a post by Viatcheslav Wlassoff for the World of Psychology blog
A fortunate knock of luck is always welcomed by scientists and researchers, yet any treatment modalities should be novel by design rather than by serendipity. Antidepressants were discovered by chance in the 1950s, and it seems that they suffer from specific deficiencies when it comes to their clinical effectiveness and safety profile. It is something that very few in the medical field negate, although the degree of disagreement may vary.
Depression – A Poorly Understood Disorder
Depression is a heterogeneous disorder that may be characterized by a group of common symptoms, but the underlying cause may vary from person to person. Despite considerable research about the structural and neurochemical changes caused in the brain of a person suffering from depression, there is no specific brain-based test for the condition. Two of the most widely accepted diagnostic systems, ICD-10 and DSM-IV, have similar but not identical criteria. This means that they have a different threshold for various depression symptoms.
Some of the universally accepted symptoms of depression are depressed mood, fatigue, loss of interest, worthlessness, recurrent thoughts of suicide, insomnia, and alternation in appetite.
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I could have done without yet another post about the safety of antidepressant medication but …
I experienced the consequences of the over-prescription of Valium in the '60s and tried hard to stay away from medical interference once I had finally conquered my addiction.
Then in the early '90s I went through a really tough period and sought help from my GP. Trial and error led to finding that Venlafaxine works for me. And it has continued to do so. Addicted? Maybe but so long as the drug keeps working I will keep taking it.
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