Dealing With Depression

Valium is a "minor tranquilizer" not a tricyclic antidepressant. Minor tranquilizers include Xanax, Ativan, and Librium. These medications are primarily for the treatment of anxiety. It is worth noting that minor tranquilizers bear a significant risk of addiction, although this can be managed off times by very gradually reducing the minor tranquilizer over a period of one to two months.

Tricyclic antidepressants were available prior to Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and other SSRIs. They were available in the 1950s. They are about as effective as the newer antidepressants, but have a poor side effects profile. Examples include Tofranil, Norpramin, Elavil, and Pamelor. Because of the side effects profile the dropout rates are much higher than the SSRIs Antidepressants have no potential for addiction.

I would also be interested in seeing an article that covers cognitive therapy (also known as cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. Cognitive therapy is highly effective in the treatment of depression from mild to severe. The relapse rate is lower compared to medication. This is not to say that medication would not be appropriate. Cognitive therapy and medication do not conflict when combined and medication can be essential in disorders such as bipolar disorder. Also, I would just like to comment here about the term "talk therapy." This is a well accepted and widely used term, but I personally have some concern that it can be misinterpreted by people seeking therapy. I wonder if it makes it sound like therapy is "just about talking." Talk therapy means therapy that doesn't involve medication in and of itself, although the person may be taking medication. Cognitive therapy would be classified as talk therapy, however, there is a great deal of work for the client involved. There is "homework" required between each session. This might involve trying out a new behavior, reading, self-assessment forms, and identifying automatic negative thoughts to name a few. Those who do not do the homework will not make progress. Certainly cognitive therapy requires a good deal of talking, but there is much more involved.

I appreciated your article and found it helpful. I will be looking for more of your articles in the future.

Sincerely,

Harry T. Kilpatrick

Harry T. Kilpatrick of PA 3:01PM January 06, 2010

There is a growing body of evidence that fish oil supplements may help the brain, the heart, and even the joints. I just did the math on calorie content of such supplements, and according to the nutrition facts on my fish oil supplement one would need to take at least five capsules per day to achieve the dosage cited in the article. That's 180 calories times 5, or 900 calories--nearly half the calories of a 2,000 calorie diet. How could one make that work without weight gain? Working off 900 extra daily calories would require a LOT of exercise.

Tim Christensen of DC 2:05PM August 10, 2009