Zahid Imran

Dear Client,

You can try various psychotherapies:
-Cognitive behavioral therapy
-Interpersonal therapy have documented benefits with depression
-TMS is expensive, but effective
-ECT is effective, but as a last resort

But most importantly, please get a thorough evaluation to establish the diagnosis and rule out any medical conditions that may present as depression like low thyroid.
Good luck.

The class of antidepressants is a very big category and within this class are drugs that have tremendously different duration of action and clearance from the body. So as such, this question cannot be answered because it is not specific, The other problem is the word, "normal." Antidepressants are supposed to get the brain to work close to normal. Without treatment, the brain chemistry will be abnormal.

Of course, any change, even good events like promotion at work, can cause stress. The stress if not managed in a timely fashion can lead to what is called, "nervous breakdown." The problem with such a broad term is that the term may mean any number of psychiatric conditions ranging from anxiety to psychosis. The response to any life-changing event varies from person to person.

I don't know if you have other symptoms, maybe less severe like feeling dizzy or shortness of breath that are needed to meet the criteria for the Panic disorder (situation dependent). You have not avoided going on dates, but it does cause distress and therefore it justifies the label of Panic Disorder with agoraphobia to be considered. The treatment options include medications, hypnosis, Cognitive Behavior therapy, guided imagery relaxation techniques and other psychotherapies (psychoanalysis). To start the process, you should make an appointment for a complete medical/psychological evaluation.

NOT taking prenatals can make you depressed. Folic acid is added for prevention of anemia and to prevent birth defects, but it is essential for hormones of happiness (without being too technical). If you are feeling low/depressed then please get a thorough medical and psychiatric evaluation to rule out other causes of depression, e.g., low thyroid.

The loss of insight or loss of touch with reality is a fairly agreed upon definition of psychosis. The incipient psychosis or descent into psychosis can be gradual or very rapid and dramatic. In slow onset of psychosis one may observe increase in suspicions or strange belief that patient may be reluctant to endorse too strongly because of the partial insight. The other indicators may be denial of problem, refusal to see a doctor, social isolation and neglect of personal care. Your question about elderly mother suggest that you are worried about onset of dementia. Dementia is a neuropsychological process and even changes in activities that she was able to perform but now has difficulty with same or similar tasks should alert you to get her a thorough evaluation. Most important thing to consider is that the current medications do not reverse the cognitive decline but just slow down the decline and therefore early intervention will provide maximum benefit from treatment.