Major Depression
Major Depression is characterized by persistent sadness, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, and/or hopelessness, difficulity concentrating, insomnia or oversleeping, weight loss or gain, fatigue, loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, anxiety, agitation, thoughts of suicide and death, and slowneess. In children and adolecents symptoms also include dizziniess, headaches, stomachaches, apathy, drug abuse, and isolation.
There are different groups of medicine to help treat major depression, they are as follows: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's)- newer, more prescribed, regulates brain chemical Serotonin; Tricyclics-older, with more side effects; Monoamine oxidas inhibitors (MAO's)- More severe side effects, and require a change in diet. Usually only prescribed if others fail.
