There is often a social stigma associated with clinical depression, that a person who suffers from depression has a certain negative personality or is a loner, etc. But this stigma is quite far from the biological truth. By understanding the biological mechanism of depression and the role of serotonin and the medications used to treat it, SSRIs, (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can help to dismantle this notion.
You see, there are brain chemicals called neurotransmitters associated with depression, including the neurotransmitter serotonin and some research suggests that abnormalities in neurotransmitter activity affect mood and behavior as in depression. What SSRIs do is relieve symptoms of depression by blocking the reabsorption (reuptake) of serotonin by certain nerve cells in the brain, leaving more serotonin around in the brain. This enhances neurotransmission, the sending of nerve impulses and improves mood. SSRIs are called selective because they seem to affect only serotonin, not other neurotransmitters.
SSRIs & Depression: No Longer a Social Stigma
| 07/20/2009 - There
is often a social stigma associated with clinical depression, that a
person who suffers from depression has a certain negative personality
or is a loner, etc. But this stigma is quite far from the biological
truth. By understanding the biological mechanism of depression and the
role of serotonin and the medications used to treat it, SSRIs,
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can help to dismantle this
notion. You see, there are brain chemicals called neurotransmitters
associated with depression, including the neurotransmitter serotonin
and some research suggests that abnormalities in neurotransmitter
activity affect mood and behavior as in depression. What SSRIs do is
relieve symptoms of depression by blocking the reabsorption (reuptake)
of serotonin by certain nerve cells in the brain, leaving more
serotonin around in the brain. This enhances neurotransmission, the
sending of nerve impulses and improves mood. SSRIs are called selective
because they seem to affect only serotonin, not other
neurotransmitters.
Antidepressants may also play a
neuroprotective role in how they relieve anxiety and depression by
increasing the effects of brain receptors that help nerve cells keep
sensitivity to glutamate — an organic compound of a nonessential amino
acid — in check. This increased support of nerve cells lowers
sensitivity to glutamate and provides protection against the glutamate
overwhelming and exciting key brain areas related to anxiety and
depression.
Antidepressant medications are often the first
treatment choice for adults with moderate or severe depression,
sometimes along with psychotherapy. Although antidepressants may not
cure depression, they can help you achieve remission — the
disappearance or nearly complete reduction of depression symptoms.
SSRIs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically
to treat depression, with their generic, or chemical, names followed by
available brand names in parentheses include:
Citalopram (Celexa)
Escitalopram (Lexapro)
Fluoxetine Prozac , Prozac Weekly)
Paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva)
Sertraline ( Zoloft )
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