Alcohol and drugs can cause depression or they can make it worse. In this video, Drs. Anker and Marshall discuss how alcohol can worsen depression and keep the medications used to treat depression from working well. Some prescription drugs can also cause depression as a side effect. If you have depression, you should discuss with your doctor what medications you take as well as whether you drink or take drugs.
In this video discussion, Dr. Anker and Dr. Marshall explain the symptoms most likely to affect you if you have major depressive disorder (MDD). These include:
Diagnosing MDD is not as simple as having a blood test, as Dr. Anker and Dr. Marshall explain in this video discussion. Your doctor may give you a screening questionnaire to see if you have the symptoms of depression. If he or she thinks you have MDD, you will probably be referred to a psychiatrist who will ask questions about your health history, examine you, talk to you about how you feel, and possibly run some other tests. Some changes in hormones are often seen in people who have depression, but no test can absolutely tell whether you have MDD or not.
Jointly provided by the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower and Prime Medic Inc., in collaboration with Postgraduate Institute for Medicine.
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Allergan, Inc.
This website is part of the Animated Patient™ series developed by Prime Medic Inc., to provide highly visual formats of learning for patients to improve their understanding, make informed decisions, and partner with their health care professionals for optimal outcomes.
