Acute Depression and Chronic Depression Treatment  

Robert D. McMullen has been practicing psychopharmacology for over three decades and is also a TMS BrainCare specialist. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation was approved by the FDA in 2008. Dr. McMullen has been incorporating TMS into his practice since 2010. His office is located in NYC where he treats clients for acute and chronic depression. An appointment can be made at his NYC office by calling 212 362-9635. He received his education from Georgetown University Medical School, prior to completing his residency at Columbia University.

Acute Versus Chronic 
Acute depressive moods come on suddenly and are reoccurring. Generally, in-between these episodes the person is stable and does not experience symptoms associated with a depressed mood. Symptoms can be considered mild or moderate occurring in a cyclical fashion. So, even if the depressed state passes after a few weeks, it is very likely that it will return. People who haven’t been treated spend years going in and out of this cycle unexpectedly, which can be disruptive to their daily livelihoods and long-term stability. Worst of all, they never know when they are going to cycle back into a depressed state. The timing could be rather inconvenient, causing them to lay in bed for days or weeks while they miss important obligations like work or school.
Often times, this depressed mood is triggered by an unsatisfying event that leads to negative feelings. The person then experiences feelings of guilt, upset, or both. However, these feeling come in larger doses than appropriate. Ruminating in regret over the event leads the person into a depressed state. Unfortunately, these feeling can become overwhelming quickly which can easily lead to irrational and erratic behavior. This type of behavior can even put the individual at risk. For this reason, high rates of suicide have been associated with acute depression. People are more likely to act on what they are feeling at that moment and make choices that they’ll regret later.   
Antidepressants are necessary for treating acute depression and should not be stopped once the individual is feeling better. If the medication is stopped, there is a risk that the person’s mood will drop just enough to enter into a consistent state of feeling down. This is known as chronic depression, which affects the person’s mood constantly and is not cyclical. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break once entered into.
People over the age of sixty-five are especially at risk of becoming treatment-resistant if they are to stop taking medication. In some instances, people misattribute their change in feelings and attitude to external circumstances, only to find out that their difference in mood was affected by far more than the external world. For example, if their depressed mood resurfaces, taking the same low dosage of medication they had been using previously may not be enough. The dose may have to be increased dramatically for it to have an effect. There is a 1 in 3 chance that this will occur in individuals over the age of sixty-five. Young people run this risk as well, but at a much lower rate. It is important to stay on medication as advised, otherwise, all of the success you’ve experienced may be reversed.