Feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Altered eating habits. Lack of interest in sex and other pleasurable activities. Depression affects all relationships and always affects performance in school or at work. Therapy, whether with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker, is effective for many.
Antidepressant medications offer yet another approach to the disabling symptoms of depression.
Many depressed people who had not gained relief with therapy found that medication lifted their spirits and made it possible to live normally again. As a result, many more doctors, including internists and family practitioners, have now become comfortable prescribing medication for depression. Whereas doctors might have previously offered counseling rather than medication, now many recommend medication instead. Given the access that many have to medications, many depressed people have even started medications on their own without the guidance of a health professional. We know now that people who are severely depressed are helped most by a combination of therapy and medications, all of which is best coordinated by a doctor trained to evaluate depression and its causes.