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NURS 6521 Pharmacotherapy for Depression

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Pharmacotherapy for Depression Introduction Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe major mental disorder that is characterized by despair that has advanced to the point of disrupting an indivi ... dual’s social functioning and activities of daily living (Arcangelo & Peterson 2013). It alters a person’s perception of the world. It is the most common psychiatric problem in primary care with a lifetime prevalence of about 16.9% in the United States. Depression typically presents as sadness, hopelessness, pessimism, loss of interest in activities, decreased energy, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, reduced sex drive, thoughts of suicide and patients usually withdraw from family and friends. The pathology of depression is complex and may involve genetic predisposition, environmental influence, endocrine factors, neuroanatomical abnormalities and neurochemical deregulation. Treatment approach focuses on the neurochemical aspect of depression with different theories proposed. One of such theories postulates that the deficit of certain neurotransmitters is responsible for the corresponding features of depression: the level of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin may be energy, anxiety, and attention, interest in life, motivation and pleasure (Arcangelo & Peterson 2013). [Show More]

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