• Anti-Depressants
    50 replies, posted
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Perhaps the increase in anti-depressant use to 1 in 10 American adults is not a reflection of over-use but rather an amount which more accurately reflects the amount of depressed Americans.
It is obvious that people need to be focused on the cause of depression rather than suppressing it with drugs. [url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/depressed-countries_n_910345.html#s316423&title=United_States_192[/url] [QUOTE]If you're a woman living in the United States, you're six times more likely to be depressed than a man living in China, says a new study.[/QUOTE] Why? What's different? [QUOTE]Researchers found that people living in wealthier nations are more likely to have experienced a depressive episode than those in low and middle-income countries.[/QUOTE] Money?
[QUOTE=brawl;37626689]It is obvious that people need to be focused on the cause of depression rather than suppressing it with drugs.[/QUOTE] What about chemical imbalance? Anti-depressants save my life.
If it's vital then there is no argument. Why do you have chemical imbalance though? That's something to think about. The problem is when people could be happy without drugs but load up on anti-depressants instead.
I honestly believe WAAAYYYYY too many people are on these things. It's laughably easy to get a scrip for one, these drugs are heavily advertised pretty much everywhere, and people are exploiting this to use them as a way to cope with the typical troubles life brings with it. I'd say 9 out of 10 patients taking anti-depressants don't actually need them. Powerful, mind-altering drugs such as these should be used sparingly, and only when there's a genuine chemical imbalance that they can correct. There's plenty of people out there that, despite rolling double sixes in the game of Life, still barely have the energy to get out of bed. Due to no fault of their own, despite everything being exactly like they would like, they're not happy due to a chemical imbalance in their brain.These people [i]do[/i] need anti-depressants and I'm 100% behind these people getting them. However, these drugs shouldn't be prescribed to every Tom, Dick and Larry that hit a minor bump on the road of life.
Of course there are people out there who genuinely need anti-depressants, but it's naive to think that there isn't people taking them who don't really need them. Like the above post said with all the advertising and how easy they are to obtain, The majority of people confuse real depression with the angst that everyday life brings
[QUOTE=brawl;37628972]If it's vital then there is no argument. Why do you have chemical imbalance though? That's something to think about. The problem is when people could be happy without drugs but load up on anti-depressants instead.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=brawl;37626689]It is obvious that people need to be focused on the cause of depression rather than suppressing it with drugs.[/QUOTE] the cause is often genetic. there are specific genes that are linked to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. even though it's possible to improve your mood by adjusting things like diet, levels of exercise, etc, it needs to be recognized that everyone's body is different. just like some people can eat whatever they want without gaining weight, a lot of people with depression have biological causes for their low mood. it's not necessarily that they're lazy or not trying as hard as the rest of us - they simply have weaknesses that people without mood disorders are unable to relate to. [QUOTE=TestECull;37636438]Powerful, mind-altering drugs such as these should be used sparingly, and only when there's a genuine chemical imbalance that they can correct.[/QUOTE] they're not as harmful as you seem to think they are. antidepressants rarely have long-term effects and their effects will wear off shortly after you stop taking them. depression is always a chemical imbalance. the only difference is whether it's something genetic or if it's caused by the person's lifestyle.
I take ADs, and the only change I've noticed is that I don't become uncontrollably angry or depressed. I have a problem. It solves it. The end. Does it need to be more complicated than that?
Ughh my sister takes em, made an unstable person even more unstable.. It's like that with most drugs imo.
[QUOTE=arthuro12;37673488]Ughh my sister takes em, made an unstable person even more unstable.. It's like that with most drugs imo.[/QUOTE] She's on the wrong ones then. Ask for a second opinion. I remember watching a documentary about anti-depressants and one of the points it made was that before depression was something that could be medicated, it wasn't seen as a actual disease; just a person's weakness, something they could snap out of if they just tried harder. When we are able to prescribe drugs for mental disorders, it's easier to understand that there are physiological factors at play and we can treat these diseases with the seriousness they need.
SSRIs cause permanent changes in the brain
[QUOTE=Guy Mannly;37672707]they're not as harmful as you seem to think they are. antidepressants rarely have long-term effects and their effects will wear off shortly after you stop taking them. depression is always a chemical imbalance. the only difference is whether it's something genetic or if it's caused by the person's lifestyle.[/QUOTE] Not always, depression is most likely caused by the environment rather than a "chemical imbalance". This "chemical imbalance" theory has made people seem to think that popping a pill can take away all their misery. Loading someone up on pills should not always be the solution, all you are doing is masking the underlying issue, you aren't curing it. I think anti depressants should be used in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, therefore you are getting rid of the depression.
[QUOTE=Guy Mannly;37672707] they're not as harmful as you seem to think they are. antidepressants rarely have long-term effects and their effects will wear off shortly after you stop taking them. depression is always a chemical imbalance. the only difference is whether it's something genetic or if it's caused by the person's lifestyle.[/QUOTE] Too many people are on them because they don't have that trophy life they dreamed of. Instead of working for that trophy life they go to the doc and get a scrip for powerful mind-altering drugs they just simply do not need. I'm sorry but hitting a bump on the road of life just simply isn't a valid reason to get a scrip for Prozac. The majority of patients taking these drugs are doing so because the commercial on TV said "this pill = happy" and the docs are incredibly loose with prescriptions. There are plenty of valid cases of people who should be on these drugs, but they're the minority here. The majority of people taking these drugs are doing so not because of any genuine need, but because they would rather spend a fortune on a happy pill than actually work to achieve their goals in life. Why [i]else[/i] would these things be so heavily advertised on TV? Hrm? If the only people taking them were the people who genuinely need them there wouldn't be any need to advertise these drugs on TV. You don't see them advertising cancer drugs on TV, for example.
[QUOTE=Leader of Me;37675624]Not always, depression is most likely caused by the environment rather than a "chemical imbalance". This "chemical imbalance" theory has made people seem to think that popping a pill can take away all their misery. Loading someone up on pills should not always be the solution, all you are doing is masking the underlying issue, you aren't curing it. I think anti depressants should be used in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, therefore you are getting rid of the depression.[/QUOTE] In any case, the symptoms of depression are caused by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters...or at least they seem to be correlated. The symptoms can be treated with drugs in order to let a person lead a more normal life (sometimes) which may be the first step in curing it.
[QUOTE=Leader of Me;37675624] Loading someone up on pills should not always be the solution, all you are doing is masking the underlying issue, you aren't curing it.[/QUOTE] Modern society has a problem with this in general. Society doesn't seem to think solving the problem is the right solution anymore, they just think "Oh, right, well it's causing this this and this, so we can just cover those things up and hope it goes away!".
[QUOTE=TestECull;37675696]Too many people are on them because they don't have that trophy life they dreamed of. Instead of working for that trophy life they go to the doc and get a scrip for powerful mind-altering drugs they just simply do not need. I'm sorry but hitting a bump on the road of life just simply isn't a valid reason to get a scrip for Prozac. The majority of patients taking these drugs are doing so because the commercial on TV said "this pill = happy" and the docs are incredibly loose with prescriptions. There are plenty of valid cases of people who should be on these drugs, but they're the minority here. The majority of people taking these drugs are doing so not because of any genuine need, but because they would rather spend a fortune on a happy pill than actually work to achieve their goals in life. Why [i]else[/i] would these things be so heavily advertised on TV? Hrm? If the only people taking them were the people who genuinely need them there wouldn't be any need to advertise these drugs on TV. You don't see them advertising cancer drugs on TV, for example.[/QUOTE] Then the onus is on those who prescribe irresponsibly. People shouldn't feel that they shouldn't or can't see a professional about what they suspect might be depression.
My friend owns a factory where they mass produce anti-depressants somewhere in some remote location in China. He says that the process of making the pills smells so bad it's probably healthier to wander around one of those super polluted cities than working in the factory.
[QUOTE=Jabberwocky;37675724]Then the onus is on those who prescribe irresponsibly. People shouldn't feel that they shouldn't or can't see a professional about what they suspect might be depression.[/QUOTE]I agree, but it still doesn't change the fact that people are on these things who don't need to be on these things. Some people are using them as an easy way out of life's minor foibles....those people would probably just turn to booze if the scrips got harder to get though.
I take them, and I see them as something that helps me stay on my feet while I solve why I am depressed in the first place. In my case, it's social anxiety. I have people take me outside because I can't do it myself, but I only go outside if I need to go outside (school, meetings with my doctor etc). Really, I see no problems with them. Even though the feelings you get from them are not "real", it keeps people from being overly depressed (maybe to the point of suicide?).
[QUOTE=Leader of Me;37675624]This "chemical imbalance" theory has made people seem to think that popping a pill can take away all their misery. Loading someone up on pills should not always be the solution, all you are doing is masking the underlying issue, you aren't curing it. I think anti depressants should be used in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, therefore you are getting rid of the depression.[/QUOTE] i absolutely agree with this. while antidepressants will certainly be able to help with mood disorder, there are often other steps that can be taken that won't cause the side effects that antidepressants often do. medication is often used as an "easy way out". [QUOTE=TestECull;37675696]Too many people are on them because they don't have that trophy life they dreamed of. Instead of working for that trophy life they go to the doc and get a scrip for powerful mind-altering drugs they just simply do not need. I'm sorry but hitting a bump on the road of life just simply isn't a valid reason to get a scrip for Prozac. The majority of patients taking these drugs are doing so because the commercial on TV said "this pill = happy" and the docs are incredibly loose with prescriptions. There are plenty of valid cases of people who should be on these drugs, but they're the minority here. The majority of people taking these drugs are doing so not because of any genuine need, but because they would rather spend a fortune on a happy pill than actually work to achieve their goals in life. Why [i]else[/i] would these things be so heavily advertised on TV? Hrm? If the only people taking them were the people who genuinely need them there wouldn't be any need to advertise these drugs on TV. You don't see them advertising cancer drugs on TV, for example.[/QUOTE] you completely ignored the last sentence of what i said and went into an unnecessary rant over a point nobody in this thread has even argued against. emotions are directly related to levels of hormones and neurotransmitters. as i already stated, the causes of these imbalances can vary wildly. someone's lifestyle choices (such as not eating right or having a poor sleep schedule) can impact their emotions. my point was that you are arguing about something when you don't understand how it functions. you made an inaccurate statement claiming that our brain chemistry is irrelevant to emotions/depression and i was correcting you.
Well Xanax is a something different but I think my statement should apply to this. To put it simply I visited my psychiatrist to get my refill and he ended up somehow forgetting how many I was supposed to take, he wrote up twice what I normally took and didn't even look at me twice. I tossed the extra out but that's really irresponsible when he had my record right in front of him. What happened to me may not sound bad at all but if it was someone else more susceptible to its addictive attributes there would be some very bad problems.
A good friend of mine got a prescription for some antidepressants by her doctor. Not that she needed them, he described them for if you feel like it. Side effects: Likely getting brain-damage that manifests itself in spasms.
[QUOTE=Guy Mannly;37680948]emotions are directly related to levels of hormones and neurotransmitters. as i already stated, the causes of these imbalances can vary wildly. someone's lifestyle choices (such as not eating right or having a poor sleep schedule) can impact their emotions. my point was that you are arguing about something when you don't understand how it functions. you made an inaccurate statement claiming that our brain chemistry is irrelevant to emotions/depression and i was correcting you.[/QUOTE] I can't say I agree particularly with this. Anxiety/fear are discomfort that arises as a physical sensation, and directly come from memories of experiences that occurred in one's life being triggered in day-to-day life, which are agitated and elevated by the imagination. Happiness is the same, just a different physical sensation, elsewhere in the body, that we don't find particularly uncomfortable. We've pretty much lost all contact with such physical sensations by becoming more mentally oriented beings, yet you might be able to recall such feelings from times when you experienced them strongly (as a child, or in times of intense fear/ joy/ love) etc. That said, I really think becoming comfortable with a fuller range of emotions and feeling the sensations as sensations instead of labelling them and allowing them to impact us greatly and distort our 'lenses'- is far more effective as a treatment than covering them up so we become unaware of them through anti-depressants or w/e..
[QUOTE=brawl;37626689]It is obvious that people need to be focused on the cause of depression rather than suppressing it with drugs.[/QUOTE] What if the cause of depression is something that is incurable, or will take a long time to cure, such as physical disability?
I honestly do think that some people can benefit from anti-depressant drugs, but there is WAY too many people who are on those things, who really don't need to be.
I think the psychological factors that cause depression are much more prominent than the biological ones. We need more counseling and stuff rather than drugs to handle our mostly psychological issues. You can give a drug that'll cover it up, but you'll never be "undepressed" from drugs. You need psychological changes that drugs cannot accomplish. If you are fucking with some shit that'll alter you permanently, you're putting too much faith into a drug at the risk of altering you.
[QUOTE=Jookia;37627934]What about chemical imbalance? Anti-depressants save my life.[/QUOTE] I think it needs to be noted that depression isn't always bog standard profound sadness, that there are indeed cases where the cause is a fundamental chemical imbalance such as in your case. I think the cause of the depression should be determined first, if it's an event in someones life then therapy and teaching them how to cope with it would be better in my opinion than just throwing pills at the problem and masking it. In cases where it is an imbalance then fire the pill cannon.
You mean after addressing possible causes for the imbalance.
I really don't trust anti-depressants at all. Too many negative side affects + somebody who's already in some shape or form of unstable condition = bad things. Not to say it hasn't helped people before but it's too much of a coin toss for me. I'd rather take some therapy and talk out my issues with someone who actually gives a fuck about my mental health rather than be [i]possibly[/i] addicted to a pill sized crutch that has a bad history of making things worse than before. Depression and other similar states of mind are a (from what I can tell) mainly psychological condition. Using chemicals to "help" parts of you wont do anything but cover it up. I mean we haven't fully explored our brain yet and we're already believing that we can put our trust in a miracle drug that would be twice as profitable for a company to get you addicted to than something that would actually help you. It may seem like another one of those [i]"THE GOVERNMENT IS OUT TO GET US MAAAN"[/i] rants but think about it: you can't get addicted to therapy sessions, and they most likely wont put you in a more fucked up position than when you entered.
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