Overview

Depression is an affective disorder which afflicts many individuals. The psychiatric term affect refers to the feelings-pleasant and unpleasant- which one experiences. Such feelings may be mild or strong, but all together they regulate the emotional and mental state at any one time. Depression is the most frequently unrecognized emotional disorder that afflicts mankind and causes much more suffering than any other single disease. Depression may be classified according to the type of symptoms; aetiology; predisposing motional characteristics; or time of life when the disorder occurs. From the point of view of drug treatment, depression may be classified into: 1. Reactive depression 2. Endogenous depression Reactive depression is characterized by a well-defined precipitating stress, such as the loss of a loved one, adverse effects of drugs or certain disease states. Reactive depression is usually self-limiting and unresponsive to antidepressant drugs. Therapy consists of mainly assurance and support (psychotherapy). And sometimes anti- anxiety agents are helpful. Endogenous depression is characterized by a definite onset of depressive symptoms unrelated to any significant external event. This type of depression is possibly caused by some neurochemical imbalance. The symptoms are usually more severe than those of reactive depression. Unlike the self-limiting reactive depression, endogenous depression often requires life long therapy. This category also includes involutional depressions, which surface at the age of 40 years or above, and depression related to schizo-affective or manic-depressive disorders. This type of depression is often refractory to psychotherapy. Antipsychotic drugs are essential for treating the schizophrenic component, and lithium is essential for controlling manic-depression syndromes

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9781544625225

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