Antidepressants

Antidepressants are one of the most popular and widely prescribed drugs in the world today. Physicians and psychiatrists alike have found antidepressant medications useful in treating a variety of mental health issues, including depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, bulimia, anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and nicotine addiction. Off-label uses are becoming common, however the most popular use by far is for the treatment of major depression. Although depression was long thought to be a weakness of spirit or will, once mental health professionals recognized depression as a physiological disorder, the need for a treatment provided the impetus that led to the develop of antidepressants.

The origin of depression as a physiological disorder dates back to ancient Greece and Hippocrates. It was believed at ...