The myths and facts about moody blues

ILL PILL: Antidepressants must be used only on the doctor's advice.

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New Delhi: Around 12-14 percent Indians of all age groups suffer from depression. The numbers are frightening but so are the myths and doubts about depression.

Depression may be genetic but that’s only half the fact. Yes, you could be genetically predisposed to depression. In fact, genes have a role to play in 20-30% of cases.

But the fact is that depression is sparked by environmental factors or when stressful events take place.

How does depression affect men and women? Like it or not experts say that women have been found to be twice as likely to get depressed. Blame it on hormones or heightened response to stress.

Are anti-depressant ills of help? Firstly, don't take your friends’ prescription medicines or decide to start taking anti-depressants without your doctor's advice because there could be adverse reactions to worry about. Medication isn't always the answer, so you also need your doctor to figure out underlying causes of depression.

Do antidepressants make people fat? Antidepressants raise some neuro-chemicals that may increase appetite but there are others which don’t have the same effect.

Are antidepressants a bad idea if you're pregnant? Some studies suggest that babies born to mothers on antidepressants may be prone to jitters, irritability and feeding problems. On the other hand, if depression is left untreated, there's a risk of early births, low weight at birth and postpartum depression. So this should be entirely at your doctor's discretion.

Depression can sometimes be triggered by physical conditions but it can be treated.