Drug Therapy Vs. Psychotherapy essays

Drug Therapy Vs. Psychotherapy essays What is depression? Depression is one of the most common psychological problems. It is a psychological condition that changes how you think and feel. It affects nearly everyone through personal experience or through depression in a family member. Depression can interfere with normal functions and causes problems with work and family. Depression is an illness just like diabetes or heart disease. It is an illness that affects the entire body and not just the mind. One in five people suffer from depression and it is the leading cause of alcoholism and drug abuse; as well as the number one cause for suicide. It is an illness that can be successfully treated in more than eighty percent of the people who are diagnoused with it; but most people dont recieve proper treatment for it. Depression is caused by abnormal activity in the brain. Studies have shown that certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters play an important role in regulating moods and emotions. Neurotransmitters involve d in depression include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Researchers have suggested that depression results from lower than normal levels of these neurotransmitters in parts of the brain. There are many types of treatment but the two most common for treating depression are Psychotherapy and Drug therapy. Depression can be treated effectively with antidepressant drugs, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Antidepressant, medication used to treat depression, is often the first choice of treatment for depression. While everyone experiences episodes of sadness at some point in their lives, depression is distinguished from this sadness when symptoms are present most days for a period of at least two weeks. Although the cause of depression is unknown, researchers have found that some depressed people have altered levels of chemicals called neurotransmitters, chemicals made and released by nerve cells, or neurons. One neuron, referred to as...