Depressed about the psychopharmacological industry
The subway ad goes something like this:
Behind the ad, unseen, is money poured into serious research from our government to find us these magic happy pills. So that big multinationals can patent them and make tons of money off of sad people.
The reality, it turns out, is that though these drugs can be life-savers for some, they are not necessary for most. So says an open letter written recently in Science magazine by pschychiatrists from around the world. Turns out alot of effective treatments are free and you don't even need a prescription for. Here's an excerpt:
So, why are so many Americans on antidepressants? These docs have an idea:
Yeah. So there are plenty of cheap and healthy treatments for depression, like excercise, meditation, and the above mentioned treatments, but because they don't make the pharm industry a buck, they're ignored. Probably ditto for drugs that make you thinner, drugs that "improve sexual performance", etc...
Here's a PDF of the full letter with the list of the authors, whom we can be thankful to for their wisdom and courage to speak up about this.
Depressed? Do you feel like you've lost motivation? Have you been feeling worthless or down on yourself? Well, you may be eligible to participate at no cost in a research study at "insert institute name here" evaluating antidepressant medications!
Behind the ad, unseen, is money poured into serious research from our government to find us these magic happy pills. So that big multinationals can patent them and make tons of money off of sad people.
The reality, it turns out, is that though these drugs can be life-savers for some, they are not necessary for most. So says an open letter written recently in Science magazine by pschychiatrists from around the world. Turns out alot of effective treatments are free and you don't even need a prescription for. Here's an excerpt:
A single night of total or partial sleep deprivation--"wake therapy"--induces rapid and dramatic, albeit usually short-lasting, improvement of mood in about 60% of all depressed patients, independent of diagnostic subgroup (1). A positive response to sleep deprivation predicts and hastens the response to antidepressant medication (1). Sleep deprivation can be combined with a variety of drugs to maintain the response attained within hours (2-4)--theoretically, a perfect combination (5).
Light therapy is the only treatment in psychiatry that evolved directly out of neurobiological models of behavior (6, 7). It is the treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression (6), but is also efficacious in nonseasonal depression (8-10). Light therapy is characterized by a fast onset of antidepressant action--within days--and it can prevent the depressive relapse after recovery sleep following sleep deprivation (4, 11). Furthermore, light and medication can be combined (8-12).
So, why are so many Americans on antidepressants? These docs have an idea:
Sleep deprivation and light therapy cannot be patented, and they will not bring profits to the conventional psychopharmacology industry...
Yeah. So there are plenty of cheap and healthy treatments for depression, like excercise, meditation, and the above mentioned treatments, but because they don't make the pharm industry a buck, they're ignored. Probably ditto for drugs that make you thinner, drugs that "improve sexual performance", etc...
Here's a PDF of the full letter with the list of the authors, whom we can be thankful to for their wisdom and courage to speak up about this.
posted by morphogenpermanent link
2 Comments:
hmmm...marcelo you bring up very good points. i was on those "happy pills" for four years and did not notice a significant change. the changes in my mood came when i forced myself to find happiness in other places - the beach, swimming, with horses, etc. finding happiness in these places made me find happiness within myself because i realized these wonderful things were also a part of me.
these mood altering drugs are not as safe as they seem. recent studies have shown an increase in suicide of patients who first start them or get off of them without a doctor's consent. granted, they are drugs that you must be weaned off of otherwise the ramifications can be horrific. being especially sensitive to side effects, i was extremely sick, agitated and i thought i was going crazy. i can definitely see how one would slip into the realm of suicide. and getting off of them? the same thing can happen if you don't do it slowly. i was out of town and i ran out of my prescription - the nurse refused to let me talk to my doctor or get it filled since i was due for a "check-up" (i.e. once every 3 month visit where they ask me how i'm feeling and write me another prescription). so i went a little nuts and luckily was involved in a serious project that was extremely demanding physically and allowed me to be outside 12 hours a day and sleep deprived (averaged 4 hours a night) for 8 days. i know if i had been in a different situation, i could have been affected very very differently. but i saw first hand the benefits of exercise, the sun, and sleep deprivation.
i would also like to stress that these "happy pills" are bullshit without the proper therapy to support them. i was in therapy for about 6 months of the 4 years which is why i think they really didn't benefit me.
sad people of america - don't lose heart and don't hide behind pills. they are not the answers. take pleasure in the sun, music, friends...anything. there are no quick fixes and these drugs are just a way for the government to make millions of dollars. and if you do need them, use them correctly and seek alternate therapies as well!!
Hey, thanks for your comments. I'm glad you don't think I was just talking out of my butt. I have never been on anti-depressants ever so I can't speak first hand. I have done talk therapy, and that has worked wonders for me, but also some reading on Buddhist approaches to channeling and training one's thoughts to actually chemically and physically change the brain in a healthy and natural way, without having to resort to drugs.
Oh, and I fixed the link to the full letter from Science. You might need a PDF reader like Acrobat to read it.
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