Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2020 July 2020 | Page 63

norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tetracyclics,
and serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor (SARIs).
Older versions include tricyclic drugs (TCAs) and
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MOAI’s).
Antidepressants work by affecting the brain’s
circuits and the chemicals (neurotransmitters) that
pass signals from one part of the brain to another.
The reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs and SNRIs, stop the
usual chemicals from being reabsorbed, allowing
the neurotransmitter to temporarily remain in the gap
between the nerves, called synapses. This means
the levels of neurotransmitter are able to stay higher,
which improves the communication between nerve
cells, resulting in better mood regulation. The other
classes of antidepressants work in different ways, but
all aim to regulate chemicals in the brain and improve
the patient’s mood.
Antidepressants, however, have produced mixed
results. In one-third of cases they have been found to
control depression, while in another one-third they are
able to only partially help. But in one-third of patients,
they have proven to be ineffective. Antidepressants
need to be taken with care and only administered by a
doctor. Patients with depression have also been found
to have high rates of relapse when only treated with
antidepressants, with some patients experiencing side
effects that are more unpleasant than the depression
itself, forcing people to go off their medications.
Although antidepressants can be given to relieve the
symptoms of depression, to avoid relapse, additional
types of therapy are needed to prevent or slow the
rates of relapse.
For those for whom medication may not be an
effective remedy, a few recent new developments have
been shown to help with depression, even though
they have not been classified as routine depression
treatments. One finding is that eating a Mediterranean
diet can help prevent depression, based on the theory
that diets rich in olive oil can increase serotonin, a
chemical with similar effects to antidepressants. Other
studies have found that some people with depression
felt better after taking omega 3 supplements. Taking
small doses of ketamine was shown to help ease
depression, according to another study.
While not a diet, magnetic stimulation therapy can
help ease depression and lift moods. This is done
through magnetic stimulation of the brain by placing
an electromagnetic coil next to the scalp to deliver a
magnetic impulse to nerve cells in the brain.
Change the way you think about yourself
Currently, there is no long-term treatment for
depression with guaranteed success. Even if a given
treatment works, effects can be temporary, which
can be frustrating for both patient and doctor alike.
The healthiest and best way to treat depression is to
change the way one thinks about oneself, surround
yourself with positive people who you can share
your feelings with, and try to lead a healthy and
happy life. n
Antidepressants have produced mixed results
Leena Gauba is an Entrepreneur, Journalist, Dancer and
Philanthropist.
She was awarded the Women Leadership in Healthcare and
Women super achiever award and also recognised as a young Indian
Visionarie and recently listed as one of the most Influential by Masala
magazine.
She has a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology with Management and a
MSc in International Management both from Kings College, London.
In her second year she interned at GlaxoSmithkline in the USA
and published a peer review publication. She has a Diploma with
Distinction in Journalism and a Diploma in Image consulting.
She was Miss India UK beauty pageant finalist and a model. Dance
is her passion and she teaches and performs. She can do many forms
from Hip-Hop to Belly to Bollywood.
Leena became an entrepreneur at a young age, her first business
was called Help a Child which raised many funds for children’s
charities.
She is the co-founder and Director of lmperial Healthcare, an
award winning eye care hospital.
She writes for a health magazine and contributes to humanitarian
causes by visiting children in improvised areas and teaches them the
importance of education, health and gender equality.
Recently she started working with the United Nations Global
Compact as proxy to a board member. She is also part of the UAE
SDG5 focus group, set up to support gender equality projects between
the private and public sector.
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