Antidepressants: friend or foe?

Depression, the “black dog”

Many famous people have had the “black dog”, a phrase coined by Winston Churchill, follow them around. Many more have suffered in silence until they could bear it no longer, hence the many unexplained suicides. Depression is a “deadly” mental illness that is little understood by those who have not experienced it themselves.

Depression is more than just feeling a little sad; it’s feeling that you’ll never be happy again and that life has no meaning. It’s crippling and debilitating and makes it difficult to perform the simplest of tasks. It wreaks havoc on your system, causing headaches, migraine, stomach irritations, digestive problems, changes in appetite, weakness, extreme tiredness, insomnia, etc.

Depression medication: friend or foe?

“Depression, or more accurately, unrepaired emotional short-circuiting, can absolutely devastate your health”, remarks Dr Joseph Mercola, renowned natural health practitioner. That said, he adds: “If you are following the traditional paradigm you will most likely receive a prescription for antidepressants. Unfortunately, they simply don’t work any better than placebos, and there are many studies that clearly document this.”

Despite this damning negative and disapproving conclusion, those who have walked the depression road see it differently. Here are some comments by people who have battled depression with the help of antidepressants.

“Antidepressants have undoubtedly been my friend. They have helped me build a bridge between two opposing worlds and the value of that path cannot be underestimated. When I couldn’t see the wood from the trees antidepressants gave me a starting point from which to map out my recovery. They were the buoyancy aid that stopped me going under and for that I will always be grateful.”

“Equally, I will always be angered and insulted by the judgements of others about what taking antidepressants means. They are not the only answer but they are a bloody good start. Those who say that we have to treat the root of the problem and change the world and not the chemicals within our brains; I take my hat off to. And wholeheartedly agree. But in an imperfect world, antidepressants are an imperfect solution. And I, for one, think an imperfect solution is better than none at all.”

In summary, many who have walked the depression road agree that taking antidepressants has been the start to their recovery. Sometimes there are problems finding the right antidepressant for the right person. However, the general consensus is that once the medication starts to take effect, it becomes more possible to start making small, positive changes to one’s lifestyle. Implementing natural remedies and therapies such as eating a healthy diet, using natural supplements, exercising, meditating, addressing emotional stress, going for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or light therapy, etc only becomes possible when one starts feeling like a fully functional human being again. Also, the ultimate goal is and always will be to get well enough to be able to gradually stop taking medication.

Although, many who have never experienced a serious bout of depression beg to differ, those who have are made to feel guilty for taking medicine for their mental health problem. As one sufferer points out: “It’s no different than taking medicine for any other health problem or having a broken leg treated.” However, “regardless of what you were doing when you broke your leg, no one ever tells you to ‘snap out of it’ or tells you that it’s your fault”.

Sources

Mercola, J. Ten antidepressant alternatives proven to work. Retrieved from: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/29/10-antidepressant-alternatives-proven-to-work.aspx
Opinion: antidepressants – friend or foe? Retrieved from: http://www.thejournal.ie/readme