One Step Closer To Happiness

What do you think of anti-depression medications? For some people, they are useful, while others view them as a possible cause of addiction or a sign of weakness.So who’s right? Consultant psychiatrist Assoc Prof Dr Amer Siddiq offers more insight into medicine-based treatment of depression, to help us sort out the facts from conjectures.

- Lim Teck Choon

Malaysia Has Good Psychiatric Care

Some of us may not know this, but Malaysia actually offers some of the best psychiatric care in this region. Dr Amer points out that many of the commonly prescribed and effective antidepressants used worldwide are available in Malaysia. Therefore, people with depression can find a good level of medical care in both government and private hospitals. It is only a sad kind of irony that awareness of both depression and its treatment is not widespread enough, causing a number of people with depression to either deliberately or unknowingly miss out on getting treatment.

Thus, if you suspect that you have depression or you believe someone close to you has this condition, Dr Amer gently recommends that you seek appropriate advice and help from a qualified mental health professional. The earlier the treatment, the better are the chances of recovery.

How Antidepressants Work

There are different types of antidepressants available, and each type has its own unique ways of reducing the symptoms of depression. Generally, however, they all work by influencing the way the brain works.