• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

9.5% of Americans Battle Depression: 10% of Adult Women, 4% of Men Treated With Antidepressants

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 09:01 CST

By Karen Garloch, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Jan. 25--About 18.8 million American adults, or 9.5 percent of the population, suffer from a depressive order, including major depression and bipolar disorder. And about 10 percent of adult women and 4 percent of men take antidepressants.

Antidepressants don't usually cause people to become violent, but violence can result if medicines are inappropriately prescribed. For example, in people with bipolar disorder who are misdiagnosed as depressed, antidepressants can cause mania that could result in violent behavior. Untreated depression can worsen, leading someone to become psychotic, or lose touch with reality, and become violent.

Major depression: Characterized by symptoms such as depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, loss of appetite, loss of energy, inability to sleep and suicidal thoughts. It impairs a person's ability to function and lasts for an extended period.

Treatment: Antidepressants, such as Prozac and Zoloft, may be prescribed, with or without simultaneous psychotherapy. If depression worsens to psychosis, additional anti-psychotic drugs, such as Risperdal and Zyprexa, may be prescribed.

Bipolar disorder: Also known as manic-depressive illness. Causes dramatic changes in energy, behavior and mood, from overly happy to sad and back, often with periods of normal mood in between. The highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression. This can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance and suicide.

Treatment: Medicines known as mood stabilizers, such as Lithium and Depakote, can help people lead full and productive lives. Other medicines can be added, when necessary, to treat episodes of mania or depression that break through despite the mood stabilizer.

Resources

-- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill-Charlotte: Offers information, education and support for families dealing with mental illness; (704) 333-8218 or www.nami-charlotte.org .

-- National Institute for Mental Health: Part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.; toll-free (866) 615-6464, www.nimh.nih.gov .

Sources: National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Health Statistics, and Dr. Ervin Thompson of Carolinas Medical Center-Randolph Road Behavioral Health Services.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

More News in this Category