Discontinuing Psychiatric Medications: What You Need to Know
Many people have a dark view of medication withdrawal. They may have read or heard the scary stories about uncomfortable side effects or come across startling headlines related to the…
Antidepressants
Light Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been studied for some time now. Usually it comes to mind with the onset of depression in winter. But more applications have…
St. John’s Wort for Depression
St. John’s Wort is the common name for hypericum perforatum, an herbal remedy for the treatment of depression that has become increasingly popular over the past decade in the United…
Which Antidepressants Cause the Least Sexual Side Effects?
Sexual side effects and one’s libido are an important issue when it comes to antidepressant medications and depression itself. All too often, this issue is ignored when antidepressants are prescribed…
Treating Depression and Physical Illness
People with physical illness are at an increased risk of depression, which is linked with a worse prognosis and reduced adherence to treatment. Unfortunately, data on the use of antidepressants…
Depression: New Medications On The Horizon
With the advent of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) in the 1950s, depression treatment was revolutionized. These medicines target the monoamine system, including the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine…
Depression Commonly Strikes Seniors & Other Vital Facts About Depressed Seniors
There’s a common belief that depression is a normal part of aging. It’s not. But unfortunately, it is prevalent among the elderly. A 2000 study published in the Archives of…
Depression Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
But when the melancholy fit shall fall Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud, That fosters the droop-headed flowers all, And hides the green hill in an April shroud… —John…
What is Discontinuation Syndrome?
Psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, are commonly prescribed to treat a wide variety of mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. One of the possible side…
An Overview of Depression and Money Issues
Being in debt, broke, and unemployed can lead to depression but the converse is also true: Depression can precipitate financial meltdown. There is the issue of lost wages. People who…
How Long Do Antidepressants Take to Work?
A common treatment for clinical depression is a type of medication called an antidepressant. Antidepressants come in a variety of forms, but all of them work by impacting certain neurochemicals…
Acupuncture, Anxiety & Depression
As our broadband speeds up and our phones get smarter, some matters regarding our health get overlooked — especially our mental health. Tablets and smart phones have made it more…
Identifying and Treating Major Depression
I feel like I’m floating under an endless gray sky in an endless gray sea of tepid water. There is no horizon. There is nothing to break the monotony. I…
Frequently Asked Questions about the STAR*D Study
STAR*D is one of the largest, independent and most robust studies ever undertaken by the National Institute of Mental Health to examine the effectiveness of a variety of medications in…
Three Faces of Depression
Is depression a single thing? It seems to me that depression has many faces. One of the fascinating segments of my job as a private tutor is my role as…