Market surveys on women, men and depression suggest an estimated 4.4 million Americans are believed to suffer from chronic treatment-resistant depression. Depression is a chronic, disabling disorder and a major worldwide public health problem. Depressive episodes usually recur over time, with risk for further episodes proportional to the number of prior episodes. After three major depressive episodes, the probability of recurrence is 90%. In the U.S. alone, approximately 18 million people suffer from depression over six million of which are receiving some form of medical treatment.

Market studies on women, men and depression also estimate that over 100,000 Americans each year are treated with electro convulsive therapy (ECT) for their depression. Roughly 15% of all people with severe depression that require hospitalization commit suicide. Disorders related to men and depression are also very expensive. Depression is ranked as the second leading cause of disability worldwide in 1990. Depression costs in the U.S. alone are estimated to exceed $50 billion annually, including over $12 billion in direct treatment costs. The total market in the U.S. for anti-depressants is estimated to exceed $6 billion.

Several general factors may be linked to women, men and depression but the exact causes of depressive disorders are unknown, although both biological abnormalities and psychological factors are thought to precipitate this disease. Diminished synaptic concentrations of neurotransmitters, especially serotonin and norepinephrine, are implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. Most current standard therapies regarding men and depression are thought to affect either one or both of these neurotransmitter systems (1) SSRI drugs (serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors) or (2) MAOI drugs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) that decrease the breakdown of norepinephrine and serotonin. It is of interest to note that several antiepileptic compounds, such as carbamazepine, valproate and lamotrigine, are used as mood stabilizers and that lamotrigine and gabapentin are also used as antidepressants.

There is a new alternative treatment for this debilitating disease. On June 15th, 2004 an FDA Medical Device Advisory Panel recommended approval of the vagus nerve stimulator as a treatment for chronic or treatment-resistant depression. Learn more about this remarkable device at www.VagusNerveStimulator.com.

Charles E. Donovan, III
Author
Out of the Black Hole: The Patient s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression. Published November 1, 2004 by Wellness Publishers,L.L.C.

Related post

Discover The Best Adult Acne Treatment That Is Waiting For You
Discover The Best Adult Acne Treatment That Is Waiting For YouBy M Avis As a sufferer of adult acne you are desperate for a solution. There are...

The Best Treatment for Adult Acne
The Best Treatment for Adult AcneBy Tim Shank Many people equate having an acne problem with the teenage years, and it is true that the vast ma...

Finding The Best Treatment for Adult Acne
Finding The Best Treatment for Adult AcneBy Dean Iggo Finding the best treatment for adult acne is not always an easy process, but if you suffe...

Adult Acne: Simple Steps for Treatment
Adult Acne: Simple Steps for TreatmentBy Larry Andrew Just because you never experienced acne during your youth, doesn t mean you won t have to...

Male Menopause - Why This Word Begins With MEN
Male Menopause - Why This Word Begins With MENBy Neil Day Webster s dictionary defines the word menopause as: deriving from the French noun mno...

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue SyndromeBy Josh Riverside Fatigue is normal, but when it occurs often, it is called chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic ence...

Depression… Effecting 20 Million Women And Counting
Depression... Effecting 20 Million Women And CountingBy Ryan Puusaari Depression is very common, particularly in women. In fact, about 15% of w...

Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression Conference
Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression ConferenceBy Charles Donovan I attended the Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression Conference at the he...

Skincare Tips For Adult Men With Acne
Skincare Tips For Adult Men With AcneBy Kat Daez Acne is common in both sexes, affecting almost everyone who goes into puberty because of the h...

Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
Causes Of Hair Loss In WomenBy Michael Russell Men find it very difficult to come to terms with their falling hair but we can easily imagine ho...