Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Antidepressants are US

This article got to me so I figured why not post it on my new blog to see what others think.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/09/antidepressants/index.html

I have no doubt that there are millions of Americans who benefit from antidepressants, but 118 million? The most disturbing part for me was that there are psychiatrists who think that this is a great thing and that more people should seek out this sort of seemingly permanent drug treatment.

Sure these drugs are being prescribed, but is there a point in any of these "treatments" where the psychiatrist says "Okay I think it is time to take you off of this medicine". As is typical in almost all other treatment plans. Has anyone had such an experience without just being switched to a different type of antidepressant?

5 comments:

jody said...

This article pushed some buttons with me. I have a close family member with bipolar disorder, and medications for him are life-saving. There is a very high rate of suicide for people with bipolar, and medications can both prevent suicide and enable people to function normally. Many people go off on anti-medication rants without realizing that psychiatric medications can be as life-saving as insulin for a diabetic. Of course, there are patients and doctors who over-medicate, and of course, doctors should not accept gifts from pharmaceutical companies, and of course, patients should carefully consider side effects before taking medications. I think that the tendency of people today to put down the use of psychiatric medications comes from society's prejudices against psychiatric illnesses. We normally don't see this type of complaint about heart medications, do we?

Anne said...

Vincent,
I am taking two classes right now, which needless to say is why I am exhausted, but in my other class someone mentioned the use of antidepressant drugs and how they have a purpose. I really think they are so contraversial. I do know atleast one person on them. I think I am not going to post my comment on them. I'm not sure it's widely accepted, but I do feel strongly about them. I think many people do.
Sorry to skulk out of an opinion.
Anne

Gwinyeo Kwak said...

Right now, I think I need that drug.
I am sure it is very sensitive thing to talk about. However,I think I believe there are people who really need antidepressant.

Janet said...

This is an interesting topic for educators to discuss. More students than we might realize take some form of prescription drugs. Drugs for attention deficit are a prime example in the news now. I sometimes think about how our attitudes about this and other issues affect students we work with.

Vincent said...

Thank you very much for your responses to this obviously sensitive topic. But it is sensitive issues that I think require the most dialogue even if it is difficult, so thank you.
Let me make it clear that I have several people close to me who use one anti-depressant or another and it does help them and that I would never put anybody for any reason, let alone for taking medicine prescribed to them by a doctor. What bothers me the most about these treatments is that they last a person’s entire life.
For example I have a close friend who has been on them since she was twelve years old and has never had a day without them since. She is now afraid to even think about not trying them one day.