Just because you feel sad and depressed for a few days does not mean that you have depression. Depression can last for years, it’s a serious illness. Studies have show that around 15 million Americans are affected by this illness each and every year. 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. Depression gets worse with time. Without attention it will become more and more severe. Ignorance in this case isn’t bliss.

There are many types of depression and various factors can cause depression. It can by biological, genetic, physical and emotional. It can be given birth by the very environment that the victim lives in. Stress and other negative influences have been known to contribute. Depression is a very complicated disease. The human mind is very complicated as well. To learn how the mind works, doctors and researches are studying it each day. It’s clear that it’s an imbalance of chemical compounds in the brain that creates depression. More about the way this process works is learned each day. Better treatments come from more knowledge.

Depression treatment comes from a variety of medications on the market. Of course the market is full of ‘quick fix’ antidotes. 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. 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. It’s good to know that’s no longer the case. It was 1988 when Prozac, an anti-depressant, first came into wide use in America. It was proven to work, and thus is still prescribed today even though it can have serious side effects.

Since that time more and more use has been made of a new class of anti-depressants. 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. Herbal medications also have a place in this market. Hyperforin, an ingredient in the St. John Wort extract, is common in those that seem to work as well as anti-depressants. When this is present in the proper quantity it is a winner. Be careful, do your research and you will find effective depression medications to treat your depression.