In this blog we are going to take a look at some of the most common mental health medicines, antidepressants. After we discuss some general information on the subject, I will take a few blogs to look at the most commonly prescribed antidepressants.

WHAT ARE ANTIDEPRESSANTS?

Antidepressants are often prescribed to people suffering from depressive illness. Your doctor can prescribe them for you. They can improve your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks for them to help. There are several types of antidepressants. You and your doctor may have to try several before finding what works best for you.

HOW DO ANTIDEPRESSANTS WORK?

Depressive illness is caused by a decrease of certain chemicals or neurotransmitter in the brain that are responsible for mood. Antidepressants stimulate chemical changes that increase the levels of these neurotransmitters.

Three main neurotransmitters associated with mood are

  • serotonin,

  • norepinephrine

  • dopamine.

Different antidepressant medications affect one or more of these neurotransmitters.

In our next blog we will take a look at one specific type of medication for depression, SSRI's.