Winter is a peak season for both illness and depression, but don’t worry. These days, there seems to be a drug available to remedy nearly every malady imaginable. Our country has many options for treating illnesses, and countless people benefit from them every day. But too often, medication becomes a “fix-it-all” for both doctors and patients. The trap is especially prevalent when it comes to antidepressants, and it’s worrisome that having a prescription for some type of antidepressant has become so common.
Some doctors are giving prescriptions too frequently, disregarding the importance of psychotherapy and other treatments for depression. According to U.S. News & World Report, “of those treated (for depression), the proportion taking antidepressants soared from 37 to 75 percent between 1987 and 1997.” In addition, the number of patients obtaining psychotherapy dropped 11 percent, though studies show old-fashioned therapy works just as well for many types of depression.
While antidepressants have helped many, and it should be an adult’s choice whether to use drugs, antidepressants pose obvious problems. Side effects for different antidepressants range from headaches to convulsions, and sometimes the behavioral changes induced are far from desirable.
Few studies have been done to determine long-term side effects of certain antidepressants. Research is especially scarce when it comes to children and adolescents. Still, the drugs are widely prescribed for young people, with dosages based on height and weight.
A Portland jury awarded $5.5 million to a college student who attempted suicide after being prescribed first Zoloft and then Prozac. Johnston sued his doctor, who had given him the prescriptions but failed to monitor the effects. Eric Harris, one of the Columbine shooters, was taking Luvox.
Does this mean their medications caused their behavior? Not necessarily. Pharmaceutical companies vehemently deny any implications, claiming the illness, not the medication, was the cause. But the correlation is definitely disturbing.
Adults have experienced problems as well. Last year, a group of 35 patients filed a major class action lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline, alleging they’d suffered extreme withdrawal effects while trying to stop taking the drugs Paxil and Seroxat. The company claims the substances are nonaddictive.
Does all this mean we should take antidepressant medications off the market? No. But what it adds up to is the need for both doctors and patients to make better choices. It’s a call for pharmaceutical companies to be honest about side effects of the drugs they manufacture. Children shouldn’t be prescribed antidepressants, except in extreme cases, until further research is completed.
Antidepressants are drugs. Like other drugs, they alter the body’s chemical balance. Patients should review all possible side effects of the drugs and discuss in-depth with doctors and therapists whether they really need antidepressants. Psychotherapy is often a better alternative.
The choice should ultimately be the patient’s — and in the case of a minor, the patient’s parents as well — but it should also be an informed one.