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Depression in adults – medication treatment

Treatment with antidepressant medication can be very helpful for depression. Antidepressants are also used for other forms of mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders. There are different types of antidepressants that can be used to treat depression.

Different types of antidepressants

Antidepressants can help with all types of depression and are mainly used for moderate to severe depression. There are small differences in effectiveness between the different types of antidepressants, but some people may experience side effects with one type of medication but not another.

Other medications

Before starting medication treatment, we will review which medications you may be using or have used in the past. You will receive clear information about side effects and how long the treatment is expected to last.

Antidepressants are not addictive

Antidepressants are not addictive and do not require increasingly larger doses, unlike some other medications. It may take 2–6 weeks or longer before the expected effect is achieved, partly because it often takes time to gradually increase the dose to an effective level.

During treatment

During treatment, we will continuously assess whether you are actually improving with the medication. Once you have found a medication that effectively treats your depression symptoms, you should use it for a certain period of time.

Sometimes it may be necessary to switch to another medication due to a lack of effect or side effects. If you are going to stop taking the medication, it is important that you do so in consultation with a doctor. The dose should be reduced gradually to avoid unwanted symptoms.

Tapering off

After three to six months without depressive symptoms, you can discuss the possibility of stopping the medication with your healthcare provider. If you do, the dose should be reduced gradually in consultation with a doctor. Sometimes this tapering process can take several months to avoid side effects.

 

Last professionally updated 10.03.2025

Contact

  • Contact Midtre Agder District Psychiatric Centre

    Location

    We have an outpatient clinic and inpatient unit at Liane Ringvei 33 in Kristiansand.


    Outpatient clinic and mobile emergency team at the hospital site at Eg, Andreas Kjærsvei 101 in Kristiansand    Building 22and     22B.

     

    En bygning med et skilt på forsiden

    Liane Ringvei 33

    Liane Ringvei 33

    PO Box 416, 4604 Kristiansand

    Find your way

    Transport

    You can reach our locations by public transport. Visit Agder public transport to find your route:akt.no

    You may be entitled to reimbursement of necessary expenses when travelling to and from your treatment location.

    You should generally use public transport, and you must pay a co-payment. To get reimbursed for travel expenses you have paid, you must fill in a travel expense claim form and send it toPatient Travel.

  • Contact Østre Agder District Psychiatric Centre

    Location

    Opening hours

    • Today 08:00–15:30

    Rykeneveien 106

    Rykeneveien 106

    Rykeneveien 106, 4824 Bjorbekk

    Find your way

    Transport

    ​You can reach our locations by public transport. Visit Agder public transport to find your route:akt.no

    ​You may be entitled to reimbursement of necessary expenses when travelling to and from your treatment location.

    You should normally use public transport, and you will have to pay a co-payment. To get reimbursed for travel expenses you have paid, you must fill in a travel expense claim form and send it toPatient travel.

    Practical information

    Is the appointment inconvenient? If you receive your appointment letter digitally on helsenorge.no, you can now send a message directly to the department you are due to visit if you need a new appointment time. You must be a registered user on Helsenorge to access this service.
    You can also contact the department where you have an appointment or call the switchboard on: 38 07 30 00
    ​


    ​​Visiting hours may vary between departments and locations. Please check with the department where you have an appointment for more information.

    See an overview of the hospital departments

    General visiting hours:

    Arendal:
    17:00–19:00 on weekdays
    14:00–16:00 and 18:00–19:00 on weekends and public holidays

    Flekkefjord:
    14:00–15:00 and 18:00–19:00
    Maternity ward: 17:00–19:00 (rest period/no visitors: 14:00–16:00)

    Kristiansand:
    17:00–19:00 on weekdays
    14:00–16:00 and 18:00–19:00 on weekends and public holidays

    Postnatal ward: 16:00–18:00 every day for the newborn’s healthy siblings.

    Many patients and relatives wish to take photos/videos or blog about their time in hospital. This is of course permitted, as long as you respect the privacy of other patients and staff.

    Here are a few helpful tips on using social media for patients and relatives:

    • Be considerate of others. You must have consent if you want to take photos or videos of patients or staff. All patients are entitled to privacy while they are in hospital.
    • Parents/guardians decide whether you may take photos of children or publish photos of their children online. Parents must act in the child’s best interests. Once the child has turned 12, great weight must be given to the child’s wishes. Once the child has turned 15, they decide for themselves whether they are happy to be photographed and whether the photo may be published.
    • Remember that staff must also give their permission if you want to publish photos you have taken of them.
    • You should remove content you have published if the person concerned asks you to. If others have posted photos of you online without permission, you can ask them to delete them. If they do not comply, you can contact: www.slettmeg.no.

    Audio recordings
    It is not illegal to record conversations in which you participate for private use. However, publishing and sharing recordings requires the consent of the person you are speaking with. Secretly recording conversations in which you do not participate is illegal.

    We encourage everyone to use their mobile phones considerately and be mindful of fellow patients. It is important to put your phone on silent at night, and on silent or vibrate during the day. To avoid disturbing other patients, it is a good idea to leave the room if you need to have a long conversation.

    Smoking can cause discomfort to others. Thank you for being considerate and helping ensure that Sørlandet Hospital is a smoke-free hospital environment.

    ​If you need an interpreter, you must notify the hospital well in advance of your appointment. The costs of the interpreter are covered by the health service.Helsenorge.no

    Patients not fluent in Norwegian are entitled to an interpreter.Helsenorge.no/interpreter

    All visitors can use free wireless internet at the hospital.

    Look for HSO-Gjest on your network and follow the instructions to log in.

    If you cannot find the network, you are in an area that has not yet been covered.

TEST VERSION
Machine-translated copy of sshf.no for testing only. Not official information.