Medications to relieve symptoms of depression are called antidepressants. They work by altering levels of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine in the brain. A neurotransmitter is a brain chemical that enables messages to pass from nerve cell to nerve cell in the central nervous system. Many people with depression have low levels [...]

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Therapy frequently includes antidepressant medication and supportive care such as psychotherapy. Other less widely used therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy, are used in severe cases.
Therapy may be provided by your health-care provider or by a specially trained mental-health professional.

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There’s major news on the antidepressant front, but it comes in an odd form: research on treating “lazy eyes” in rats. A study suggests that, yes, Prozac and similar medicines really do make the brain more flexible.
The report, titled “The Antidepressant Fluoxetine Restores Plasticity in the Adult Visual Cortex,” appears in the current issue of [...]

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The New York Times science section today features an essay on the long-term use of antidepressants. The lead refers to the sort of question I introduced in Listening to Prozac: how do these medications shape identity? But most of the piece concerns the biological effects of taking the drugs for years.
The author, Richard A. Friedman, [...]

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What would you say about a remedy for depression that lifted your mood, restored your energy, realigned your brain chemistry, improved your sense of self-and cost nothing?
Then put on your walking shoes or find a workout class. Researchers are finding that physical activity works at least as well against mild to moderate depression as any [...]

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A new study has indicated that new generation antidepressants only benefit the most severely depressed people.
According to the findings, these drugs ‘do not produce clinically significant improvements in depression in patients who initially have moderate or even severe depression’.
As part of the study, a team from the University of Hull in the UK analysed data [...]

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It is very important that you discuss with your healthcare professional what to expect with treatment and especially treatment duration. Antidepressants generally take 4 to 6 weeks to have an effect, so don’t give up on the medication immediately. See you healthcare professional for a regular checkup during the first 6 weeks to determine whether [...]

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