Medical News

Depression can be considered as a mental disorder, which is characterized by a mood change, poor concentration, and loss of interest/pleasure, low energy, and feelings of guilt, low esteem or self worth, no appetite or irregular sleep. General result of this disease is that, one will usually fail to take care of even their daily needs. There are cases of depression that has led to severe physical damage and even death in few cases.

There are many myths about depression, which are prevailing over in the city and have to be busted. The prime one being, “you ignore it and it will move away” one should understand that, it will not magically disappear. Another myth making a round is people having or suffering from depression are just crazy. Well, it’s true that they can be crazy, but one must understand that it is nowhere related with their state of depression. If someone known to you is behaving odd, then do not ignore it; just try to talk to them and encourage them to ask for help. The best of all the myths is that depression is just a weakness than an illness. Depression is an illness that can be cured by proper treatment and medication, just that for some people it might take more time to get it under control or to a manageable point.

A survey states that, about 120 million people worldwide are getting affected by depression year after year. It has also been the leading cause of disability. It can be easily diagnosed and treated with primary care, without requiring actual hospitalization. It is true that, still there are a few places in the world which are not equipped for treating it, but they are very few in numbers.

Depression for sure, can also be treated with proper medication and various forms of therapy medication. It may be either of these or combination of the two. Sometimes, it requires trial and error method to get the best combination of medication combined with love and care from their friends, loved ones and everyone around them including the doctor.

One must understand that following the doctor’s direction is more important and they are the ones who know when the medication should be stopped. But we often see people who tend to stop the therapy/treatment on their own, thinking they got cured. It is very important to discuss with your doctor on stopping or altering medication and treatment. The best thing to do is to be a part of the process and let the doctor do his job as he knows what to do and when to do.

There are a certain type and severity of depression that may require medication for an extended period of time such as years instead of months. Antidepressants are not habit forming but one must make sure to check and evaluate the dosage on a regular basis just to be sure the patient is getting the correct dosage. Some treatments may require a time to time increase or decrease in dosage. For the medication to be effective for you, make sure you follow the instructions carefully.