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Show Depression's normal, group told Occurrences of depression in the U.S. are quite common with one in ten people seeking professional help a total of nine million men and 19 million women, said Pharmacist Phar-macist Gloria Elston of Benchmark Regional Hospital at a Feb. 10 luncheon lun-cheon seminar. Addressing a group of 50 local residents, Elston explained that depression is part of normal living and can usually be overcome with the help and support of family and friends. "We all have certain crises in our lives, loss or grief," said Elston. El-ston. However, an individual who suffers from long-term depression may need to seek professional help. A "prominent and persistent depression" may interfere with a person's daily functioning, she said. Some of the symptoms of depression de-pression include a change in appetite appe-tite or sleeping habits, increased fatigue, feeling ill at ease and a loss of interest in activities resulting in decreased interaction with other people, said Elston. "Feelings of guilt or worthlessness, decreased sexual drive, impaired concentration concentra-tion and thoughts of suicide," are also symptoms, she added. "Depression is not an illness of modern times," said Elston. "It has been with us for centuries." Because people today are intelligent intelli-gent and want to be informed, Elston El-ston works closely with patients at Benchmark Regional Hospital. "As part of their therapy, we tell them what to expect with medications medi-cations and how it will help in their recovery," she said. Elston said the Bioamin Theory, which originated in the 1950's, states that there is a relationship between the natural biochemicals in the body and how a person feels about himself. Nerves are like a spongy substance and they don't physically touch, she explained. "The space between the nerves is called a synapes," she said. "In order to communicate, one nerve squirts out some of the biochemical into the synapes and the biochemical bioche-mical is usually absorbed by the other nerve," she said, "and the message is carried through." She added that it's important for these messages to get through the nerves right, and at the right levels, in order for a person to feel good about ab-out himself. Any excess biochemical in the synapes is cleaned up by the "MAO enzyme" which Elston calls houseiceeping enzymes, . thus maintaining a proper level. Since the 1950's, drug companies com-panies have been producing two types of drugs to aid depression patients one that produces more biochemicals in the synapes and one that blocks the "MAO enzymes en-zymes from cleaning things up," said Elston. While all drugs have more than one side effect, Elston said the major, ma-jor, positive effect is called the therapeutic effect. The other effects are called side effects. ' 'The shape of the drug is also important for it to work," she explained. "Like the lock and key concept," con-cept," the drug must fit just right. In the past, many anti-depressant drugs were in three molecules, or circles, said Elston. Drug companies com-panies have been working to eliminate eli-minate the part of the structure that results in the side effects. According Accord-ing to Elston, drugs have been developed de-veloped recently with four circles and two circles, possibly eliminating eliminat-ing some of the side effects. "Our goal is to provide a drug that has the most therapeutic effect and reduced re-duced side effects," she said. Although it takes the body two to three weeks to respond to the therapeutic ther-apeutic effects of anti-depressant drugs, Elston said that "when the drug finally gets into the body where it should work it will work and have positive results." Because each individual is a "unique biochemical factory, what works for one person may not work for someone else," she explained. She emphasized the importance of not sharing your medications with anyone and she added that people should "make absolutely sure that all medications are kept away from children." Elston cautioned that it is potentially poten-tially dangerous to mix antidepressant anti-depressant drugs with alcohol and that women should notify their physician immediately if they become be-come pregnant while taking any of these drugs. "Soup and Salad Seminars" are held at Benchmark Regional Hospital Hos-pital in Woods Cross, every other Wednesday and are open to the public. The seminar on Feb. 24 will feature Dr. John Taylor "Helping "Help-ing Your Child Cope with Loss; Learning to Grieve." Luncheon seminars begin at 12:30 p.m. and the cost for lunch is $1. Please RSVP. For more information contact con-tact Benchmark Regional Hospital at 298-2844. |