| Depression |
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| Medical Stuff |
| Medical conditions |
| Treatment-types of anti-depressants and what they do |
| Depression- a biological explanation |
| Pills, pills, pills- what the medication actually does |
| This bit is naturally scientific, but before you switch off I must say that it can actually be an enlightening experience to know what is going on inside your body. You know when you get given those lectures about all the reasons about why you should never take drugs? Well one of the main things they always harp on about is you don't know what it is your actually taking, isn't it. And I bet that when you hear that you do exactly what we do which is roll your eyes because it's blatently obvious. Yet when it comes to Doctors giving us medication, we know hardly anything about it, we're just supposed to take it because they say we should! I'm not slating Doctors here, they work in a very noble profession and they work hard, but it is odd how little we actually know about the stuff we put into our bodies. We had to say that because otherwise we would seem like the biggest hobbits in the world for what we're about to say, which is; we are not doctors, all the information given here is from secondary sources (ie books) which are listed at the bottom, so don't take our word as being set in stone. If you want to know more go out and read about it, or ask a doctor! |
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| Depression- a biological explanation |
| It is becoming gradually a more medically accepted opinion that the more severe forms of depression are due to a certain extent to chemical changes in the brain. The changes differ for each type. *Now this is where we get really posh :$ don't worry if you don't know about all the different types of depression, they are explained below in the Medical Conditions section* In unipolar depression changes affect the number or sensitivity of nerve cell receptors for particular neurotransmitters (or chemical messengers to those of whose who aren't brain surgeons!), the main one affected generally is 5-hydroxytryptamine (known as 5-HT or serotonin), noradrenaline and dopamine. 5-HT is what regulates the impulses, it also is involved it maintaining your normal patterns of appetite, sleep and sexual activity. This is why when you become depressed your eating, sleep and sex life get screwed up! Also dopamine has a role in gaining pleasure which is probably why you get that feeling that nothing's fun anymore. Meh! This mixed up levels of dopamine may be more influencial with bipolar depression. |
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