Depression is more than sadness or feeling depressed for a few days. Depression can last for years, it’s a serious illness. According to various reports as many as fifteen million Americans suffer from this disease. Only about 4.5 million of those people seek help, which is unfortunate. All too often people avoid recognizing or admitting that they suffer from depression because of the negative archetypes associated with mental illnesses. Of the list of progressive ailments depression is one of the worst. It will get worse without treatment. Ignorance in this case isn’t bliss.

A variety of factors, and even combinations of these factors, lead to the many types of depression. Physical and emotional problems, chemical issues, even DNA all play a part. It can be given birth by the very environment that the victim lives in. Detrimental factors such as stress can lead to it. Complicated diseases like depression aren’t easy to crack. The human mind is very complicated as well. Work continues into the mind and brain and how they work, what makes them tick. It’s clear that it’s an imbalance of chemical compounds in the brain that creates depression. More about the way this process works is learned each day. The more we learn about depression the better we can treat it.

Depression can be treated with a host of available medications. Of course the market is full of ‘quick fix’ antidotes. Make sure the treatment has been studied and scientifically proven to address depression. At one time asylums and mental institutions were filled to the brim with mentally ill people. It’s good to know that’s no longer the case. The anti-depressant Prozac first came into use in the USA in 1988. It has bee proven effective and is still in use today although it does come with side effects.

Since that time more and more use has been made of a new class of anti-depressants. Currently depression is being treated with SSRI or (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) such as Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Luvox. All have been proven effective but come with varied side effects. There are also numerous natural herbal medications available on the market. Hyperforin, an ingredient in the St. John Wort extract, is common in those that seem to work as well as anti-depressants. Some herbal remedies don’t contain this ingredient in the proper strength so they don’t work. When seeking depression medications that work ask questions, do your research, and know the facts.