Prozac??

[lauraloola]

My brother has just been prescibed this for depression. He is only young - early 20s. I wondered what it actually does. It has always been in my mind that it is only given in very serious cases - Very short sighted I know.

Can anyone help me out with some info or advice on how to help my brother at the mo? Thanks.

it's not only given in serious cases.
it belongs to a class of anti-depressants called SSRI's (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which basically have the effect of making more serotonin (a mood-enhancer) available in the brain.
normally it gets secreted and then taken up again. the drugs prevents the re-uptake leaving more in the brain to make you feel good.

IMO anti-depressants are only really useful in conjunction with therapy.
they should help lift the mood enough for a person to be able to work through any problems they are having and get to the root of why they feel depressed and enable them to work on that.

as for how to help your brother, I think that the best you can do is just be there for him. don't treat him like he is "ill"... he is still the same person he has always been. but be there if he needs to talk or anything