Antidepressant Activity of Spirulina Platensis in Models of Depression

Abstract

Depression is the most common of the affective disorders (disorders of mood rather than disturbances of thought or cognition); it may range from a very mild condition, bordering on normality, to severe (psychotic) depression accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. Worldwide, depression is a major cause of disability and premature death. Unipolar depression is commonly (about 75% of cases) non-familial, clearly associated with stressful life-events and accompanied by symptoms of anxiety and agitation; this type is sometimes termed reactive depression. Other patients (about 25%, sometimes termed endogenous depression) show a familial pattern, unrelated to external stresses, and with a somewhat different symptomatology. This distinction is made clinically, but there is little evidence that antidepressant drugs show significant selectivity between these conditions.