Understanding and Addressing Depression

Depression refers to a serious and common medical mental illness that negatively affects how a person feels, thinks or acts. Loss of interests in activities enjoyed and sadness are resultant effects of this mental illness that apparently affects millions of people worldwide. In the UK, bereavement, illnesses, violence and abuse constitute some of the main causes of depression. It has been proved that depression can be hereditary according to http://www.nhs.co.uk where scientist narrowed down a particular chromosome which explained a cause of depression that is genetic. The loss of a loved one is the most traumatic event that could occur in a person’s life (Hensley, 2008).

Bereavement affects men, women and children in a number of ways. The loss of a loved one is already an established major factor which contributes to depression. The passing away of a family member may result in lots of different emotions which may in turn interrupt day to day activities. These emotions may include anger, upset, feelings of isolation which would then result to detachment from other societal members. An estimated 40% of bereaved persons meet the criteria for major depressive status a month after the loss (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Upon isolation, an individual cuts themselves from friends, work colleagues, social events and even other family members. This notably amounts to depression. Depression can be treated in a number of ways. 80-90% of people with depression eventually prove to be positively responsive to treatment. This condition can be treated through medication, psychotherapy and counselling, and electroconvulsive therapy. The combination of psychotherapy and medication alone can relieve depression symptoms.

As one of the ways in which depression may be treated, medication is possible as depression affects the brain chemistry. Antidepressants may, as a result, be prescribed by professional practitioners to help modify one’s brain chemistry. One of the most prescribed antidepressant is Sertraline. Sertraline is supposed to be taken either in the morning or evening daily. General guidelines as prescribed should always be followed by the person taking sertraline (Lewis et al, 2019).

Drugs like Sertraline eventually help a person deal with his daily life by taking the edge off the depression of the person. It would however not cure the depression in as much as it helps the person manage his life.

Antidepressants do not have stimulating effects on people not experiencing depression generally. In a person with depression, antidepressants may produce some improvement within the first few weeks of use. In order to see the full benefits, two to three months would be recommended. According to the National Institute for Health Research, 6 weeks of primary care may not be enough for sertraline to reduce depressive symptoms (Lewis et al, 2019). If no improvement can be seen after several weeks, the patient may, with professional consent or direction, alter the dose of medication, or substitute or add to the antidepressant in medication with another antidepressant. In some instances, other psychotropic medications or ways of treatment may be helpful (Parekh, 2017).

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References

American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). 5th Ed (Accessed on 28th November, 2019)

Hensley, P., Clayton, P. (2008) Bereavement- related depression: treatment implications. Psychiatric Times

Lewis, G., Duffy, L., Ades, A., Amos, R., Araya, R., Brabyn, S. (2019) The clinical effectiveness of sertraline in primary care and the role of depression severity and duration (PANDA): a pragmatic, double- blind, placebo- controlled randomized trial. Open Access. DOI

Parekh, R. (2017) What is Depression? The American Psychiatric Association (Accessed on 28th November, 2019)