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NeilJeyasingam_Antidepressants_2020E-_抗抑郁药简史_-
In the 1950s, the discovery of two new drugs sparked what would become a multibillion dollar market for antidepressants . 在 20 世纪 50 年代, 两种新药的发现 激发了日后价值数十亿美元的 抗抑郁药市场。
Neither drug was intended to treat depression at all— in fact, at the time, many doctors and scientists believed psychotherapy was the only approach to treating depression. 原来这两种药根本没有打算 用来治疗抑郁症—— 事实上,当时许多医生和科学家都相信 心理治疗是医治抑郁症的唯一方法。
sparked:v.点燃,发动(spark的过去式,过去分词);鼓舞; multibillion:adj.(美)数十亿的;(英)数万亿的; antidepressants:n.[药]抗抑郁药(antidepressant的复数形式);抗忧郁剂; intended:adj.预定的;计划的;v.打算;计划;想要;(intend的过去分词和过去式) depression:n.沮丧;洼地;不景气;忧愁; psychotherapy:n.心理疗法;精神疗法; approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理; treating:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;处理;讨论;(treat的现在分词)
The decades-long journey of discovery that followed revolutionized our understanding of depression— and raised questions we hadn’t considered before. 随后长达数十年的探索之旅 彻底改变了我们对抑郁症的理解—— 并提出了我们未曾思考过的问题。
One of those first two antidepressant drugs was ipronaizid, which was intended to treat tuberculosis . 异烟酰异丙肼（Iproniazid） 是最早的两种抗抑郁药之一, 最初打算用来治疗结核病。
In a 1952 trial, it not only treated tuberculosis, it also improved the moods of patients who had previously been diagnosed with depression. 在 1952 年的一次试验中, 它不仅治好了结核病, 还改善了抑郁症患者的情绪。
journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行; revolutionized:adj.革命化的;被彻底改革的;v.彻底改革(revolutionize的过去式); tuberculosis:n.肺结核;结核病; treated:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;(treat的过去分词和过去式) improved:adj.改良的:v.改进:改善(improve的过去分词和过去式) moods:n.情绪(mood的复数); patients:n.接受治疗者,病人;(patient的复数) previously:adv.先前;以前; diagnosed:v.诊断(疾病);判断(问题的原因);(diagnose的过去分词和过去式)
In 1956, a Swiss clinician observed a similar effect when running a trial for imipramine , a drug for allergic reactions . 1956 年,一名瑞士临床医生
Both drugs affected a class of neurotransmitters called monoamines . 这两种药物都能影响 一种叫做单胺类的神经递质。
The discovery of these antidepressant drugs gave rise to the chemical imbalance theory, the idea that depression is caused by having insufficient monoamines in the brain’s synapses . 这些抗抑郁药物的发现 催生了 “化学物不平衡理论”, 认为抑郁症是由于大脑的突触里
clinician:n.临床医生; observed:adj.观察的;观测的;v.观察;遵守;注意到(observe的过去分词形式); imipramine:n.丙咪嗪(一种抗抑郁剂); allergic:adj.对…过敏的;对…极讨厌的; reactions:n.反应;回应;抗拒;生理反应;副作用(reaction的复数) neurotransmitters:n.神经传导物质(neurotransmitter的复数形式); monoamines:n.[有化]一元胺; chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; imbalance:n.不平衡;不安定; insufficient:adj.不足的,不充足的;n.不足; synapses:n.(神经元的)突触(synapse的复数;synapsis的复数)
Ipronaizid, imipramine, and other drugs like them were thought to restore that balance by increasing the availability of monoamines in the brain. 异烟酰异丙肼、丙咪嗪和其它类似药物 能通过增加大脑内单胺类递质的供应 而恢复这个平衡。
These drugs targeted several different monoamines, each of which acted on a wide range of receptors in the brain. 这些药物能针对 几种不同的单胺类递质, 每种递质都能广泛作用于 大脑里的各种受体。
This often meant a lot of side effects, including headaches, grogginess , and cognitive impairments including difficulty with memory, thinking, and judgment . 这通常意味着很多副作用, 包括头痛、头晕, 以及记忆、思考和判断困难 等认知障碍。
restore:v.恢复;修复;恢复(某种情况或感受);使复原; availability:n.可用性;有效性;实用性; receptors:n.[生化]受体;接受器;神经末梢(receptor的复数); grogginess:n.酒醉;东歪西倒; cognitive:adj.认知的,认识的; impairments:损害;损伤; judgment:n.判断;裁判;判决书;辨别力;
Hoping to make the drugs more targeted and reduce side effects, scientists began studying existing antidepressants to figure out which specific monoamines were most associated with improvements in depression. 为了让药物更具针对性、减少副作用, 科学家们开始研究现有的抗抑郁药, 想要找出哪些特定的单胺类递质 和抑郁症的改善最为密切相关。
In the 1970s, several different researchers converged on an answer: the most effective antidepressants all seemed to act on one monoamine called serotonin . 在 20 世纪 70 年代, 几位研究者得出了一致的答案: 最有效的抗抑郁药物似乎都作用于 一种叫做血清素的单胺类递质。
specific:adj.特殊的,特定的;明确的;详细的;[药]具有特效的;n.特性;细节;特效药; associated:adj.有关联的; v.联想; (associate的过去分词和过去式) improvements:n.改善;改进;改善的事物;(improvement的复数) converged:adj.收敛的;聚合的;v.聚集,使会聚(converge的过去式); effective:adj.有效的,起作用的;实际的,实在的;给人深刻印象; serotonin:n.[生化]血清素;5-羟色胺(血管收缩素);
This discovery led to the production of fluoxetine, or Prozac , in 1988. 这一发现使得氟西汀,即百忧解, 于 1988 年问世。
It was the first of a new class of drugs called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors , or SSRI’s, which block the reabsorption of serotonin, leaving more available in the brain. 它是一类新药中的第一个—— 这类药物叫做 选择性血清素再摄取抑制剂（SSRI）, 能阻止对血清素的再摄取, 从而增加大脑中的血清素储备。
Prozac:n.百忧解(一种治疗精神抑郁的药物); Selective:adj.选择性的;有选择的;认真挑选的;严格筛选的; Reuptake:n.再摄取;再吸收; Inhibitors:n.[助剂]抑制剂;禁制因素,[化学]抑制因子;阻止剂(inhibitor的复数); reabsorption:n.再吸收;
Prozac worked well and had fewer side effects than older, less targeted antidepressants. 百忧解效果很好, 副作用也少于更早的、 针对性更弱的抗抑郁药。
The makers of Prozac also worked to market the drug by raising awareness of the dangers of depression to both the public and the medical community . 为了推销这种药, 百忧解的生产商也致力于 提升公众和医疗群体 对抑郁症危害的意识。
More people came to see depression as a disease caused by mechanisms beyond an individual’s control, which reduced the culture of blame and stigmatization surrounding depression, and more people sought help. 更多人开始将抑郁症视为一种疾病, 其发病机制不受个人控制, 从而减少了围绕抑郁症的 责备与污名化, 也让越来越多人去寻求帮助。
awareness:n.意识,认识;明白,知道; community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; disease:n.病,[医]疾病;弊病;vt.传染;使…有病; mechanisms:n.机制;[机]机构(mechanism的复数);机械;[机]机构学; stigmatization:n.stigmatize的变形侮辱,谴责; sought:v.seek(寻求、寻找)的过去式和过去分词形式;
In the 1990s, the number of people being treated for depression skyrocketed . 20 世纪 90 年代, 接受抑郁症治疗的人数迅速飞升。
Psychotherapy and other treatments fell by the wayside , and most people were treated solely with antidepressant drugs. 心理治疗和其它疗法纷纷旁落, 大多数人只使用抗抑郁药物进行治疗。
Since then, we’ve developed a more nuanced view of how to treat depression— and of what causes it. 从那之后,我们对抑郁症疗法 和抑郁症成因的看法 变得更加慎重细致。
skyrocketed:n.流星烟火;冲天火箭;vi.飞涨,突然高升;vt.使…猛然上涨; treatments:n.治疗;疗法;对待;处理;讨论;(treatment的复数) wayside:n.路旁;adj.路旁的; solely:adv.单独地,唯一地; nuanced:adj.微妙的; v.精确细腻地表演;
Not everyone with depression responds to SSRIs like Prozac— some respond better to drugs that act on other neurotransmitters, or don't respond to medication at all. 百忧解等 SSRI 药物并不是 对每一位抑郁症患者都有效果—— 作用于其他神经递质的药物 对有些人效果更好, 有些人甚至任何药物都对他们无效。
For many, a combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs is more effective than either alone. 对于很多人来说, 心理治疗和抗抑郁药相结合 比单独使用一种疗法更为有效。
We’re also not sure why antidepressants work the way they do: they change monoamine levels within a few hours of taking the medication, but patients usually don’t feel the benefit until weeks later. 我们也不清楚抗抑郁药为何如此作用: 它们在服药后几小时内 就能改变单胺类浓度, 但患者通常要等到几个星期后 才能感受到效益。
responds:v.(口头或书面)回答,回应;作出反应;响应;(respond的第三人称单数) medication:n.药;药物; combination:n.结合;组合;联合;[化学]化合;
And after they stop taking antidepressants, some patients never experience depression again, while others relapse . 而在他们停止服用抗抑郁药后, 有的患者再也不会经历抑郁症, 而有人却会复发。
We now recognize that we don’t know what causes depression, or why anti-depressants work. 我们现在认识到, 我们不知道抑郁症的成因, 也不知道抗抑郁药的原理。
The chemical imbalance theory is at best an incomplete explanation. 化学物不平衡理论 最多是一个不完整的解释。
relapse:vi.故态复萌;旧病复发;再度堕落;再陷邪道;n.复发,再发;故态复萌;回复原状; recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到; anti-depressants:n.抗抑郁剂; incomplete:n.未完成;adj.不完整的;不完全的;不完善的;
It can’t be a coincidence that almost all the antidepressants happen to act on serotonin, but that doesn’t mean serotonin deficiency is the cause of depression. 几乎所有抗抑郁药 都恰好作用于血清素, 这不可能是巧合, 但也不意味着缺乏血清素 就是抑郁症的成因。
If that sounds odd , consider a more straightforward example: steroid creams can treat rashes caused by poison ivy— the fact that they work doesn’t mean steroid deficiency was the cause of the rash. 如果这听起来很奇怪, 那就想象一个更直接的例子: 类固醇软膏可用于治疗 毒漆藤引起的皮疹—— 但类固醇有效的事实并不代表 类固醇缺乏是皮疹的原因。
coincidence:n.巧合,巧事;同时存在;并存;相同; deficiency:n.缺陷,缺点;缺乏;不足的数额; odd:adj.古怪的;奇数的;n.奇数; straightforward:adj.简单的;坦率的;明确的;径直的;adv.直截了当地;坦率地; steroid:n.甾族化合物;类固醇; rashes:n.发疹,[皮肤]疹(rash复数形式);
We still have a ways to go in terms of understanding this disease. 在理解抑郁症这一方面, 我们还有很长的路要走。
Fortunately , in the meantime , we have effective tools to treat it. 所幸的是,在此期间, 我们有治疗它的有效工具。
Fortunately:adv.幸运地; in the meantime:在此期间;于此际;