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I've seen enough people in my life become addicted to antidepressants because of a traumatizing event in their life for me to have a dark outlook on it. Instead
by intralizee 9y ago
I've seen enough people in my life become addicted to antidepressants because of a traumatizing event in their life for me to have a dark outlook on it. Instead of therapy or taking real course of action to resolve the trauma/inner problem, a doctor will just label a person suffering depression. The greatest use of an umbrella-word "Depression" to get people on prescription medication and typically the problem never goes away as the problem is now just a word associated to illness one must have. A pseudo science practice at best and impossible for a trusting person to escape it. My personal opinion is that there are few people actually on the drug that are suffering "depression" without a rational life event cause.
- yodsanklai 9y agoAntidepressants have drawbacks, but what matters is that the benefits outweigh the cost. That is something that doctors discuss with their patients when considering such a treatment.
- etiam 9y agowhether the benefits outweigh the cost, and that is something doctors should discuss objectively with their patients when considering such a treatment. These substances are yet another instance in the history of psychopharmacology where the touted benefits have been exaggerated and the harmful side effects denied. They have their place, but in the bodies of a sizable fraction of the current patients is not it.
- make3 9y agoThere is no doubt that antidepressant therapy needs to be combined with psychotherapy, sports, meditation and just reducing the unhealthy parts of your life. The cost of taking antidepressants is really low however. Most of the time, they have almost no side effects, and are proven to help https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k847 https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k847 Where I live, they are pretty cheap. I find that there is undue bias against antidepressants. If you need them, take them! They help.
- intralizee 9y agoHow exactly is the cost really low? The study you linked doesn't scientifically prove antidepressants help. Exactly, what undue bias against antidepressants have you found?
- 0xcde4c3db 9y agoI often see antidepressants held to more stringent standards of evidence, theoretical backing, and safety than other treatments. It's pretty common to see someone claim that the chemical imbalance theory is bunk and that antidepressants don't outperform placebo, then glowingly endorse something else with markedly less scientific support as a treatment for depressive disorders (e.g. exercise, supplements, insight-oriented psychotherapies, mindfulness meditation).
- intralizee 9y agoI’m not sure how this adds to answering the questions and which I’m apparently downvotes for curiosity. Apparently treatment in regard to a diagnosis of depression does not need scientific standards of evidence and we should just experiment on people willing to trust misinformative beliefs of promoting unclear benefits which may not exist.
- pseudoscience 9y agoThat is absolute rubbish and you know it. There are thousands, if not millions of cases where people have had side effects. The bias isn't undue, most of the time it's factual and comes from anecdotal experience. You sound like you haven't ever been on antidepressants, and are instead regurgitating soundbites from a medical journal.
- nugget 9y agoI've seen cases where antidepressants saved people's lives. I've also seen cases where they were pushed on people who needed psychotherapy and not medication. Access to quality psychotherapy is unfortunately very low.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]