1. Understanding Depression Slideshow
2. Take the Depression Quiz
3. Benefits of Depression Treatment

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Antidepressant medications are useful for people who need further treatment because their symptoms improve only slightly or not at all with bright-light therapy. Most of these people are treated with antidepressant medication. To read more about antidepressants, see Understanding Antidepressant Medications.

• The antidepressants that are used most frequently are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Examples include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro).
• These agents may take two to four weeks to improve symptoms.
• Unwanted side effects depend on which medication is used. Your health care professional can tell you about side effects.
• Do not stop your medication abruptly. Stop or change dose only after consulting your health care professional.
• Any medical treatment that elevates mood, whether it is light therapy or medication, can induce excessively elevated mood (manic) symptoms.

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See the Entire Seasonal Depression (SAD) Topic Guide »