Untreated, the average episode of depression lasts many months. While depression clearly runs in families, it knows no boundaries with regard to age, sex, race or culture, and many individuals with no prior family history of depression fall ill. Depression is a medical illness that often alters sleep, appetite and energy. Low or irritable mood, loss of interest in previously pleasurable and important activities, poor concentration and lessened self-esteem, often to the point of feeling worthless, are other symptoms. The depressive syndrome causes distress and dysfunction for the sufferer and often impairs family and other important role functioning.
Depression breeds despair and casts a dreadful pall over all of life's activities and pleasures.
Fortunately, antidepressant medications have made safe and effective treatment for depression readily available. A wide selection of antidepressants ensures that most depressed individuals can benefit from a drug that is well tolerated and easy to take. Not only can antidepressants end an episode of depression and return a person to normal, but they can also prevent the appearance of subsequent episodes. New antidepressant medications continue to be developed, and the future looks bright with regard to successfully overcoming the ravages of depression. A Guide is copyrighted by James W. Jefferson and John H. Greist.