Arguing Against AntiDepressants

An article by Dr. David Neubauer caught my attention recently. I have Yahoo! Health in my RSS reader and somehow overlooked this one. In this article he mentions the amazing trend among learned people toward disavowing clinical depression as a major illness.

He was listening to a radio talk-show on which the guest were discussing antidepressants. The guests were arguing that depression and it’s treatment are hoaxes perpetrated by pharmaceutical companies to get the profits up. I agree with that only to a certain extent. I know from experience that doctors will prescribe an antidepressant for anything from real depression to upset stomach to hormonal imbalances and sleep issues. For some doctors (a few with whom I’ve got a history) think that antidepressants are the catchall meds of the new era. Give ‘em some Paxil and all their worries will fade away. Then their patients end up either in drug rehabilitation or in an endless cycle of seeking the “right” doctor.

To a limited extent, they both made some valid points. It is true that antidepressants are not “happiness” pills. Someone without a mood disorder is not going to feel better or happier by taking an antidepressant. And antidepressants of course don’t eliminate the stressful life circumstances that lead to discouragement and despair.

It’s also true that earlier theories about the biological causes of depression, as well as the mechanisms by which antidepressants function, are no longer satisfactory explanations. But — this is because major neurobiological advances have provided new insights into depression and its treatment.

Anyone that struggles with depression knows that it’s real. However, there are doctors that will diagnosis chronic depression for patients that have a bad case of the “blues”. Then, of course, out comes the prescription pad and the patient is then put on an antidepressant “nurser”. At that point, when they stop taking the drugs they are more likely to experience depressive episodes because of how the drugs affect the chemicals in the brain. This then becomes a case of chemical depression and the patient must continue on the drug course or be worse off.

This doesn’t mean that you should throw out your pills. Major depression is a real disease and should be treated accordingly. Trust in one’s doctor isn’t something that I would recommend right off the bat, but seeking the advice of a therapist, instead of a General Practitioner, is something I do recommend. There are a lot of different and useful ways to fight depression that don’t involve pills. So, if you are suffering from chronic depression, you should learn about those in conjunction with your regularly prescribed medications. Never stop a course of antidepressants without talking with and being under the supervision of your doctor.