.

A whole new crop of depression medications are coming out soon to treat depression. Yet, it remains to be seen how well these new meds will workand how free they will be from the common side effects of antidepressants. Some people are suggesting that the new remedies will still put patients at risk of side effects, e.g. agitation, reduced libido, insomnia, weight gain, etc. Such side effects can lead to some other health problems.

Yet, doctors are suggesting that adding more new drugs that raise the brain levels of serotonin can offer greater benefits to those suffering depression because it is the most effective treatment available. The new remedies are said to be more effective because depression is associated with the brain levels serotonin increasing.

Natural Remedies For Bipolar Depression

Bipolar depression, formerly known as manic depression, is a psychiatric condition characterized by alternate experiences of depression symptoms and the symptoms of mania. Depression, of source, is clinically significant sadness and lethargy, while mania is just the opposite. Someone experiencing a manic episode will feel so full of energy and motivation that they may be hard to understand–they fly from one idea to the next and often act impulsively.

The standard bipolar depression treatment is mood-stabilizing medication such as lithium or seroquel. These medicines can be extremely helpful for many bipolar disorder patients, but they can also bring with them a whole host of unwanted side effects. Additionally, it is often difficult to get these patients to continue taking their meds consistently. This is a normal part of the illness, because the patient will usually gladly take their medication during a depressive phase, but then will start to feel “better” as the next manic phase sets in. The impulsivity of the hypmanic or hypermanic state of mind causes them to stop taking their medication, thereby inducing a full-blown manic episode.

There are some natural treatments for bipolar depression, however, that can be used alone or in conjunction with medication to help end this cycle of depression and mania. Chief among these treatments is psychotherapy. A well-trained and experienced therapist can help manic depression patients to make changes to their own internal processing systems that will help them to change their brain chemistry naturally.

Not all therapists believe this is possible, and the research has shown that positive expectancy plays a major role in therapeutic success. This is why it is important to see a therapist who believes they can treat your condition successfully, and who is convincing to you in explaining that they will be able to do so. If both the therapist and the client believe that the treatment for bipolar depression will be successful, it will be much more likely to be so.