Treatment for depression has come a long way in the past several years. Most individuals that have depressive symptoms for more than a couple of weeks now have a smorgasboard selection of different antidepressant medications that can be prescribed for them by their doctor. Although it normally takes 3-4 weeks for most individuals to absorb the medication into their system sufficiently enough for it to work, the majority of these patients can get themselves back on track after a few short months of taking their medicine.



But what about those individuals that have chronic depression?

People that suffer chronic depression have a serious disorder that, once diagnosed, require continuous treatment and regular doses of antidepressant medication. Those with chronic depression continue to take medication, under the supervision of their doctor, as long as necessary in order to maintain a "normal" chemical balance in their brain that helps them to lead a normal, productive life.

Recently, many individuals suffering from chronic depression have built up a tolerance to their medication. This problem isn't isolated to antidepressant medication, as many people will build a tolerance to what they're taking over time. However, most antidepressants were actually designed for "normal" per se people and shorter periods of use. In other words, the people with the real problems weren't being targeted when these drugs were created.

There are other therapies available such as light therapy, shock therapy, electromagnetic therapy, ect. The problem here is that some people aren't able to use these treatments because of other existing conditions. Also, the vagus nerve pacemaker makes most individuals uncomfortable because it must be placed underneath the skin. Even then there's no guarantee of success.

Neither researchers nor physicians understand why the human brain goes from working fine to becoming unbalanced. One theory is aging of the brain, but this theory doesn't quite fit for patients that are now twenty five years old and have been having problems since they were fifteen. That's only ten years and doesn't fit the theory.

Research is being aggressively done in order to find answers for those that have these long term issues, but answers are coming slow and if the individuals current medication stops working then it presents a real problem for these people to continue to lead a normal life. Chronic depression is a very serious condition that can easily take over a person's life, affecting their jobs and their relationships with family and friends.

The biggest challange faced by researchers is the fact that so many people react differently to the current depression drugs on the market. They don't have a very sound blueprint to work from when creating something new.

At this point the only thing that can be done for those that suffer from chronic depression is to continue to try different combinations of medications on individuals until, hopefully, the doctor can find the combination that will be helpful and then, hopefully on a long term basis. We can only hope that a permanent, long term solution will be found soon for these individuals.