Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is an illness associated with biochemical imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Everyone experiences disappointments, the normal grief that accompanies the loss of someone you love and other mood changes. But a severe depression that interferes with the ability to function, to feel pleasure, or to maintain interest, is not a mere case of the blues. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is an illness associated with biochemical imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Facts & Figures about depression
(according to the World Health Organisation (WHO))
- Around 121 million people worldwide are affected by depression.
- Depression is among the leading causes of disability worldwide.
- Depression can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.
- Less than 25 % of those affected have access to effective treatment.
Successful therapy with antidepressant medications
MDD afflicts millions of people and is on the increase. Many sufferers are not being properly treated or even diagnosed. A diagnosis of MDD is given where a person experiences persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety or loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities. Other diagnostic symptoms include loss of energy, feeling of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, changes in appetite that result in weight losses or gains not related to dieting, insomnia or oversleeping, restlessness or irritability, difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions, thoughts of death or suicide or attempts of suicide or unexplained somatic symptoms sometimes of a painful nature.
More than 80 % of those suffering from MDD can be treated successfully with medications that restore the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. These medications are not habit-forming and do not produce a "high". Antidepressant medications usually take full effect within 3-6 weeks after therapy begins. Many people also find psychotherapy or counselling useful.
Products
Cymbalta®, Xeristar® (duloxetine hydrochloride) Indicated for the treatment of major depressive episodes.
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