Just because you feel sad and depressed for a few days does not mean that you have depression.  A serious condition that can last months or even years, that's depression.  Each year about 15 million Americans suffer from this illness.  The sad fact is that only a third of those Americans will ever seek help for their affliction.  The age-old stereotype associated with mental illness influences many to still avoid admitting they suffer from depression.  Depression is a progressive illness.  It will get worse without treatment or depression medication.  It cannot be ignored. 

Depression is caused by a variety of factors.  Physical and emotional problems, chemical issues, even DNA all play a part.  The day to day lives of the victim may even have a role.  Detrimental factors such as stress can lead to it.  Depression is a very complicated disease.  We also recognize the intricacy of man's mind.  Work continues into the mind and brain and how they work, what makes them tick.  A chemical imbalance in the brain causes depression, that's known.  Researches learn more about this complex series of actions and reactions with passing time.  The phrase is "learning is half the battle" and with depression knowledge is power.

There are a variety of medications available to treat depression.  Miracle treatments also exist, but many times these are empty claims.  You have to be careful to seek depression medications that have been clinically studied and have been proven to display positive effects in the treatment of depression.  There was a time in our history if you were afflicted by anything that was associated with mental illness you were thrown into a mental ward and lost in the system.  Fortunately that has all been changed.  In 1988 the anti-depressant 'Prozac' first hit the market in the United States.  It has bee proven effective and is still in use today although it does come with side effects.

Since then a new class of anti-depressants has become popular as well.  The SSRI or (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox are all being used to treat depression today.  All have been proven effective but come with varied side effects.  There are also numerous natural herbal depression medications available on the market.  The majority of these that have been proven to work as well as the anti-depressants contain the St. John Wort extract ingredient called 'hyperforin'.   If this ingredient is used in the proper strength it is effective.  Be careful, do your research and you will find effective medications to treat depression.

Tags: depression medications, Health, new depression medications, new medications for depression, depression medication, medications for depression