Do you have a headache? Pop a pill. Or maybe caught a cold? Take another one.
Are you feeling a little down? There is medication for that
too…
According to the findings just revealed by the National Center of Health statistics, the number of
Americans over 12 who takes anti depressants has increase by 400% over the last
twenty years. That is a 10 percent of the entire adult population in the United
States.
Now, we don’t have to search for happiness by our own
strength; there is a pill for that. It is shown that we throw away the
principle of “finding our happiness within”
by just popping a pill, because antidepressants are the second most common prescribed
class of drugs in the U.S., according to IMS Health.
What caused this depression trend must be the search for happiness that has been stressed past our abilities. The boost of the number of pills taken over twenty years shows that we are not feeling well and that wrong view has to be put straight.
What caused this depression trend must be the search for happiness that has been stressed past our abilities. The boost of the number of pills taken over twenty years shows that we are not feeling well and that wrong view has to be put straight.
Actually, antidepressants aren’t “wonder drugs” or “magic
beans”; they may in fact bring more harm than good.
By doing research about depression, there are studies that
show that: if someone is depressed and are taking the pill, they are correcting
the chemical imbalance in their brain. That said, the pill can balance the
levels of the chemical serotonin to a normal level, according to a Washington
University in St. Louis study. Though, according
to the study, if someone who already has a normal level of serotonin takes the
pill, it will not show the same antidepressant effects as if depressed. Which shows
us that antidepressants pills work only with the truly depressed.
Also harming us is the addicting
nature of the drug. Basing the argument of that a person takes the
antidepressants to get in a better mood by balancing out the serotonin levels
in the brain, it is almost impossible to stop taking these drugs without
risking withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal hormones of antidepressants have shown
to give symptoms like suicidal tendencies and sadness. So, this medication should be used in
caution, and not go in trends, like the 400% increase suggests.
But these pills are not really
“wonder drugs”...
According to placebo pill research made
last year by Irving Kirsch and Guy Sapirstein of the University of
Connecticut showed that the decrease of depression were just as apparent with
the true drug as with the placebo pill. Showing that an antidepressant worked just as well as taking
a tic-tac. So, this wonder pill maybe has more of a “myth" of happiness to it
than actual magic…
Though, as the medication may be perfect
help for the ones suffering deep depression that prohibits them from living a
normal every day life, people often use it when there is other options that
could work better and will not have the same side affects as with the
antidepressant drug.
This is where the “finding yourself” theory
that the Dalai Lama heavily supports comes in, which is based on finding inner
peace and working with your personal view of happiness. Karma, love,
education, having a clear mind and finding peace within yourself are definitely
stepping stones that may help you pop a gum instead of a pill. This gives us a great perspective of how important it is to
use yourself to find the bottom of the underlying problems that could eliminate
all signs of depression.
So, to be prescribed an
antidepressant may be very helpful, though there might be other answers out of
a depression instead of medication. Antidepressants should be used by the
deeply depressed, which the medication was made for, and not be popped as a
medication to bring you happiness. Try tic-tacs instead…
Whenever I'm sick, I always to try get through it without taking drugs. It is for those very reasons of placebo effect, addiction, and finding better ways that cause me to try to get through pain on my own. I think technology, especially in terms of drugs, are really harming the American people. We are becoming very weak, and just becoming dependent on drugs to fix every physical and mental problem we have. People aren't learning how to deal with them themselves, and are forcing their bodies to become useless since they never learn how to do deal with pain. If you're depressed or have a headache, go out and do something fun, don't just lazily pop a pill.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am aware of the large increase in use of antidepressants in the United States in recent years, I don’t entirely agree that it’s a bad thing. I think that the increase in pharmaceutical companies marketing initiatives for antidepressants in the last couple of decades has decreased the stigma of being depressed. Before this increase in the people medicated, there were still many that were depressed, they just didn’t do anything about it. Additionally, as someone who has a close family member who suffers from depression, it’s not just as simple as searching for happiness with their own strength. Many times the chemical imbalance is so strong that these people just simply cannot find the strength to be happy much less get out of bed and perform easy everyday tasks. I see what you’re saying about the pill being taken by people who don’t really need it and the negative effects that can ensue but that isn’t the problem of the specific drug rather, the incompetent doctor that prescribed it.
ReplyDeleteWell yes there are people who "just pop pills", depression is not easy to conquer because it is a mental disorder. Our mind is very powerful and it isn't that easy for people to just snap out of depression. Without the technology of antidepressants there would be a lot more cases of suicides. But I do agree with you that people should try to "find yourself" and try other methods as well, just depression is not that easy to battle.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with the above commenters that true depression is serious and should be treated, a lot of people overlook the role that lifestyle choices play in chemical processes in the brain. Studies have shown that something as simple as regular exercise can have a significant effect on restoring the proper chemical balance in the brain. In a similar vein, people who are severely overweight are more likely to be depressed than those at a more moderate weight level. The growth of antidepressant usage in the US has led a lot of people to just pop a pill to solve their problems rather than change the aspects of their lifestyle causing their depression in the first place. Furthermore, these pills will only act as a temporary fix, whereas if someone can pinpoint the cause of depression in their habits it will have a long-term positive effect. I agree with Caroline that the reliance on antidepressants needs to end; while it definitely should be used in severe cases, our society as a whole needs to end our reliance on drugs to solve our problems.
ReplyDeleteSome of the closest people in my life have suffered from depression. One of them was on meds for a long time until she got into "self-help." She decided to try and ween herself off the meds and try different methods including counseling. It is amazing to me to see her off of her meds and happy. I think there is a time for meds and sometimes with deeper issues they are good. I also think that people can overcome almost anything. This is the optimist in me, but I have seen some people overcome some amazingly tough addictions and deep depressions.
ReplyDeleteI tool a biological psychology class and they said that some non-medicated treatments were just as effective as medicated treatments.I don't think it is merely willpower that makes people overcome, but nutrition, a supportive social group, exercise, and a deeper "spiritual" uplifting. People's actions affect the chemical reactions in the brain just like a pill would.
It breaks my heart that there are so many people unhappy in life. I believe though, people can overcome anything. I hope everyone could find happiness and get the support they need to beat depression. It can be done! :)
This post is a great representation of what kind of society we live in today - the era of immediate gratification. It's human nature to intrinsically seek out the option that yields the quickest results, or the "path of least resistance." I do believe that antidepressants can be beneficial to people, but I feel that doctors should urge patients to explore alternative methods of treatment before they even consider antidepressants. It's also interesting to note that antidepressants are increasingly being prescribed by primary care providers - a shift away from what was traditionally territory for psychiatrists. Maybe primary care providers should think about referring all depressed patients to psychiatrists, which would promote more responsible dispensing of these drugs. Additionally, psychiatrists are specialists in this field, and because of such. they likely have the best chance at pin pointing what the core issue is, rather than just covering it up with medication.
ReplyDelete