A few days of feeling sad or depressed does not mean depression. Depression can last for years, it’s a serious illness. Each year about 15 million Americans suffer from this illness. Only about 4.5 million of those people seek help, which is unfortunate. The age- old stereotype associated with mental illness influences many to still avoid admitting they suffer from depression. Of the list of progressive ailments depression is one of the worst. It will get worse without treatment. Ignorance in this case isn’t bliss.

A variety of factors, and even combinations of these factors, lead to the many types of depression. These include the whole spectrum of genetic, biological, physical and emotional items. The day to day lives of the victim may even have a role. It can be caused by stress brought on by even more detrimental factors. Complicated diseases like depression aren’t easy to crack. We also recognize the intricacy of man’s mind. Work continues into the mind and brain and how they work, what makes them tick. We know that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. More about the way this process works is learned each day. The phrase is “learning is half the battle” and with depression knowledge is power.

There are a variety of medications available to treat depression. Quick fix schemes exist too, but they don’t work. You have to be careful to seek medications that have been clinically studied and have been proven to display positive effects in the treatment of depression. Not too long ago people who were considered mentally ill were thrown into asylums, never again to be seen or heard. That is a thing of the past, thank goodness. The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988. It has bee proven effective and is still in use today although it does come with side effects.

A new class of anti-depressants has become widely used since then. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRI, are being used today. These include Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox. These work even though they too show some side effects. The market is also ripe with herbal medications and treatments. Hyperforin, an ingredient in the St. John Wort extract, is common in those that seem to work as well as anti-depressants. Some herbal remedies don’t contain this ingredient in the proper strength so they don’t work. When seeking depression medications that work ask questions, do your research, and know the facts.