Marina EskandrousMain project: Assignment 1: Article: “Side effects of antidepressants: an overview” According to the DSM5, major depressive describes a person who is in a depressed mood during major part of his life. day, almost every day. The person also experiences, most of the time, a diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all of their activities. There may be significant weight loss or gain due to a decrease or increase in appetite respectively. The person may also experience insomnia or hyperinsomnia almost every day. There may also be a constant feeling of fatigue or loss of energy. Usually, in major depression, one experiences feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt. It is also common to have a reduced ability to think, concentrate, or to be indecisive. All of these symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. (DSM 5, 160-161) Antidepressants are a form of pharmacotherapeutic treatment developed to treat the symptoms of major depression. Antidepressants are used for many other types of conditions, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, dysthymia, eating disorders, sleep disorders, substance abuse, pain syndromes, and gastrointestinal disorders. Antidepressants usually take several weeks to notice significant effects. There is no antidepressant or medication that is completely free of side effects. This article explains that the side effects of antidepressants can decrease compliance and slow the rate of recovery. It is important to take note of potential side effects before choosing the best antidepressant for your personalized needs. Statistics show that about 28 percent of patients end up middle of paper......n. This may occur due to an increase in serotonin at synaptic levels, which causes inhibition of dopamine release through specific subtypes of presynaptic serotonin receptors. Another typical side effect includes bleeding such as bruising, epistaxis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. SSRIs inhibit platelet functions, which could prolong the duration and risk of bleeding. When serotonin receptors are overstimulated, a condition called serotonin syndrome can occur. This syndrome causes nausea, diarrhea, agitation, delirium, extreme agitation, seizures, hyperreflexia and many other symptoms. This syndrome can occur if SSRIs are taken with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (a member of a different class of antidepressants). Abruptly stopping SSRIs with short half-lives can cause discontinuation syndrome once the drug is no longer present in the body..