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Depression is one of the most common psychological problems facing our nation today. Diagnosis of depression has been increasing over the past few years. Depression is basically a mental disorder in which the person loses motivation, energy, ability to feel happy and this lasts over several months and can’t be attributed to some certain cause. There are several treatments available today for depression. The most common treatments are Medications and Therapies. I will be looking today at three common classes of medication, SSRIs, NDRIs, and SNRIs, and three common therapies, Behavioral, Cognitive, and Interpersonal.

One common treatment for depression today is a class of medications called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), which include brands such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil (Murphy & Cowan, 81). SSRIs work with serotonin, which is a chemical produced by the human body that affects mood. They work by blocking the brain from getting rid of its serotonin as quickly as it usually would, which helps elevate the depressed person’s mood (Kalat, 467). SSRIs also have several side affects says Katzung, “…such as nausea, decreased libido, and even decreased sexual function” (Katzung, 490). SSRIs are very commonly prescribed by doctors.

Another common medication class used today is called Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs). Brands of SNRIs include Effexor and Cymbalta (Murphy & Cowan, 81). SNRIs work similarly to SSRIs in that they both prevent the body from quickly getting rid of serotonin but also do the same with norepinephrine. “SNRIs… may have a greater remission rate than SSRIs but further study is needed to verify superiority…” (Murphy & Cowan, 84-85). So SNRIs are like a new and improved version of SSRIs.

One other common class of medication in the treatment of depression is Norepinephrine and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs). The only common brand of NDRIs right now is Wellbutrin (Murphy & Cowan, 81). NDRIs keep the body from getting rid of norepinephrine and dopamine. A good thing about Wellbutrin is that it “has a low incidence of sexual side effects” although it does have “a higher than average risk of seizures compared with other antidepressants” (Murphy & Cowan, 85). Wellbutrin is also used to treat ADHD and to help people quit smoking.

A current popular therapy is Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). IPT deals primarily with the patients major relationships to other people. “The goal of IPT is to achieve symptomatic relief for depression by addressing current interpersonal problems associated with the onset of the depression” (Blanco, Clougherty, Lipsitz, Mufson, & Weissman). IPT assumes that by working through issues in the patient’s life, they can learn to cope better with their life and depression can be improved or alleviated. “IPT is generally conducted in 12–20 sessions, grouped in three phases: evaluation, intermediate, and termination… The first three sessions constitute the evaluation phase… once the evaluation phase is completed, the intermediate phase begins. It is in that phase that most of the work on the selected interpersonal problem area is conducted… The last three or four sessions constitute the termination phase. Since the goal of IPT is to help the patient cope well without therapy, termination provides an opportunity to internalize strategies” (Blanco, Clougherty, Lipsitz, Mufson, & Weissman).

Another form of therapy is Cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy involves changing thoughts in order to alleviate depression. “In cognitive theory, thoughts or cognitions regarding an experience determine the emotions that are evoked by the experience” (Murphy & Cowan, 109). Butler and Beck explain that in cognitive therapy patients are taught to keep track of their negative thoughts, think about them to see if they are logical, and if they are not, to tell themselves a more positive truth. Although cognitive therapy is commonly used today, it is more often used in combination with behavioral therapy.

Behavioral therapy involves the thought that “depression is caused by lack of positive reinforcement… resulting in a general lack of interest in behaviors that were once pleasurable” (Murphy & Cowan, 109). Behavioral theory is based on the thought that anyone can be conditioned to respond a certain way through reward and punishment. “The principles of reinforcement and punishment are the core of behavior therapy. Defining a reinforcer as a stimulus that leads to an increase in a particular target behavior and a punisher as a stimulus that leads to a decrease in a particular target behavior…” (Lejuez, Hopko, Levine, Gholkar, & Collins). As previously stated, most psychologists now prefer a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy (Cognitive behavioral therapy).

In conclusion, there are many different medications and therapies being used by psychologists and psychiatrists today. There is a constant disagreement over whether therapy or medication is more effective. Many studies have been done, but results vary. Most psychologists favor a mixture of therapy and medication.