Depression-Doctor.com: Depression Quiz

Treat Depression Naturally - Learn How!

About Depression

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Depression in Women

Depression in Men

Depression in Older Adults

Depression in Children

Teen Depression

Depression Prevention

Depression and Suicide

Depression during Pregnancy

Diabetes and Depression

Glossary of Mental Health Related Terms by Depression-Doctor.com

Hypersomnia

Excessive sleeping (can be from 9–20 hours, or more); a symptom of dysthymic and major depressive disorder.

Mania

A mental disorder characterized by excessive excitement. A form of psychosis with exalted feelings, delusions of grandeur, elevated mood, psychomotor over-activity and overproduction of ideas.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical in the brain that transmits messages between neurons, or nerve cells. Changes in the levels of certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, are thought to be related to depressive disorders.

Psychomotor agitation

Disturbed physical and mental processes (e.g., fidgeting, wringing of hands, racing thoughts); a symptom of major depressive disorder.

Psychomotor retardation

Slowed physical and mental processes (e.g., slowed thinking, movement, and talking); a symptom of major depressive disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Depression caused by decreased daylight during the winter months.

Antidepressant

This is one medication used to treat different types of depression, such as major depression, manic depression (bipolar disorder), cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder), or psychotic depression. Sometimes antidepressants are used with other medications, such as antipsychotic medications.

Antipsychotic Medications

These are drugs that are used to treat symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and other symptoms of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. These medications are often used in conjunction with antidepressants.

Anxiety

This is the extreme fear of danger or misfortune, often accompanied by distress or uneasiness. This is often a symptom of depression, and a symptom of social phobia, and quite a few other mental disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder. It is usually treated in a variety of ways, such as with medications, herbs, proper rest and diet, and exercise.

Benztropine

This is often present in medications that are used to treat conditions such as Parkinson ’s disease. It sometimes is often used to treat symptoms that are similar to Parkinson ’s disease that occur as a result of certain medications.

Delusions

These are false perceptions of reality not based on any type of truth or supporting evidence. This is often a symptom associated with a mental disorder such as schizophrenia or manic depression.

Grandiosity is a form of a delusion, which occurs in manic-depressive patients, and delusions often accompany hallucinations in schizophrenia.

Epilepsy

This is a neurological brain disorder that is often characterized by recurrent seizures, also known as convulsions. This type of disorder affects over 50 million people from around the world. This condition is often treated by medications. In some cases this condition is corrected (or at least treated) with surgery.

MOAIs (MAO Inhibitors)

MAOI stands for Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor. It is one alternative medication used for the treatment of depression that includes symptoms such as sadness, panic disorder, and anxiety, social phobia, and more. MAOIs are usually given to patients who have not responded to other treatments, and those who take this medication are often required to be on a strict diet while taking them.

MAOIs are often used to treat atypical depression, anergic bipolar depression, and other types of depression that tricyclics and SSRIs were not effective in treating in a person. MOAIs work by blocking the cleanup activity of Monoamine oxidase, which usually interacts with a liver and brain enzyme to burn up protein. MAOIs are generally not to be combined with other antidepressants, especially SSRIS.

Neuropsychiatry

This is the study of both the nervous system and the study of psychiatry, which is a science that deals with mental disorders. Both of these areas of science deal largely with the operations of the brain.

Nora Adrenaline

This is one neurostransmitter of the brain that sometimes needs to be balanced. Various antidepressants work to help restore the proper function of noradrenaline. An alternative name for this transmitter is called norepinephrine.

Prescription

This is an order for a drug that is signed by a doctor. It is usually what you take to a pharmacist to receive the medication that you need.

Psychiatry

This is the science that deals with the study and treatment of mental disorders of all kinds. Psychiatry first originated in the middle of the 18th Century. Before this time there was not much help and treatment for those who had mental disorders.

Psychotic Disorders

This is a disorder characterized by thoughts and visions that are not real. These disorders could also include perceptions that are false that a person believes. The symptoms of a psychotic disorder often include paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, confusion, and so on. Schizophrenia is one of the most common of psychotic disorders. 

Reverse MAOs

These types of medications work in the reverse way that MAOIs work in (See MAOIs).

Reverse SSRI

These medications work in the opposite ways that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors work (See SSRIs).

Schizophrenia

A psychotic disorder often characterized by hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and/or confusion. Sometimes people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia also have symptoms of depression such as sadness, inferiority, and worthlessness. In addition, they may also struggle with anxiety and social problems. This condition can be treated with a variety of different medications.

Serotonin

This is one of the neurochemicals of the brain that often is out of balance. An unbalanced level of serotonin is treated with an antidepressant, and the result is often an elevated mood.

Side Effects

This is an undesirable outcome that results from taking a particular medication. Some side effects are fairly minor, and include nausea, sweating, or upset stomach. Others are more serious, such as that of a medication causing seizures, heart trouble, high blood pressure and so on. Usually side effects can be corrected as the doctor makes an adjustment-either by prescribing a new medication or by changing the dosage.

SSRIS

SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. These are antidepressants that usually affect one of the most important neurotransmitters called serotonin. These types of antidepressants were developed in the 1980s and are the most common antidepressants prescribed today.

SSRIs are known to be less sedative and have less side effects than other types of antidepressants, such as the tricyclic ones. This medication works to provide the proper balance of serotonin in the brain. Examples of serotonin are Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft, and Celexa.

Talk Therapy

This is the process of working out various concerns that can cause anxiety, depression, or prolonged traumatic stress in an individual. Patients usually would seek this type of therapy through a licensed counselor or psychologist. Talk therapy is also used in times of crisis as well, such as when a parent or spouse dies, and during times when an individual is trying to escape from the effects of abuse.

Tetracyclic Medications

This is a type of antidepressant that consists of a molecular structure of four ring-like shapes. The entire structure of each molecule of tetracyclic drugs is shaped in the form of a T. Tetracyclic medications include maprotiline, which is also known by the name Ludiomil or Remeron. (Maprotiline is also sometimes classified under tricyclic and SSRI categories as well.)

Tricyclic Medications

The tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants have been used for a variety of mental conditions since the mid-20th century. The most commonly prescribed tricyclic medications prescribed are called Dosulepin, impipramine, and amitripyline. These are often used in the UK. There are others that are used as well, such as trazodone, doxepin, and clomipramine. (Sometimes these drugs are classified under other antidepressant categories as well.)

TCAs work by slowing the rate of reuptake (or reabsorption) by nerve cells. In turn, these medications then help raise the levels of serotonin. This medication also affects the neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. These were once the first form of treatment for major depression. Nowadays, other treatments are first tried, and then TCAS are administered.

Learn how to treat depression immediately and naturally!