Patients may cry easily, have feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and experience thoughts of death and suicide. According to the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association, more than 22 million American adults are affected by depression. Although it can occur at any age, symptoms commonly occur between 20 and 50. Women are affected about twice as often as men. Other treatments that may be used alone or in combination with medication include psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy.
Many people never get help for their depression.
Dealing with Side Effects of Antidepressants One of the problems associated with many antidepressants is side effects. The drugs can cause blurred vision, light-headedness, drowsiness, restlessness, confusion, dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, sweating, rapid heartbeat, or low blood pressure. Some people also experience sexual side effects, ranging from difficulty with orgasm to inability to ejaculate. Patients experiencing sexual side effects may believe the cause is a relationship problem, not realizing it could be a side effect of their medication. A survey by the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association found that half of all patients experiencing side effects from antidepressants stopped taking their medications.