Tuesday, December 14, 2010

When depressed many will go for antidepressants as the best solution, as it is prescribed by doctors; the truth is they are no better any other treatment out there. Millions of people take antidepressants everyday, but do they work? The answer is no, they do not work. Antidepressants lack proof showing they treat depression while there are many other solutions out there that are proven to work. Also studies have shown that those on placebos improve as much as those who actually take antidepressants. People need to see if there’s data on antidepressants before taking them.
Many people use antidepressants without even knowing much about them. They just do as they’re told. Lawrence Diller says, “The lack of supporting data considering their widespread use is surprising and disturbing.” There’s barely any proof showing how effective antidepressants work and yet people take them simply because it’s been prescribed to them. People do not buy expensive products without having read good reviews about them, so people should not just buy antidepressants without reading feedback of how well they work. People blindly take these pills without even knowing their side effects .They are just worrying about treating their depression while the side effects could bring even more depression. Some side effects are anxiety, hunger and fevers which can in turn cause more harm than good. People need to know that what they are taking is safe in order to get better from depression and they should also know the causes of their depression in order to treat depression.
Some causes of depressions are external problems rather than just mental issues. For example, some people have depression because of the loss of close family members or because they can’t make ends meet. Problems like these aren’t just going to go away by taking prescribed antidepressants. Salynn Boyles says “people are better off exploring other treatments options such as psychotherapy or exercise which has been shown to reduce depression.” Since some problems can’t be solved by taking antidepressants, people should start looking for alternatives such as exercise to relieve stress that has been proven to actually work against depression. Exercise is proven to treat depression by reducing stress, ward off anxiety, boost self esteem and improves physical health. Another proven treatment for depression is psychotherapy, which is when a depressed person talks to a certified mental health doctor who uses communication techniques to find the root of the problem guide them to how to overcome their depression.
Data has shown that those who had taken antidepressants are shown to have the same results as those who took placebos in a controlled experiment. Placebo is a pill that has no physical effect, used to make one think they’ve taken the real pill, to produce a psychological effect for a controlled study test. For example one person takes an antidepressant then another person is given a placebo but is told they are given the same antidepressant. Sarah Boseley states that “When all the data was pulled together, it appeared that patients had improved, but those on placebos improved just as much as those on the antidepressants.” This shows that if people think they will get better, they in reality will get better with or without antidepressants. It also shows that depression is more of a psychological problem then a chemical problem that doesn’t need drugs to treat. Since people improve just as much by taking placebos which are used for psychological effects why even take antidepressants with all the unneeded chemicals when people don’t need them in the first place.
There are many ways to overcome depression, but antidepressants are not one of them. Antidepressants barely have any proof that they even work and yet people take them blindly because they are told. Also, antidepressants cannot help those who have external problems as their problems won’t go away just because they took some antidepressants. People really don’t need antidepressants as it is shown that those who didn’t take them improve as much as those who do. With all the facts indicating that antidepressants do not work, those with depression should seek other treatments that actually are proven to work against depression.


Boseley, Sarah “Prozac, used by 40m people, does not work says scientists”
The Guardian, Accessed Nov 30, 2010 Web http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/26/mentalhealth.medicalresearch
Diller, Lawrence “ Do Antidepressants work?” LiveReal Accessed Nov 30, 2010 Web http://www.livereal.com/psychology_arena/do_antidepressants_work.htm Kirsch, Irving “ Do Antidepressants work?” LiveReal Accessed Nov 30, 2010 Web http://www.livereal.com/psychology_arena/do_antidepressants_work.htm

No comments:

Post a Comment