Understanding Depression

• Description
• Table of Contents
• An excerpt from this report

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Symptoms & Treating Depression

Nearly 1 in 10 adults will suffer from some form of depression in a given year. Each episode usually affects a chain of people. It can fray bonds between you and your family and friends by spoiling intimacy, sapping emotional resources, and stealing the joy of shared pleasures.

Thankfully, years of research and recent breakthroughs have made this serious illness easier to treat. Early recognition of the symptoms of depression is more common than in the past. New avenues for treating depression, such as drugs targeted at specific changes in brain chemistry, can cut short otherwise crippling episodes. A variety of drugs and therapies can help those overcoming depression and boost the likelihood of a full remission.

This report provides information on these and other helpful therapies. Reading it and sharing it with loved ones might help improve your life—or the life of someone close to you. And, because depression remains a leading cause of suicide, the information might even be lifesaving.

Prepared by the editors of Harvard Health Publications in collaboration with Michael Craig. Miller, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, The Harvard Mental Health Letter, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. 48 pages. (updated: 2006)

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Table of Contents:

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Here's an Excerpt from this Depression Special Health Report

If we were all carbon copies of one another, identifying the causes of depression and its proper treatment would be simpler. But unique differences in life experience, temperament, and biology make treatment a complex matter. No single treatment works for everyone. However, research suggests that many people benefit from a combination of medication and therapy.

 Often, treatment is divided into three phases. Keep in mind, though, that there are no sharp lines dividing the phases, and very few people take a straight path through them.

• In the acute phase, the aim is to relieve your symptoms. Generally, this occurs within 6–12 weeks, but it may take longer depending on your response to the first treatments you try.
• In the continuation phase, you work with your doctor to maximize your improvements. Further treatment adjustments, such as modifying dosage of a medication, can help. This period takes another four to five months.
• In the maintenance phase, the aim is to prevent relapse. Ongoing treatment is often necessary, especially if you have already experienced several depressive episodes, have chronic low mood, or have risk factors that make a recurrence more likely.

Often, medications are the first choice in treatment, especially if you’re experiencing a severe depression or suicidal urges. Many antidepressant drugs fall into three well-known categories: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

Controlled studies have found that about 65%–85% of people get some relief from antidepressants, compared with 25%–40% of people taking a placebo (a pill with no biologically active ingredient). But the very same drug that works wonders for a friend may fail to ease your symptoms. You may need to try a few different medications to find the one that works best for you with as few side effects as possible.

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