Antidepressants: Pharmacology, Health Effects & Controversy

Antidepressants are the category of drugs that act in a disease specific way to reverse the neuropathological basis of the symptoms of depression. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the pharmacology, health effects and controversy relating to the use of antidepressants. Topics discussed in this compilation include the biology of foetal exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitors; the addictive potential of antidepressant drugs; the immunomodulatory action of fluoxetine in normal and in pathological conditions; use of antidepressants in older people with mental illness; and the treatment of comorbid depression and alcohol abuse/dependence with antidepressant medications.