Annotation Paragraphs.

Depression. A lot of people suffer from it. But what is it exactly. Depression is an imbalance of chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. People who have depression have a hard time functioning from day to day without the help of antidepressants. The symptoms of depression are a wide range. Some of the symptoms are prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells, significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns, irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety, inability to concentrate, indecisiveness, unexplained aches and pains, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide. Those are only a few of the many symptoms.


Depressive episodes most often occur after stressful events such as divorce or death of a loved one. Depression can happen to anyone, it is not necessarily a genetic thing. Anyone can be diagnosed with depression. It is a hard to thing to hear and handle on your own. Doctors often suggest taking antidepressants as well as speaking with a psychologist to help you through your depression.



Antidepressants are medications people take to help with their depression. They are taken orally anywhere from once to three or four times a day. They are prescribed by your doctor and can not be found as over the counter medications. Antidepressants are prescribed to help improve your mood, sleep patterns, appetite, and concentration. Someone with depression who goes without antidepressants could end up killing themselves or others, live their life alone and sad, or not get out of bed at all.


Like every other drug out there antidepressants become chemically bonded to your body. If you stop taking them without consulting your doctor you will go through withdrawl. Just like all the other drugs : meth, heroine, cocaine, ciggarettes etc. the withdrawl sypmtoms get pretty bad. From shivers, cold sweats to rapid heart beats, nausea, vomitting, dizziness, confusion, and lashing out. Someone who is going through withdrawls is just as violent and scary as someone who is addicted to drugs and has depression. Anitdepressants help the chemicals in your brain to function properly and stopping without notice can do serious injury to yourself and others.

Yes they have a purpose. Their purpose as a drug is to regulate mood and diminish the severity of depressive episodes. They also help to make natural chemicals available to the brain. One of the important purposes of antidepressants is to help stop the thought of death and idea of suicide in patients. The risk of suicide is increased in adolescence adn young adults.

Side effects are the first thing everyone looks at when they get a new medication. Side effects are probably the most important thing to at when getting a new medication. The side effects for antidepressants are as followed: constipation, daytime sleepiness, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, headache, nausea, sexual problems, shakiness, trouble sleeping, and weight gain. Flu-like symptoms can also occur if you suddenly stop taking the antidepressants without the help of a doctor.

Works Cited Page

"Antidepressants: MedlinePlus." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 09 Nov. 2009.

“Depression” Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: Improving the Lives of People Living with Mood Disorders. 05 Feb. 2009 Web. 09 Nov. 2009.

Ferguson, Frank C. Drug Therapy. Lea & Febiger, 1962. Google eBooks. 19 Aug. 2008. Web. 09 Nov. 2009.

Ries, Richard. Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Coexisting Mental Illness and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (Treatment Improvement Protocol Serire, Vol 9). Grand Rapids: DIANE, 1996. Google eBooks. Web. 09 Nov. 2009.

Simon, Harvey, and David Zieve. "Depression." Health Source - Consumer Edition. 22 Jan. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .

Welcome to Cancerland summary (thus far)

It's a terrifying experience having to wait around for results. You hope for the best, yet think of worst at the same time. What's to be done but sit and wait and look at the depressing but also supporting magazines, wall decorations, and music. It sets the tone for what your about to get yourself into.

The waiting game. The disappointment that comes with it. Aggravation starts to set in. Your mind is racing a mile a minute of others things that you have to get done, but your stuck sitting and waiting. When your able to leave you have the worst news and everything flees your mind and the only things stuck in it is Cancer.


In "Welcome to Cancerland" by Barbra Ehrenreich, she starts off with the same scenario. When the doctors let her leave the office she is not in the same state of mind as she was when she entered the office. This time instead of going over her list of to do things she is thinking about the one word Cancer.

Ehrenreich makes it less of a personal essay and more of an informative one. Her main focus is about the pink ribbon and teddy bears and how they represent the fight of chemotherapy and the life of breast cancer patients.

Antidepressants

Questions:
1. What is Depression?
2. What are antidepressants?
3. What is their purpose?
4. How do they work?
5. What are the side effects?
6. How severe can the side effects get?
7. Does your body become chemically dependent on them?
8. Who should take them?
9. What other warnings should be included on the label?




Just a little Humor to the subject.
Depression
Introspection>>Humor







Sources:
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA Website)

Antidepressants:MedlinePlus (MedlinePlus Website)

Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Coexisting Mental Illness and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (book)

Drug Therapy (book)

Article on Depression