Recent studies have shown that combination drug therapies in those individuals that suffer from depression, have shown to be very helpful for a good percentage of those inflicted with this disorder. Many people with these depressive symptoms wouldn't receive any benefit from only one type of medication. They would visit their doctor, who would diagnose them as having depression, however, some individuals may suffer more than one symptom. These cases call for more than one type of antidepressant or a combination of antidepressants along with something to treat their other symptoms, such as anxiety. The patient may also need something to treat a sleep disorder.

Since each individual reacts differently to different medication, it's sometimes necessary for a depression sufferer to have to try different types or different combinations of drugs at a time in order to see what will actually work for that person. There is a reason why there are so many brands of antidepressant drugs. Related drugs like prozac, zoloft, paxil, celexa, affexor and in the case of those with Bipolar Disorder (manic depression), drugs like lithium.

It normally takes anywhere from 3-4 weeks for an antidepressant drug to thoroughly absorb into a persons system, therefore there's really no way to know if a drug is going to work for the patient until at least this much time has passed. Many times the drug will have some positive effect, but not treat the entire problem, as explained above where the patient might feel better, but may still be battling anxiety or having difficulty sleeping. This is where a combination of drugs can be helpful to the patient.

There are several different side effects, some severe, that are possible with most types of antidepressant drugs. They can range from stomach problems, to constipation, to sexual side effects, such as inability to obtain or sustain an erection in males. There are also some antidepressants that work the other way in men and can cause a long lasting erection without cause. An erection lasting over six hours is considered a medical emergency and should be taken very seriously.

Some doctor's recommend regular group therapy for those suffering from depression. This of course depends on the person and their circumstances. Some people find it helpful to talk to others in a group environment, while others don't. Some find comfort in knowing that their problem isn't an isolated one and that they're just one of many people that suffer from depressive symptoms. Others tend to be shy or don't feel like speaking in a group setting would be helpful. Many of these individuals tend to isolate themselves from others.

Society has a tendency to think that the only people that suffer from depression are lonely elderly people or drug addicts and alcoholics. This couldn't be further from the truth. Many people would be surprised to learn that 16% of our population here in the United States suffer from depressive symptoms. Of that 16% there are over twice as many women as men.

Many aspects of depression are still a mystery to medical science, but we've made great strides in the past thirty years and more treatments are being discovered frequently nowadays. Also, even though the general public doesn't necessarily understand what a person suffering from depression is going through, they are more aware and understanding now that there really is a problem, especially if they have a friend or family member that's been diagnosed as depressed.

It will be interesting to see how far medical science has come along in treating this problem in the next thirty years.