Anti-Depressants and Your Mental Health
Antidepressant medicines like Wellbutrin have had a dramatic impact on the lives of millions of people suffering from Depression. However, we should consider these promising findings with caution.
Limitations of existing researches
The “file drawer problem” is present in most researches. This term refers to the fact that the studies that don’t show benefits of an intervention are often filed away. Researchers don’t even consider them for publication. In one analysis of 74 FDA registered studies on antidepressants, 31% of the studies, accounting for 3,349 study participants, were not published. 94% of the published medication trials reported positive findings.
This bias towards publishing only positive results severely limits our ability to evaluate the efficacy of antidepressants because we are only seeing a part of the actual data (Turner et al., 2008).
Furthermore, some researchers have raised some very good questions in the past. They ask whether people with less than severe depression might have experienced positive results because of their expectation of benefit. This is also known as the placebo effect (Kirsch et al., 2008). This shows that only medication is not enough, psychotherapy also should continue for better results.
Can antidepressants cause suicides?
The media often talks about the rising suicide risk associated with the SSRI antidepressants. However, an investigation studied all the suicides committed in the US between 1996 and 1998. It revealed a lower rate of suicide among individuals who consumed these medicines as compared to other forms of antidepressants.
In part, this association was due to the generally better medical care provided in facilities that prescribe SSRIs compared to the older and less effective tricyclic antidepressants (Gibbons, Hur, Bhaumik, & Mann, 2005). The beneficial effects of SSRIs are pretty popular. However, statistics show that these medications can provoke extreme impulsive behaviors, including suicide attempts.
For how long must we have antidepressants?
Generally, antidepressant medications take from 2 to 6 weeks before a client’s symptoms begin to decrease. Once the symptoms of depression have decreased, the professional urges the client to continue the medication for 4 to 5 additional months. The period is much longer for clients with a history of recurrent, severe depressive episodes.
Having said that, medicines tend to have side effects and raise concerns for the client. Hence, doctors have found it helpful to develop therapeutic programs that involve regular visits early in treatment. This also expands the efforts to educate clients about the medications and continued monitoring of treatment compliance.
Conclusion
To conclude, we may say that antidepressants may be helpful as well as harmful. We still require a lot of research to get a clearer picture. However, Depression cannot be treated with only medicines; therapy is just as important. A little bit of patience can help a lot in getting rid of this Disorder.
Click here to contact a Psychologist who can help you (or someone you know) get rid of Depression.
Originally published at blog.mindsolace.com on June 18, 2017.
