ECT, antidepressant medications and magnetic stimulation follow a long line of treatments, some of them helpful, others dubious, used to fight depression. Previous approaches include warm or cold baths, sleep deprivation, barbiturates, and such self-medications as opium, cocaine and alcohol. The development of antidepressant medications started in the 1950s, when psychiatrists began to learn about the biology of depression. The medications that followed have made a big difference for sufferers of depression. Drugs such as Prozac and Paxil have helped many people with depression, and magnetic stimulation may enable more depressed patients to benefit from these medications.
Depression is associated with changes in basic biological processes.
These may include such physical manifestations as unexplained pain, too much sleep or too little, or eating too much or too little. At its worst, depression can lead to hopelessness and suicide. Data indicate that 50 to 75 percent of people who commit suicide can be diagnosed as having suffered from clinical depression. The willingness of public figures to acknowledge their own depressions has encouraged others to seek help, Avery says.