Depression can be properly managed through therapy and medication. A recent study found that a person's mental health can be improved just by having one trusted friend by their side.
Mercedes Bern-Klug, the study's co-authors and assistant professor at the University of Iowa, said depressed adults who have "emotionally supportive and close relationships" are four times more likely to have better mental health than patients who don't have close friends, the Indian Express reported. At least one trusted friend is important to a depressed individual's mental being.
According to researchers, depressed people's mental health can be improved when they experience daily happiness or life satisfaction as well as positive social and psychological well-being. Lowering substance use can also help depressed people avoid suicidal thoughts and feelings of anxiety.
Blood Test To Treat Depression
Scientists from King's College London have developed a blood test that can accurately foresee whether depressed patients will respond to common antidepressant drugs. With this, patients with high blood inflammation associated with depression can be subjected to a combination of personalized antidepressants before their condition gets worse, according to a report from EurekAlert
First-line and commonly prescribed antidepressants don't work on around half of all people with depression. This is why doctors resort to a trial-and-error approach to determine which antidepressant drug works best on a patient. By the time a patient responds to a certain antidepressant drug, his/her condition could have gotten worse.
Antidepressants Don't Work On Teenagers And Children
A new Lancet study found teenagers and children don't respond to majority of the antidepressant drugs currently prescribed by doctors. Out of 14 antidepressants, only one called fluoxetine (Prozac and Sarafem) worked on the adolescents. Depressed teenagers and children who take venlafaxine (Effexor, Lanvexin, Viepax and Trevilor) reportedly have higher chances of having suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Around three percent of teenagers in the U.S. take antidepressant drugs, Time reported. Top health organizations advised doctors to treat depressed children and teenagers with months of psychotherapy first. Doctors should only prescribe fluoxetine if the adolescent's depression does not subside.
Depression affects a person's ability to feel, think and perform simple daily activities like eating, working and sleeping, the National Institute for Mental Health wrote. Some of the symptoms of depression are feelings of hopelessness, irritability, anxiousness, empty moods, fatigue, restlessness, appetite and weight changes, and sleeping problems.
People have high depression risks if their family has a history of the disorder. Other risk factors are trauma or stress, as well as physical illnesses and medications.
