Depression is still a taboo subject that people feel ashamed of. Many believe it can be hidden, that no one will notice and that it often passes with time and without outside help. In most cases, sadly, this is untrue.

Depression is an illness that requires specialist help and strong support from those around you. Its treatment includes antidepressants, which affect mood and behaviour.

There is no set of characteristics that indicates whether someone will or will not develop depression. The illness affects young and old, rich and poor alike. It also causes personal tragedies, making even the simplest everyday activities difficult. Antidepressants, which affect mood and behaviour, can help. They also allow you to function normally in everyday life. These medicines, however, are not widely used.

Because of their strong effects and fairly complex dosing, antidepressants should always be taken under a doctor’s supervision. Patients who begin treatment in Switzerland with antidepressants receive all the necessary information about dosage and side effects from a specialist.

How do antidepressants work?

Antidepressants can treat the symptoms of depression or other mental health problems, though they do not always address the causes. Doctors often prescribe them together with talking therapy to help deal with the causes of your mental health problems.

You may find that some types of antidepressant relieve your symptoms better than others. Or you may find that antidepressants are unsuitable for you.

Antidepressants increase the activity of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. Increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine appears to help reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. The brain, however, is a highly complex organ, and the reasons why these medicines work are still not fully understood.

We know that these medicines help relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety in 70% of people who try them. The figure is even higher when people who get no relief from one type of antidepressant try a second type.

What side effects do antidepressants have?

Although the effect usually sets in only after three to four weeks, side effects can be felt quickly. The most common side effects include:

  • nausea,
  • weight gain,
  • constipation or diarrhoea,
  • tiredness,
  • fatigue,
  • loss of appetite,
  • loss of libido.

Do antidepressants have dangerous side effects?

A particularly dangerous side effect is an increased risk of suicide. Specialists explain this as follows: the antidepressant effect of the medicine appears only after several weeks, whereas the activating effect can usually be felt very quickly. Patients may therefore still be depressed but suddenly have the energy to act on plans they have been forming for a long time — in this case, to take their own life.