Antidepressant Essay

Over the years the “rate of antidepressant use among all ages [have] seen an increase by nearly 400%...” even though deemed ineffective (Smith). This increase came about after more doctors were given a wider range of prescription rights; this allowed them to access a wider range of drugs, capable of delivering a greater level of high if misused. Patients are often prescribed medications without being fully evaluated, leading to treatments which might not be needed. As a result “‘… at least half the folks who are being treated with antidepressants aren't benefiting from the active pharmacological effects of the drugs themselves but from a placebo effect’ " (Hollon, Smith)which affects a person’s state of mind. The Placebo Effect creates the feeling that an ineffective drug is working because it is supposed to work even if the prescribed medication was a simple sugar-water mixture. The efficiency of antidepressants decrease as the prescriber moves across the classes. They are especially less effective when used to treat serious medical conditions but are often used instead of more serious

Psychotropic medications are drugs that has a powerful effect on the central nervous system in the brain. Psychotropic medication alters the chemical in the brain which effect thought, mood, emotions and behaviors. Drugs are prescribed to treat a diagnosed mental disorder/illness such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Depression, etc. Medications can be useful to treat or alleviate the symptoms that an individual may experience. However, at the same time, psychotropic medications can do more harm than good. Psychotropic drugs can present dangerous side effects, and there is a potential risk that the client has to consider before taking them. With that being said, the patient should always discuss with their doctor the risks and benefits or if there is an alternative treatment available. Psychotropic medication has always been a hot debate, especially when deciding if it should have administered to children or not.

Thus far, I have learned about the pros and cons to using medication in treatment with clients. In addition, I have seen first hand the benefits of implementing medications in client’s treatment plan. From my understanding, Depression is one of the most prevalent illnesses in the world. Because of this fact it is important that we understand and explore all the implications surrounding the use and efficacy for treatment. In order to treat our clients with the best care possible, we as therapist should be educated on the types of medications for depression, the impact they have on the body, and their efficacy of improving symptoms and overall functioning. In this paper I will explore three articles about antidepressants and their efficacy for treating clients with depression. In addition, I will provide my overall reaction to the studies and the material provided for the efficacy of antidepressants for treating depression.

Not only may medications be less effective than therapy, medication can have serious side effects that can make them dangerous, especially in children. “The link between antidepressants and suicide rates among children and adolescents is a very serious issue that both Congress and the FDA are investigating” (Davis). Medication meant to help with serious depression cannot be considered beneficial if it causes the patient to consider

Medical research, conducted in Great Britain and the United States, has revealed that patients of all ages taking antidepressant drugs can become addicted to the pills. They are also put at an extreme risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior (“Antidepressant Drugs”

In 1978 the fırst multi-site mental health epidemiologic study in the U.S. reported that more than 50% of community respondents with depressive disorders were treated exclusively within the primary care system. As a result, primary care was labeled the “de facto mental health system” for Americans with the more prevalent but less severe mental health disorders. Subsequent re- search over the next decade found that only 25% to 50% of patients with depressive disorders were accurately diagnosed by primary care physicians. Moreover, among those accurately diagnosed only 50% received minimally adequate pharmacologic treatment, and less than 10% received a minimally adequate number of psychotherapy visits.

Whether we are becoming a more depressed population or simply changing the standards by which we diagnose is an area of some controversy. What is certain is that the medical system is now processing and treating—with ever-changing cocktails of psychotherapy, support groups, and pharmaceuticals—20% more Americans every year than the year before. Depression—together with its aftermath—is a staggering epidemic sweeping the country, ravaging countless lives in its

Fournier et al. (2010) and Barbui et al. (2011) both concluded that there is a deficiency of support for the use of antidepressant medications in adults with minor depression. Fournier et al. (2010) found that antidepressant medication was not helpful in patients with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score less

It’s simply easy to discard a young adult with a hint of depression or anxiety in society’s eyes. In fact, depression is a fickle box, a diverse illness, with different prior causes and abstract theories (Mukherjee, New York Times Magazine, 2012). Most adults might be under a false impression that it’s a normal for children to have severe mood swings. As for the adults who have worked under the physiatric/medical field, knew professionally that wasn’t the case. Antidepressants is the key ingredient and solution for these young adults to handle for their own mental problems. Con: However, The U.S Food and Drug Administration slapped “black box” warning on antidepressants, with even a small minority chance of increased suicide risk, behind the agency's strongest safety alert (Olson, Omaha World-Herald, 2005).

Doctors have started to hand out antidepressants to almost everyone who claims to be depressed and in doing so the patient is at risk of becoming addicted to the medication. Approximately one in ten Americans takes antidepressants and they are now considered the most prescribed drug. From 1996 to 2005, the use of antidepressants rose from 5.84% to 10.12%. (WebMD). In a recent study it was shown that for people with mild to moderate depression antidepressants work no different than that with a placebo. (SAVVYpsychologist) “The placebo effect is improvement due to expectations, not to actual treatment. The placebo effect is powerful, and leads to real relief through sugar pills, fake

In 2004, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies (including Health Canada) issued stern warnings that a paradoxical risk of suicide ideation accompanied antidepressant usage in adolescents. Originally applicable to teenagers aged 13 to 17, the warnings were expanded to include young adults aged 18 to 24 in 2007 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2007). These warnings have eroded public confidence in antidepressants, causing fewer prescriptions to be issued (Gibbons, 2007). The FDA’s conclusion that newer antidepressants (SSRIs) cause suicide ideation in young people comes from a comprehensive review of all published and unpublished clinical trials. However, several prominent mental health experts dispute the validity of the FDA’s analysis and the recent decrease in antidepressant prescriptions has sparked an increase in youth suicide rates. The governmental warnings are actually harmful to adolescents, as SSRIs bring an advantageous risk to benefit ratio for suicide rates in the long term and can be safely used if properly monitored.

Pharmaceuticals are a very popular method of curing depression. Although they are popular these drugs show little to no progress in curing depression. In the article, "Taking Anti-Depressant Medication: A Qualitative Examination of Internet Postings,” proves this. The article gives accounts of multiple patients who have taken the medication and recorded their results. One patient states, “It seems like I’m about five times as anxious/depressed as I was pre-Paroxetine”. (353). Research proves that pharmaceuticals do not help individuals with their depression, but in fact cause it to worsen. The studies shows that many individuals receive a

The first step to treating many of these new cases of depression is the prescription and use of antidepressant medication, however this has cause a mass flooding of our society with unnecessary prescription drugs. Due to the ease of treatment, primarily with prescription drugs, and the large range of severity in depression is often over diagnosed, adding to the problem.

Hook: The recognition of depression as a common mental illness should lead to studies regarding what form of treatment is best for a patient, but antidepressants seem to be the unimpressive go-to.

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1