The psychiatric community divides mood disorders into two categories and they are unipolar and bipolar disorder. They both are a kind of depression with some difference in conditions the patients have to go through. People who suffer bipolar disorder (Also called manic depression) have to face intense mood swings in depression and episodes of high energy or extreme mania.

While the unipolar disorder or depression is a kind of mood disorder that can be divided into several other kinds of depression including:

1) Dysthymia 2) Major depression 3) Seasonal affective disorder 4) Postpartum depression
continue reading Different kinds of Mood Disorders

We can guess but can’t exactly tell what the real causes of depression are. Depression can manifest itself in various ways but still it is quite difficult to tell whether someone will develop the condition or not. Similarly, the best possible way to figure out whether some medication will work for the patient is to try this medicine out. But you shouldn’t be discouraged because of these facts as for some people depression medicine can prove helpful.

You must keep in mind that your depression can go on for weeks or for months or years if you don’t get external help. Drugs can be helpful but it’s somewhat tricky to find the right drug as the effects of these drugs vary from person to person. If you have decided once that you would get some depression treatment, it can be good for you to learn everything about it. Some options that you can consider are as follow.

continue reading Some facts about depression medicines

Depression doesn’t allow you to do the things that help you to overcome depression. If you realize that you are about to have depression, you should try to do the under mentioned things as much as you can and it is guaranteed that you will feel better and more optimistic in outlook within a week.

Have a long walk: Usually, it happens that we lock ourselves and reduce our contacts with the surrounding world whenever we feel down. You must try to overcome such down feelings otherwise these feelings will overcome you. The best way to get rid of such feelings is to go for a walk to have a change in your surrounding atmosphere.

Cure your injured soul with music: People always opt to suffer silently whenever they have depression or try to mitigate their depress feelings by listening to the news. Neither silence nor news help you out from these feelings and music is the only thing that can console your injured soul by invoking light heartedness and fun in your surrounding world.

continue reading Some tips to over come depression

In terms of controlling dopamine signals between nicotine and opiates are almost similar based on the testing done by Prof. Daniel McGehee, when nicotine was tested in the that particular part of the nucleus accumbens where opiates have been demonstrated to affect behavior, given the fact that these are two different drugs. The research has complemented previous studies that showed overlapping effects in the way two drugs work, in the hope that it will help identify new treatment methods in addiction. It also demonstrated that tobacco addiction is as equally serious in the same way an individual is hooked on to heroin.

‘Opiate’ is derived from the opium seed. ‘Morphine’, ‘codeine’, ‘heroin’ are among the most common drugs that are derived as ‘opiates’. ‘Morphine’ has a similar chemical composition and chemical structure to that of the ‘heroin’. It stops pain, abridges anxiety, and makes the user euphoric if taken in significantly high doses. The use of the drug affects the cells of the cranial nerves that bring forth natural painkillers or endorphins called “endogenous opiates.”

continue reading Opium and Nicotine Addiction-Plenty of Similarities

Adult characteristics associated with childhood abuse had been a subject of research for a long time now. A recent study led by Amy Bonomi, associate professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University claims to find what no study has found so ever. The researchers found that women belonging to the average age of late 40s still bear consequences of the abuse which happened decades ago in their lives.

It studied data of more than 3,000 women who belonged to Group Health, a health care system in the Pacific Northwest. It concluded that the middle-aged women who suffered some kind of child abuse tend to spend one-third more of money than average on health-care.

Child abuse can be of various kinds ranging from physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse etc. Physical and sexual abuses are the most visible forms of abuse and carry consequences which influence the adult life too. When they compared the results among 3,000 women, they found that the women who had no history of abuse spent much lesser amount on health care that the women who had been victim of sexual or physical abuse in the childhood.

continue reading Childhood Abuse Causes Adult Women to Spend More on Health Care

People who are suffering from depression and having relatively sufficient knowledge about these disorders and treatment methods have increased chances of better outcomes in comparison of those who do not have such knowledge base.

Findings of a recently concluded ‘German Research Project’ indicate that providing all relevant and concerning information necessary for the patients are standard parts of the treatment process of affective disorders now. Klaus-Thomas Kronmuller and his colleague researchers at the University of Heidelberg conducted studies in order to assess the clinical impact of patient’s knowledge.

The clinical study involved 62 patients who were suffering from major depression and were hospitalized for the first time. Detailed analysis of their knowledge about the depression and mania was carried out. All the 62 patients also took part actively in the ‘eight-hour psycho-educative program’ for a period of four weeks. This ‘psycho-educative program’ provided much information related to the symptoms, treatments, and ways to cop with the affective disorders.

continue reading Patient’s Knowledge of Depression and Its Treatments Ensure Better Outcomes

What are antidepressant drugs and how do they work? In cases of depression where psychotherapy alone fail at treating the condition, people seek alternatives, often of which takes on the form of a pill. What many people fail at realising is that antidepressants are not panaceas. While they do relieve depression in some people, these prescription drugs carry risks and should only be taken under the supervision of a medical practitioner. The result of ingesting these antidepressants varies according to people’s age, severity of depression, and history of illness. Furthermore, it is important to watch out for possible drug interactions when taking antidepressants in conjunction with other medications.

Types of Antidepressants

Antidepressants are available in three main forms, they are: selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). The SSRIs are a form of antidepressants which includes drugs like Prozac and Zoloft, as implied by the name; they work through inhibition of the presynaptic serotonin transporter receptor. TCAs were introduced in the 1950s and works through prevention of the nerve cell’s ability to reuptake serotonin and norepinephrine, Elavil is an example of this form of antidepressant. Finally, we look at MAOIs, which are amongst the earliest form of antidepressants developed works through inhibition of monoaxine oxidase, an enzyme which plays a large role in the determination of one’s mood by its effect on neurotransmitters. The drugs Nardil and Parmate are commercially available examples of MAOIs.

continue reading What You Ought to Know About Antidepressants