Health News
New generation of drugs helps reduce depression
The drugs help hold
serotonin in neural
synapses, increasing
the force of emotions
By Ben Romano
Higher Education Reporter
One in four women and one in
eight men experience depression,
according to the National Institute
for Mental Illness. Symptoms of
depression range from fluctuations
in weight to feelings of hopeless
ness and sadness.
There are effective treatments for
depression available in the form of
Selective Serotonin Reuptake In
hibitors (SSRIs). Prozac, Zoloft,
Paxil and Luvox are four SSRIs
commonly used to treat depres
sion, said Dr. William Disher, a
practitioner at the Student Health
Center. These four are part of a new
generation of SSRIs that are toler
ated better by many patients. They
can be used more effectively with
out many side effects, he added.
Serotonin is a chemical that
passes information about emotion
across neural synapses, which are
the gaps between nerve cells in the
brain. SSRIs treat depression by
keeping serotonin in the synapses
for a longer time and thus enhanc
ing the strength of the emotion.
“SSRIs are the first line of treat
ment for physicians prescribing
antidepressants," said Judy Son
nenberg, a psychologist at the Uni
versity Counseling Center. They
are as effective as other antidepres
sants and are relatively safe in
overdose situations, she added.
“Most practitioners are comfort
able starting a patient on SSRIs if
they are clinically depressed,” said
Dr. Regina McGlothlin, a staff psy
chiatrist at the Student Health Cen
ter.
SSRIs can also be used to treat
some forms of eating disorders, mi
grains headaches, anxiety disor
ders and other mental disorders
caused by biochemical imbal
ances, McGlothlin said.
Some common side effects asso
ciated with SSRIs are nausea and
other gastrointestinal symptoms, a
“revved” or “wired” sensation and
insomnia. There are also some sex
ual side effects such as a reduction
in libido, Disher said.
"All problems are 100 percent
reversible by stopping taking the
medications,” he said.
Patients who take SSRIs can be
on them for as long as six months to
a year for major depression. For
more severe cases, patients may
take SSRIs indefinitely.
Not all depression is treated with
SSRIs, but the drugs are prescribed
quite frequently.
“Of those patients who come to
the health center for depression, I
would guess 50 to 75 percent end
up on antidepressants,” Disher
said.
“Many people who suffer from
mental illness lead normal lives
because of medications,” Sonnen
berg said. “Typically the combina
tion of medication and psy
chotherapy is the best treatment
available for mental illness."
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