The Hidden Harm Of Antidepressants Analysis

Certain medicine can’t be effective on everyone that uses it. After reading the arguments from both side. I do agree that on some degree antidepressants does have effects on suicidal thoughts, but in contrast to the absence of antidepressants usage increase the suicidal rate way higher. Medicine are just a factor that help soothe the person’s condition, the main reason is how the person view the world, themselves, and their future. Therefore, I think that the individuals shouldn’t stop their medication on antidepressants because it does help treat their depression which can also cause suicide if it isn’t treated carefully. Authorities should also keep an eye on them to make sure the medications are going well and doesn’t cause any side effect for the

Antidepressant drugs taken by children have been linked to increased risk of suicide. Exasperated mental health professionals began prescribing antidepressants to children and teens in large proportions in the 1990’s, even though studied safety of such drugs for use in minors had not been conducted. Consequently, standard growth models and brain development may be impaired by the use of these drugs. Moreover, children may be risking one evil for another as adult years could prove to hold adverse side effects and health risks from prolonged use of these drugs.

In Issue 13 of Taking Sides, the controversial question Have Antidepressant Drugs Proven to be Effective is analyzed. Psychiatrist Peter D. Kramer argues in this issue that antidepressant drugs "can transform depressed patients into happy people with almost no side effects" (p.212). On the contrary, professors of psychology Seymour Fisher and Roger P. Greenburg "claim that the studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of antidepressants are seriously flawed" (p.212). Kramer's agreement with the statement above is due mostly to the testing he did with his patient Tess and antidepressant drugs. However Fisher and Greenberg disagree with the statement mainly because of the bias drug studies that

There has been evidence that links antidepressants to the causes of violent outbursts in individuals. This led to my decision in doing my ORT on whether antidepressants have more of a negative effect on the human body rather than the positive effects they are expected to have. This investigation will be carried out by sending various surveys to psychiatrics. These are doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses such as depression. Another survey will be sent to individuals who are currently or were previously on antidepressants.

Since the early 20th century millions of people have suffered with some form of depression, which is categorized as either Major Depression, Clinical Depression or Major Depressive Disorder. However it’s categorized, the symptoms include severe sadness, inability to cope with day to day issues, and a general lack of interest in family, friends and/or life in general. Over the years that astounding number has been both a boon to the economy and a ray of hope for sufferers in the form of antidepressants. One of the first medications introduced as a treatment in the United States in 1998, was Prozac (Fluoxetine), which is an SSRIs or Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, which works to balance out the feelings of pleasure and emotions, which is why it was dubbed the “Happy Pill”. It was widely touted to be the solution for the masses, however for many who suffered with severe depression, it was not such a ray of hope. Prozac soon became associated with aggression and suicidal tendencies by the media. This paper will support the evidence that Prozac, while very effective for mild depressive symptoms is linked to aggression and suicide in both adult and minors who suffer from major depression.

Even though many consider medications as a treatment to depression, it has high risk factors. It’s true that antidepressants like SSRI’s supposedly help the quality of improved life. However, are the consequences worth it? First of all, women using antidepressants have 20 % increase in both PTB and LBW compared to those who never used them during pregnancy (Cantarutti, Merlino, Monzani, Giaquinto, Corrao 1). Antidepressant medication is frequently prescribed to pregnant and lactating mothers. Women taking medications as treatment during pregnancy has a higher risk of getting birth defects to their children. Medications has proved to cause like metabolic syndrome and bipolar disorder. Generally, if SSRIs are taken during pregnancy,

According to our reading, talking about how antidepressants work is a simple answer “we don’t know” (Elliott Ingersoll, 2016, p. 84). What I do know, is that there are many people that do not want to take antidepressants. I have experienced this at the facility where I intern at. I first ask my patient why are they unsure about taking antidepressants. We then explain to them that there are many reasons why individuals become depressed and how everyone is different. As well as individuals who take an antidepressant might experience improvements in their depression and improvements in quality of life. Individuals feel less reactive to difficult life events, having fewer negative obsessive thoughts, as well as they can stop and consider their

Pharmaceutical companies do everything they can to make the studies turn out right" (7). Some people may think that the federal government actually supervises the safety of all the drugs that are screened, but this is not the case. The drug manufacturers themselves do the testing and can therefore pick the doctors who would endorse the drug. These are often people with longstanding relationships with the company. In the Manufacturer's Report of June 1998, Eli Lilly claims: "the efficacy of Prozac for the treatment of patients with depression (>18 years of age) has been studied in 5 and 6 week placebo-controlled studies"(6). There are several major points that are essentially left unsaid by this statement. One might ask is this drug safe for adolescence or the elderly; what are the effects of long-term dosages on the nervous system; was this drug able to prevent suicide in at risk patients? The answer to these questions is that they don't know. The community at large is basically one big guinea pig at the moment with thousands of people on antidepressants. "86 percent of all the patients in all the studies were treated for 'three months or less'"(7). This is inadequate time to monitor the effects on one's body. It will not be surprising if, twenty years from now, someone discovers major damage is done to the liver or the brain. There has already been evidence that Prozac is addictive. In addition to the lack of long-term observations, the trials did not

Depression is a big business; big pharmaceutical companies are investing millions in finding relief for those that are immune to current selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SRNI) medications. SRNI and SSRI targets the serotonin receptors and neurotransmitter to assist with regulating mood by blocking the reuptake process. This allows serotonin to build up between neurons so messages can be sent correctly. It does a balancing act and regulates happy neurotransmitter for those that lack this function in their brain. There is an estimate of over 350 million individuals worldwide with 1 million individuals committing suicide every year (World Health Organization 2016). This estimate

The article goes on to say how the majority of antidepressants are not as effective as they say to be. It also states that there is an over-diagnosis of depression that leads to over-treating it when it is not necessary and can even be dangerous for one’s behaviour.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), both adult and pediatric, may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality) or unusual changes in behavior, whether or not they are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until significant remission occurs. Suicide is a known risk of depression and certain other psychiatric disorders, and these disorders themselves are the strongest predictors of suicide. There has been a long-standing concern, however, that antidepressants may have a role in inducing worsening of depression and the emergence of suicidality in certain patients during the early phases of treatment.

In this case control study, nonfatal suicidal behaviors were observed in patients treated with mitriptyline, fluoxetine, and paroxetine compared to patients treated with dothiepin. The study found the possibility of suicidal behaviors is aliken(higher) within users of mitriptyline, fluoxetine, and paroxetine compared to users of dothiepin. The possibility of suicidal behaviors to occur is four times more likely after the first administration of antidepressant than 90 days after the prescription. The study also found sex as anprincipal associate to suicidal behavior. Females were more commonly diagnosed with depression and more likely to exhibit nonfatal suicidal behaviors whereas males were more likely to commit suicide. The study also noticed

Major depressive disorder is an important public health problem, and one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Although there are several antidepressants drugs available in the clinical setting, which provide a good improvement in the patient’s condition, about 50% of patients diagnosed with MDD do not respond adequately to the fist-line treatment with conventional antidepressants, and about 30% present a Treatment Resistant Depression, and thus not improvement upon two trials of different antidepressants drugs. Additionally, there is a 3-4 week delay in the onset of therapeutic improvement upon antidepressant administration. This window between the administration and clinical progress is particularly difficult for patients with persistent suicidal ideation. Furthermore, even when patients remit after a major depressive episode, some of them will relapse in the future. However, and despite this represent a great clinical question, there is no way to determine if a patient

This source is mixed-method as it has both primary and secondary research. It uses statistics to show the amount of people that are using antidepressants which is the secondary aspect. The different types of harmful effects that antidepressants have on the human body are primary because it has been researched and studied. Paul Andrews is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior at McMaster University in Canada. He has also done research in the evolution of depression. Paul Andrews is an expert in the field of depression and antidepressant medication. This source was also analyzed by Anderson Thompson who also specializes in psychiatry. This was published in September 2012, but this research was compiled over the years. The information is up to date but recently others have challenged the harmful effects of antidepressants.

As the world becomes more knowledgeable about mental health, psychotropic drugs have become popular in the treatment of major depression. For example, primary care physicians prescribe psychotropic drugs to patients who seek help for and complain about their mental issues. According to Smith (2012), “Writing a prescription to treat a mental health disorder is easy, but it may not always be the safest or most effective route for patients” (p.36). Prozac, a popular psychotropic drug, has been known to cause many uncomfortable side effects while treating major depression. Psychotropic drugs, while still practical, are not the only treatment for dealing with major depression, and there will be patients that respond positively towards the drugs while other patients require treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy. While the physicians try to cure their patients of the symptoms of depression with Prozac, major depression often requires additional therapy alongside the prescribed pills. This literature review considers whether the increased use of Prozac is appropriate for treating major depression by responding to the following questions: