Antidepressants By: Janae Skeem

Causes of Depression Abuse (Physical, sexual, or emotional) Certain Medications Conflict Death or a loss Genetics Major events (Such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married) Serious Illnesses Substance Abuse

The History The first Antidepressant Medications were discovered by accident. One of the first was used to treat tuberculosis but was later found to improve the mood of those who used them. Over time antidepressant medications were improved to cover three generations of medicinal categories.

Antidepressants and the Brain Antidepressants can be categorized into three generations of drug development. Although the three different generations differ in the way that the antidepressants deal with the brain, they all affect the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.

Effects of Depression (Found off of Beneficial Foods. Com) Depression can reduce Brain Size, shrinking the hippocampus area of the brain. This area of the brain is involved with learning and memory. Depression increases Stress hormone levels. Depression increases the risk of Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)

Effects of Depression Cont. Depression increases the risk of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Depression can affects Blood Sugar Levels. Depressed people are more than twice as likely to develop Asthma. A study shows that nearly half of those reported Chronic Tension Headaches also have Anxiety or Depression.

Effects of Depression Cont. About 20% of the elderly show some signs of Depression. If otherwise healthy persons past age 70 display just one symptom of depression, they are more likely to become disable within the next 4 years. Older adults who are depressed are 6 times more likely to have seizures than their peers. One study shows a link between Depression and Infertility.

Biology and Depression Researchers have related biology to depression. People with a history of depression have a smaller hippocampus (a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories). A smaller hippocampus has fewer serotonin receptors and therefore those people experience happiness and pleasure less than those who have not suffered from depression.

Addiction to Antidepressants Many would say that antidepressant medications are addictive. Many researchers have concluded that antidepressant medication are most likely not addictive even though we don’t know very much about the medications.

Withdrawal Symptoms One of the reasons that people consider antidepressants to be addictive is the withdrawal symptoms that people can experience from them. These include: fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. These withdrawal symptoms, however, are not the same as withdrawal symptoms associated with hard drugs.

Antidepressants and Miscarriages Women who take antidepressants while they are pregnant have a 68 percent increased chance of having a miscarriage. Antidepressant medications have been responsible for: - 4,360 critical birth defects - 4,160 critical heart defects - 2,900 spontaneous abortions - 3,000 premature births

The Unknown There have been many studies done on antidepressants, but the reality is that we don’t know much about them. Out of all the people who take antidepressants about 65 percent of them had an improvement in their mood, compared to the 35 percent who took a placebo. Studies show that there is not a lot of difference between the effectiveness of each antidepressant medication.

Works Cited “Addiction to Antidepressants.” Drugs and Alcohol Rehab Solutions for Addiction. Drug Treatment and Alcohol Problem Solutions, n.d. Web. 3 Feb Barrett, Mike. “Antidepressants Drastically Increase the Risk for Miscarriages.” Natural News.com. N.p., 01 Sep Web. 4 Mar “Causes of Depression.” WebMD. Better Information. Better Health. WebMD, n.d. Web. 4 Mar “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction.” Topics in Brief. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Jan Web. 3 Feb “Effects of Depression.” Beneficial Foods. Beneficial Foods, n.d. Web. 3 Mar Levinthal, Charles F. “Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society” 6th Edition. Text. Copyright Moorside, Haddad P. “Do antidepressants have the potential to cause addiction?.” N.p., Web. 4 Mar 2011.