Some people are depressed for a season, then are cured or controlled. My depression is inherited. I am a male, just turned 67, living with my wife in a self-contained unit in a retirement village. I took an interest in genealogy, and of my four grandparents' lines, one (my maternal grandmother's) had the most active group of fellow-researchers. The family is riddled with cases of depression, back to the original immigrants from London. At first, my cousin was the closest relative I was aware of, but my brother took to drink just as the original family did.
My treating psychiatrist has had quite a bit of success with me, both with antidepressants and with treating the deficiency in neurotransmitters. N-acetyl cysteine was my first natural benefit, and nowadays, I wouldn't be without it. An experiment with SAM-e was a disaster, but its precursor, methionine, has allowed me to reduce my dosage of antidepressant. This was all done under supervision. With all the talk about inherited cases having different brains, my MRI shows none of that. My psychiatrist talks about "methylation", but my symptoms are the opposite of what the tests lead her to expect.
Over the last 12 months, my condition had deteriorated until I seem very disabled. I used to have a cycle of 3 good weeks and one bad week. I used to try to see myself as disabled, not ill, because I could still function most of the time. My wife can still see the cycle, but my average mood is down almost where the bottom used to be. I have read so much that I can see my condition as severe depression. My memory and concentration are very short-term, and my body feels gripped in a vice. I am unable to function in activities that I could handle previously
My psychiatrist is very much up with the latest, but is there anything worth considering?
Thank you for your enquiry. NAC in a dose of 1g-2g twice a day is experimental and not approved as a treatment in Australia but can be useful.
Medicines like quetiapine, lithium carbonate, sodium valproate, carbamazepine and lamotrigine can be helpful for some.
Paradoxically for many people in this setting antidepressants can destabilise mood and are better stopped. For some, modern forms of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be uniquely helpful.
Do print this out and discuss it with your doctor.