Treating depression

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The use of depression medication has increased dramatically over the years. According to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control, about one in nine Americans reported taking at least one antidepressant medication in the past month. Thirty years ago, fewer than one in 50 people did so. The drugs have changed—and improved over that time, says Dr. Schwartz: The first class of antidepressants to be developed, MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) fell out of favor due to concerns about interactions with certain foods and other medications. Today, SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) are the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressants, followed by SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors). The new classes of drugs have more tolerable side effects than MAOIs and are often used to treat conditions other than depression, such as anxiety, sleep disorderspain, premenstrual syndrome, and smoking cessation. One of the drawbacks of medication is that it may take weeks or months for the effects of the effects to kick in, but scientists are on the road to making anti-depressants work faster. If the drug you try doesn’t relieve your symptoms or causes side effects, you may need to try another to find the right one for your condition. Check out these 16 science-backed ways to help overcome depression naturally.