Antidepressants Research Paper

1606 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Depression causes and effects

Depression is a very common mental illness found in the everyday common man that is not taken as seriously as other mental illnesses. According to an article found in the Daily Mail by Jane Street-Porter, depression is a ‘misery movement’ that “...rapidly gathered momentum and in recent months it's become apparent that, along with the Sam Cam handbag, the latest must-have accessory is a big dose of depression.” This concept or idea of depression being trivial may result from not truly understanding what depression is and how it can affect someone. In fact, depression is a leading mental health cause of disability and a major cause of morbidity and mortality (Ashcroft et al. 1). But, there are also some people who believe that depression is …show more content…

They are defined as anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression. Similar to the majority of medications, new antidepressants are created and with these new antidepressants come new side effects and sometimes more harmful ones when compared to older antidepressants. As with all drugs, the use of antidepressants requires monitoring for side effects, and suicide should be considered as a possible side effect of the newer antidepressants, particularly in children and adolescents. Also, antidepressants should not be used unless the depression is severe and/or other treatments have failed. This explains why antidepressants are not the first treatment method mentioned in forums regarding treatment of depression. But according to clinical studies, when compared, patients diagnosed with depression that were resistant to antidepressants were also shown to be resistant to psychotherapy. This references a specific type of depression that is referred to as ‘treatment-resistant depression’ (Parker, Graham, and Sheppard 1). Treatment-resistant depression is something that still baffles those in the medical field and is synonymous with chronic depression. But although psychotherapy and antidepressant are somewhat similar, they still differ in certain aspects of …show more content…

One genre of music therapy is improvisational music therapy, which is defined as a method that employs improvising as a primary therapeutic experience (Albornoz 209). Specifically music therapy is, the process of inventing music while playing or singing, using whatever sound sources are available in a given therapeutic situation to obtain an art product. It sounds like a therapeutic method of essentially not planning anything and just going to a session with a patient and just making things and hoping for the best, but the results have proven otherwise. Improvisational music therapy has been proven to work on patients diagnosed with depression and who struggle with substance abuse. A study was conducted that showed that when improvisational music therapy was used on patients diagnosed with depression who were also struggling with substance abuse and showed a significant decrease in depression rates when compared to their own personal rates recorded before implementing the therapy. Overall, it lead to patients to feel more relaxed in regards to ‘substance urge’ and ‘symptoms of depression’, and also helped them gain greater sense and motivation to explore who they were as individuals. This provides almost double the benefits for the patient because this one method of treatment treats two negative aspects of their

Show More
Related

  • Antidepressant Synthesis Essay

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Treating depressive and bipolar disorders with antidepressants remains a popular option in clinical practice. Most clinicians choose the drug or class of drugs, usually selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRI's, that is most effective and best tolerated with fewer severe side effects. These drugs are beneficial because they specifically target serotonin-based areas of the brain without affecting other neurotransmitter systems. SSRI's largely replaced tricyclic antidepressants which work by blocking the absorption (reuptake) of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, thereby increasing the levels of these two neurotransmitters in the brain. Tricyclic antidepressants present severe side effects and thus are usually only used when other treatments have failed. If SSRI's or tricyclics are not effective Monoamine oxidase inhibitors may be prescribed. MAOI's, enhance tyramine to increase norepinephrine and serotonin. While taking MAOI's you must abstain from foods and alcohol that contain tyramine such as, yogurt, aged cheese, and substances such as cold medications. This is because a potential toxic reaction could occur. Additionally, other antidepressants may be utilized such as Wellbutrin (bupropion) an NDRI-

    Read More

  • Depression and Antidepressants

    2869 Words  | 6 Pages

    I am quite fascinated by generalized control mechanisms and the role they play in the nervous system. I am also quite curious about the relationship between different generalized control mechanisms. The concept of mood and depression in particular have always interested me. I have always wondered what actually causes depression. Why can some people be in a perfectly good mood one day and then less than a week later start exhibiting the signs of clinical depression? I have always been curious about the role that experience and chemical imbalances play in depression and other mood disorders. I donUt totally understand how chemical depression can originate as the result of severe outside stressors in a personUs life. How can this stress go from simply stress in the experiences and environment of a person to a chemical imbalance? I have also wondered why certain people are more susceptible to depression than others. I am curious about whether genetics play a role in depression and whether certain people are more susceptible to depression because of the environment they live in or because of pharmacological reasons and genes. Throughout our class this year, I have wondered about the role that the I-function plays in depression. I find it interesting that it is possible to wake up one morning and be in a nasty mood even if I want to be in a good mood and my I-function is thinking RhappyS thoughts. Through my research for this paper I wanted to find out more about the different kinds of depression and exactly what goes on chemically in the brain when a person is depressed. I also wanted to do a little research on how depression can be treated. I wanted to try and determine how and when the line of simp...

    Read More

  • How It Works: Music Therapy

    2178 Words  | 5 Pages

    Music therapy works because of its three fundamentals: the application of systematic thinking through music theory, the creation of an individualized treatment plan, as well as the patie...

    Read More

  • Evidence-Based Practice: Music Therapy

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    Interventions used in the treatment of mental disorder are divided into 3 levels and meet the various needs of the patient (MT and mental health book ch 3). The first level being supportive, activity oriented music therapy, the therapeutic focus is on the here and now, reactions, behaviors, skills, and is generally success-oriented and structured (MT and mental health book ch 4). Interventions would typically be small group ensembles, group singing, and drum circles. The second level is insight music therapy with re-educative goals, here the music is used to stimulate verbalization while gaining insight through discussion (MT and mental health book ch 5). Interventions at this level would include, lyric analysis or song discussion. The third level is insight music therapy with re-constructive goals, the experiences are used to uncover, relieve, or resolve conflicts at the subconscious level (MT and mental health book ch 6). Interventions used would be visualization to music, Guided Imagery and Music (GIM), and analytical music therapy. A session can have elements from each level, starting with an opening drumming activity/drum circle, transitioning into a lyric analysis/song discussion, visualizing of negative and positive feeling, and finally closing with another drumming activity. The questions used in the

    Read More

  • Risk of Antidepressants in Teens

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 19-year-olds. In any given year, about 20% of all high school students think of committing suicide; almost 10% try” (Cropper 112). This shocking statistic shows the high risk of suicide among teens, but what some might not know is that the most common form of treatment used to help teens suffering with depression is one that might also increase the risk of suicide and/or harmful actions to oneself. Tricyclic antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro are commonly prescribed to adolescents and young adults to relieve symptoms of depression, and they work by either releasing more of the brain’s “happy chemical,” serotonin, in those with clinical depression, or by stopping the release of the brain’s emotional chemicals in those with manic depression (or other diseases such as bipolar disorder) (Silverstein 61). Although antidepressants can have a positive effect on the symptoms of depression, the risk of suicide among those who take it is too high to use as a first option. Suicidal behavior is a serious side effect in teens that are prescribed tricyclic antidepressants; depression should be treated with safer alternatives, such as behavioral treatment or other forms of therapy as opposed to such a “trial and error” approach.

    Read More

  • Major Depressive Disorder

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.

    Read More

  • Glenn Gould: The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius by Peter F. Ostwald

    2336 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ostwald, P. F. (1992). Psychotherapeutic facilitation of musical creativity. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 46(3), 383-404.

    Read More

  • Insane Asylum Research Paper

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Music therapy began as a conventionally practice in the Day Care Unit for Autistic Children, Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Pensylvania, and the Devereux Foundation began to use the practice more often (“History”). “The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program” (“What”). Different types of music can help treat different mental diseases; for example, people with depression might benefit from a different genre of music that someone that suffers from Parkinson disease. There are many centers specifically made for the use of music therapy on people suffering from mental disease. For some people, music was the rehabilitative power that had given them the help they needed when medicine couldnt. Music can be a creative outlet for self expression. “It perfectly describes what you’re going through and its really just a sense of

    Read More

  • Antidepressant Medication: A Case Study

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Depression is a common word people mention many times whenever they’re feeling a bit down. And sadly, many people decide to take antidepressant medication to deal with the problems their dealing with on a day to day basis. People that don’t really suffer from depression are able to obtain antidepressant medication for ‘‘depression’’. And Dr. Jeffrey Cain, the president of the Academy of Family Physicians suggests that it’s either ‘‘a psychiatrist, non- psychiatrist physician or other provider, like a nurse practitioner misdiagnosing patients’’ (p.6). It seems that medical professionals aren’t following and meeting the criteria for depression presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or D.S.M. The D.S.M which is mentioned to be ‘‘psychiatrists’ bible’’ (Rabin, 2013, p.5) that maintains and classify mental disorders and the criteria. For depression, a person is positioned to be diagnosed with depression if their depress mood continues on for at least two weeks and has at least five symptoms that comes along with depression (Rabin, 2013, p.6). Such as, ‘‘unintentional weight gain or loss, problems sleeping, agitation, or slowed reactions noticed by others, fatigue and low energy, feelings of excessive guilt or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and recurrent thoughts of death’’ (Rabin, 2013, p.6).

    Read More

  • Antidepressant Drugs

    2028 Words  | 5 Pages

    Psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs are usually the most common method used together to treat depression. The most common antidepressant drugs that are used: Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline) that have been used to treat serotonin, while Effexor (venlaxafine) and Remeron (mirtazapine) have been used to treat serotonin and norepinephrine. The antidepressant medications that are given are classified into different areas that affect different neurotransmitters in particular ways. Serotonin and norepinephrine are both used to ease depression by affecting neurotransmitters used to communicate between brain cells. The current treatments of psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs are failing to help people who have resilient characteristics that leave many patients lost and helpless. Current medications used to treat depression can take about two to six weeks after taking a therapeutic dose of the drug to see improvement, but many claim to feel better in few days. In those two to six weeks there can be many variables that can stray a person to show signs of improvement. The current drugs being used have been

    Read More

  • Depressants Research Paper

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Depressants
 Like many drugs, depressants have many risks and effects that can harm you. A depressant is a chemical substance or drug that makes a body’s system less active. It calms a person’s nerves and relaxes their muscles. Depressants are drugs that stop the proper function of the central nervous system. They are bright coloured tablets or capsules that are legally available from your doctor for medical reasons. Some prescribed reasons are anxiety, sleep problems, acute agitation, and pain and muscle spasms. Some depressants can also be illegally obtained and you can get arrested. Unfortunately depressants can be overused or abused by people and become very addictive. Depressants also called “downers” are one of the most widely

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Depression In Women

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    Treatment for depression includes medicine, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. If someone is thinking about suicide or is very depressed and cannot function, they need to be admitted into a hospital. Antidepressants are medicines used to treat depression. They help bring the chemicals in the brain to the normal level and relieve syndromes. If the patient feels as though the medication isn’t working, their doctor should be called. However, if you feel so, you shouldn’t change them on your own without the permission of the doctor. Psychotherapy is to help you understand why you’re feeling the way you are.

    Read More

  • Music Therapy Argumentative Essay

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever listened to music and it made you instantly feel better and it gave you a sense of relief? That is where music therapy comes into play. “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program” (musictherapy.org). Music therapy is a type of therapy that was being used to aid people in their illnesses before medicine was even thought of. Music therapy dates back to an extremely long time ago and was used to aid people before there was proof that it actually helped. Now, we have the technology to perform the studies that can prove whether or not music therapy helps with a certain illness and or person. There have been many studies that have been executed to show that music therapy helps in some cases such as in depression and or anxiety, cancer survivors, dementia, schizophrenia, substance abusers, and overall stress and quality of life. Music therapy can help with some cases by

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Depression

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Depression

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Depression is one of the most common psychological problems. Each year over 17 million Americans experience a period of clinical depression. Thus, depression affects nearly everyone through personal experiences or through depression in a family member or friend.

    Read More

More about Antidepressants Research Paper

Open Document