For some people, a bad day is more than a bad day. It is more than a bad week or a bad month. It is clinical depression, and for all of its popularity, it remains a vastly misunderstood disease. Depression interferes severely with a victim’s everyday life—activities that once were pleasurable will suddenly feel empty, and often times the lack of motivation leads to poor school and work performance, as well as strained relationships and friendships. But while depression is underestimated in the realm of popular culture, in the realm of medicine, it is an urgent issue, and more and more research is being dedicated to the pursuit of a successful depression medication. However, what must be remembered is that, just as every individual is different, so is every individual’s depression, and a depression medication that works for one sufferer may not work for the next.

Anti Depression Medication: A Game of Trial and Error

Depression has multiple causes, and therefore it has multiple cures. Some individuals are born with a predisposition to depression in the form of chemical imbalances. For these people, a depression medication that works to restore balance will often help. However, for every type of chemical imbalance there is a different type of depression medication, sometimes multiple choices. Discovering the exact cause of the imbalance takes time, but finding the correct depression medication, and the correct dosage, takes time as well. For victims of depression, asking for help and admitting there is a problem is am important first step, but it is only the first step in a long, complicated road to recovery. And often times, recovery is not permanent—for many individuals, depression reoccurs throughout the lifetime, and sometimes the cycles are depressing on their own.

Other individuals are not born with a susceptibility to depression—the disease is not hereditary. Instead, it is caused by a stress or a trauma, a natural response to overwhelming negative emotions. For these individuals, a depression medication may help to quell suicidal thoughts or numb the mind a bit to the pain, but depression medication will not be enough. These victims especially need therapy and other forms of psychological counseling. Sometimes, simply talking through the emotions, coming to terms with the past, is enough to restore order, but once again, sometimes even these individuals need depression medication at least in the beginning.  But just like in the case of a chemical imbalance, it may take awhile for the victim to discover the cause of his or her depression, but once that cause is found, there is always hope for a full recovery.