Recently there’s been a lot of media attention directed at the antidepressants versus placebo debate. It seems controlled studies have shown placebos, given unknowingly to a depressed patient, have gained as good results as giving the actual medication. In the fine print to the study, which seems news reports fail to mention or skip over quickly, is that this finding was based on people with mild depression.
Naturally all this study has done is raise the ‘It’s all in your imagination’ statements and, I dare say, reiterated a whole lot of mental illness ignorance along the way. Personally I do agree antidepressants are prescribed too often. I think they’re overused and overrated in several cases. There is a difference between clinical depression caused by a chemical imbalance, and situation depression caused by, yes you guessed it, a certain situation. But, for many people who struggle with clinical depression, antidepressants have been the key to life or death.
Perhaps a lot of the problem stems from the ‘quick fix’ mentality of several medical professionals. Over recent years scripts for antidepressants are passed over almost as willingly as antibiotics. I doubt this is helping anyone in the long run. A script for Xanax can’t cure a volatile marriage for instance. It can’t cure financial problems and it can’t cure loneliness. These are situational examples of where depression may not be classified as clinical. Examples of where antidepressant placebos are likely to ‘help’ by way of mind over matter.
I’m not speaking from the point of view of someone who takes antidepressants. I was diagnosed with bipolar in December 2006 and, for me, antidepressants were more harm than good. They brought on rapid mood cycling and increased the psychotic features of my bipolar. (Hearing voices, paranoia, hallucinations, etc) Given that, it’s obvious there was no placebo mind over matter cure all for me. They didn’t make me feel fantastic; they made me feel as though I were going insane. Hence, I was promptly taken off them and placed on antipsychotic medication and mood stabilisers.
Mental illness, in all its forms, is right up there with epilepsy in regards to mediaeval misunderstanding and ignorance. Such a controlled study - and I often wonder how controlled these studies actually are and the cross section of people really used - has achieved nothing in regards to science other than point out the blindingly obvious whilst pushing mental awareness further back into the dark ages. I wonder how much money was invested in this study? They could have handed the cheque over to me and I’d have told them immediately what probably took them months to discover. Antidepressants are little help to those existing in depressing, anxiety filled situations. No antidepressant in the world is able to cure my grief over my partner’s suicide. What has helped me is talking it out, attending a support group, interaction with people and my psychiatrist.
So instead of these scientists, and ultimately journalists who sometimes misreport stories, telling the public a very broad finding, they would do mental illness awareness far more justice by telling the whole truth. Rather than point blank state antidepressants don’t work on many people, they should give an explanation of why. The last thing those who suffer from mental illness need is the ‘snap out of it’ attitude of others. Doctors need to stop handing out scripts for antidepressants like candy and concentrate on the root of the problem. In dire situations, where a patient presents as suicidal or deeply depressed, then a prescription for medication is warranted. But, when a patient presents as mildly depressed this avenue, in my opinion, isn’t the most logical route to take.
I’m all for studies on mental illness. What I don’t agree with is anything that throws any progress made straight down the toilet. We don’t need to hear the ‘it’s all in your head’ comments from friends or family let alone in the media.
Do antidepressants work for everyone? No they don’t. Have they saved other’s people’s lives? Yes they have. Does aspirin ease a headache? Yes it can. Can it cure a migraine? No it can’t. The fact medications don’t work for everyone is old news. Scientists should focus their attention on discovering new theories not regurgitate what intelligent people have already figured out for themselves.