Do Anti-depressants Really Work to Treat Depression?

Depression is a very common problem among our society today. More people are signing up for anti-depressants than we can count, and it seems we are unable to watch TV without a commercial coming on to tell us that we are depressed and need this drug or that medicine. Do anti-depressants actually work though?

Most likely the answer is no.

It turns out; a case study was performed in which half of the subjects were given one of the six major brands of anti-depressants. The other half was given a placebo. Strangely enough, 80 percent of the placebo group had the same success as the group taking the actual pills. It seems anti-depressants work mainly because we think they will. This might also explain why anti-depressants don’t work for everyone.

Why doesn't that approach work?

The problem is science, more specifically biology. Biologist want to tell us that every emotion, feeling, thought, memory and the very depth of our subconscious mind are all just hormones and chemical reactions. Using this assumption, we just need to find the chemicals or hormones that make us depressed or happy, and then we find a chemical that blocks the sad chemicals or increases the happy ones. It’s like magic!

In reality this doesn’t really work that well. Emotions and the interaction between our mind and our brain are incredibly complicated. From the recent studies on anti-depressants showing that fake pills work about as good as real ones, we can safely assume that battling depression has a lot to do with our mind. This means you may have better luck going to see a shrink. Better yet, try exercising. Running has been proven to release the natural happy drug called endorphins in your brain.

What can we do instead?

So before you jump on the anti-depressant bandwagon, if you feel depressed all the time, it may be a good idea to try talking to a psychotherapist. Some people have a natural chemical problem in their brain that makes them feel depressed. Medication may or may not help these people.

Many people have genuine reasons to feel depressed. Either something has happened or is currently happening in their life to make them feel depressed. If they can’t figure out what that reason is or they don’t know how to shake the depression, they should talk to a licensed therapist. These people are trained to guide others to the cause of the problem and assist with the solution.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression, talk to your doctor to see if psychotherapy is a good treatment option before you jump anti-depressants that have questionable effectiveness and side effects like nausea, insomnia, anxiety, diarrhea, constipation and headaches.

IMPORTANT!

If you are currently on anti-depressants, DO NOT change your dose or stop taking them until consulting you doctor first.