Definition
Antidepressants are a class of medications that are used primarily in the treatment of clinically severe mood or anxiety disorders. The majority of effective antidepressants currently in use enhance neurotransmission of serotonin and/or norepinephrine. Generally, this is achieved by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitter substance(s), inhibiting the enzymes responsible for its metabolism, or directly stimulating the postsynaptic receptors (Iversen, Iversen, Bloom, & Roth, 2009). Several antidepressants are also used in treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (Bourin & Lambert, 2002). Other conditions for which antidepressants have demonstrated efficacy include eating disorders (Powers & Bruty, 2009), neuropathic pain (O’Connor & Dworkin, 2009), stress incontinence, nocturnal eneuresis, ejaculatory disorders (Michel, Ruhe, de Groot, Castro, & Oelke, 2006), migraine headaches, fibromyalgia (Stone, Viera, & Parman, 2003),...
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Tschanz, J.T., Treiber, K. (2011). Antidepressants. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1771
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1771
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