A question on depression

BallandChain

I'm starting this thread as I didn't want to hijack the Depression thread. I wonder if someone has the answer to this. For those that suffer with depression please do not take this as having a go, I am not. I am genuinely curious that a lot of people who suffer with depression are adults. My question is if anti-depressants are given because there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, why weren't anti-depressants given to those adults right from when they were children? I mean, a chemical imbalance would be there right from the beginning and not just because you reached adult hood and all that entails. Or can a chemical imbalance just happen later in adult hood anyway?

Thanks for your replies in advance as it is something I wondered about.

Lynxette

I suppose the obvious answer is that depression in adults doesn't often manifest itself as a child, and would it be ethical to pump every child full of chemical-altering drugs while their own chemical balances are still developing.

Sazbo

BallandChain wrote: »

I'm starting this thread as I didn't want to hijack the Depression thread. I wonder if someone has the answer to this. For those that suffer with depression please do not take this as having a go, I am not. I am genuinely curious that a lot of people who suffer with depression are adults. My question is if anti-depressants are given because there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, why weren't anti-depressants given to those adults right from when they were children? I mean, a chemical imbalance would be there right from the beginning and not just because you reached adult hood and all that entails. Or can a chemical imbalance just happen later in adult hood anyway?

Thanks for your replies in advance as it is something I wondered about.

Hi there. I'm not a medical person, so probably not best qualified to answer this question, but children do suffer from depression. (Articles from The BBC and The Times.) Depression often goes un-diagnosed in adults, for a variety of reasons, and is all the more difficult to diagnose in children. This might be one reason why the appropriate treatment isn't given early on.

Also, many experts say that anti-depressants aren't necessarily always the most effective strategy for all suffers, at least in the long-term, that counselling and other forms of talking therapy might be more effective for certain people, or in combination with ADs. So it might not always be a straight-forward case of 'chemical imbalance'.

Depression can, unfortunately, strike anyone at anytime.

Just my thoughts anyway

Sazzy x

BallandChain

Thanks for the replies! I know there are children that have depression diagnosed so I'm wondering what medication they can take?

If a chemical imbalance can happen at any age does this mean that a person suffering with depression (who gets treated and gets better), can come off the anti-depressants and stay off them? If there is a chemical imbalance as doctors suggest then it sounds like it's a long term thing and I'm just surprised more children aren't diagnosed.

Sazbo

BallandChain wrote: »

Thanks for the replies! I know there are children that have depression diagnosed so I'm wondering what medication they can take?

If a chemical imbalance can happen at any age does this mean that a person suffering with depression (who gets treated and gets better), can come off the anti-depressants and stay off them? If there is a chemical imbalance as doctors suggest then it sounds like it's a long term thing and I'm just surprised more children aren't diagnosed.

I think the main issue with children and depression is the added difficulty in articulating the problem. Goodness knows I found it difficult enough as an adult! There is still, it seems, a reluctance to diagnose children with depression. I know from my own experience, and indeed was told, "You're too young to be depressed."

I'd like to think, I'd like to hope, things have moved on since I was a child.

Saz x

BallandChain

Thank you Sazbo for your replies and I read the articles you linked to.

santashelper_2

i suffer from depression and my view on this is after experiencing a lot of traumas in my life the chemical balance that keeps you happy becomes depleted if you have so many unhappy experiences the feel good factor is outnumbered by the feel sad factor and like women have so many eggs to produce in their childbearing years maybe we have so much chemical to stay happy once this is unbalanced due to to many bad and sad experiences the chemical needs to be topped up and rebalanced to feel good again. My personal experience is that no matter what ever happens in your life even winning the lottery you cannot be happy because the chemical that makes you happy is not there to allow this to happen, hence when people say pull yourself together no matter how much a person would like to its an impossibility if the chemical that allows this is missing.

absolutebounder

santashelper wrote: »

i suffer from depression and my view on this is after experiencing a lot of traumas in my life the chemical balance that keeps you happy becomes depleted if you have so many unhappy experiences the feel good factor is outnumbered by the feel sad factor and like women have so many eggs to produce in their childbearing years maybe we have so much chemical to stay happy once this is unbalanced due to to many bad and sad experiences the chemical needs to be topped up and rebalanced to feel good again. My personal experience is that no matter what ever happens in your life even winning the lottery you cannot be happy because the chemical that makes you happy is not there to allow this to happen, hence when people say pull yourself together no matter how much a person would like to its an impossibility if the chemical that allows this is missing.

This is a simplistic view and Im sorry to say a wrong one. Communication in our bodies is via neurotransmitters and hormones. Every thought process creates a neurotransmitter which may have a very short life indeed as it targets a specific receptor. Drugs just flood all the receptors whether they were the target or not which explains the side effects. The hard bit is working out how a thought produces molecules. Science hasnt really got the answer but as depression is in the memory of the person it is logical thought remedies will work better.
Some chemicals ingested from outside cause depression such as alchohol so depressed people shouldnt drink but often they do which is rather stupid.

dmg24

I don't think that calling a depressed person 'stupid' for drinking alcohol is particularly productive absolutebounder. That comment really lets down what is otherwise an informative post.

BandC, the issue with 'depression' is that the word is used to cover a myriad of mental health conditions. Some get better over time, some conditions will come and go, and some will always be there. Therefore the question of coming off medication really depends on the individual concerned x

absolutebounder

dmg24 wrote: »

I don't think that calling a depressed person 'stupid' for drinking alcohol is particularly productive absolutebounder. That comment really lets down what is otherwise an informative post.

Sorry that was a criticism of the action and not the person. Alchohol is not good fro anyone with depression or on prescription drugs.

Fern_Merkin

absolutebounder wrote: »

Sorry that was a criticism of the action and not the person. Alchohol is not good fro anyone with depression or on prescription drugs.

I agree but in my experience Doctors do not really hammer home the need to avoid alcohol when on anti-depressants. I was dating an alcoholic when I was put on Prozac. If I had really known the effects of mixing the 2 I would not have done. Not only is the problem magnified but urges to self harm came to the fore. I have never before or since felt like that. Told Doc he said there is no documented evidence that this occurs. I said well write it down now!

Totally useless. Got myself off them, got rid of the alky and went to the gym. Still not always 'right' in myself but not a zombie very often either now.

Others I know in a similar position have experienced the same effects. Their Docs wouldn't listen either. Seems no one want to knock the helpful sweeties which let Doctors push their patients away for a month.

Heyho;)