DEPRESSION AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS
Depression is a very common affective disorder involving feelings of sadness that are much more severe and longer lasting than the suspected precipitating event, and the mood of affected individuals is much more intense. The depression may not even be traceable to a specific event or stressor (i.e., there are no external causes). Patients who are depressed may have little energy, sleep disturbances, a lack of appetite, limited libido, and inability to perform activities of daily living.
They may describe overwhelming feelings of sadness, despair, hopelessness, and disorganization. In many cases, the depression is never diagnosed, and the patient is treated for physical manifestations of the underlying disease, such as fatigue, malaise, obesity, anorexia, or alcoholism and drug dependence. Clinical depression is a disorder that can interfere with a person’s family life, job, and social interactions. Left untreated, it can produce multiple physical problems that can lead to further depression or, in extreme cases, even suicide.
