I would like to get all of your opinions on this article.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/depression/articlep...=100202836>1=31009

Geez...that was an awful short article...couldn't you have found something a wee bit longer....holy cow my eyes hurt..

"emphasizes the need for a science of personalized medicine."

I agree and beleive in this. These drugs only mask whats going on and I don't beleive in them. They perscribe these because they say you have an imbalance of brain chemicals. If your not going to actually test the chemicals in my brain how can you give me medicine for it. Check ME out...don't class me with everyone else who comes in with the same symtoms.

Get to the root of the problem and fix it. These are just mood altering chemicals. Now I do think they come in handy to smooth one over mood wise but that should only be until the cause is identified and solution found. Thing is once you stop taking them you are more prone to be in a worse situation.

Pharmicutical companies have themselves a multi billion dollar business....hmmm I wonder why they push all these drugs and claim they work so well.

I just don't think drugs are the answer in most situations......just my opinion...

My history with antidepressants is mixed - My ex is on every one created and it hasn't done him much good. I have taken some recently to battle a rough time in my life with great results. I believe they can go either way.... interesting article

It saved my sanity! :P

The profound loss I felt 10 years ago threw my life into a spiraling panic chaos. I've come a long way but I doubt I'm ever going to be completely cured.

Though... what is completely wierd is this new electrical probe I saw on TV this week. They placed a pace maker and an electrode prod deep into this woman's brain to stimulate nerve cells. She claims she is incredibly happy.... happier than she's ever been.

That's kinda drastic! Brain Probe Story

OMG....WOW....Scary if you ask me....
Run Forest Run.....

While I believe the need for antidepressants is necessary and sometimes critical for many people who suffer from all forms and degrees of depression. I also feel that society seriously abuses the treatment of these drugs. It seems everyone and anyone is on some from of antidepressant medication. And it's really quite sad that it now seems to have become the norm. It's also incredibly alarming that Dr.'s are willing to prescribe antidepressants like they're handing out candy. My only objection with antidepressants is that people become so needy and dependent on these drugs that they spend the rest of their lives clutched to the little bottle of pills in order to be able to function in everyday life and perform the simplest of tasks. Afterall the idea of taking antidepressants is to trick your brain into acting 'normal' again (trying to keep it as non-technical as possible) take it for the 'prescribed time' and then kiss them goodbye.

As far as do antidepressants work? I have no doubt they work for most. However, like anything else, the effect varies from person to person and there are many reasons surrounding that. A few of which I found very interesting after reading this article. 1) genetics; 2) people who were abused in childhood were less likely to respond to medication and be more likely to respond to talk therapy; 3) enzymes in the liver in which there is also great genetic variation.

All in all, when used intelligently and lawfully, antidepressants have probably saved many people from death's doors.

The area of the brain that these medications work on is known as the limbic system. It has to do with your autonomic nervous system response, pleasure centers, etc... You hear alot about the effects of these meds on dopamine and seratonin-- neurotransmitters believed to be responsible for some mood disorders.

My understanding of all of this is that the limbic system is still not well understood. Antidepressants and other psychotropic medications have been observed to have effects on neurotransmitters and, therefore, effects on mood. The effects are studied in terms of people's reported response to medication, which is difficult to measure.

The article you provided is based on a meta-analysis of data, which appears to be credible. It's findings seem to imply that those with moderate or mild depression have questionable results from antidepressants. Those with initially severe depression had more results from the meds.

My opinion: That those with severe clinical depression benefit from medication. I think there is a tendency for doctors to prescribe antidepressants to patients who may not really need them. For those patients who don't really have a neurotransmitter imbalance, I can see why antidepressants have little or no effect.

I take a mild anti-depressant in the winter months to deal with the darkness

quote:

Originally posted by missabb:
My understanding of all of this is that the limbic system is still not well understood.

in the 70s and early 80s they prescribed exstacy for depression. Too bad I can't get a prescription for that (kidding)

I believe that it is simply a case by case thing. I know that in our office I see people all the time that suffer from every degree of depression and anxiety and that these medications do work. However, they are much more effective when combined with individual therapy. If you aren't going to get to the root of the problem then the medication just covers the symptoms. I also know that irregardless if a person doesn't want help then medication or therapy are both a moot point. I was placed on an antidepressant when I returned from Afghanistan last year and it helped tremendously however, I also had to have therapy to dissect what the real reasons for the depression were. I think that most people will at some point in their lives be in need of medication and/or therapy and that they need to decide from themselves what's best for them.

Thank you all for your opinions. I appreciate it you all being honest with me.

quote:

Originally posted by smshybug:
Thank you all for your opinions. I appreciate it you all being honest with me.

Who could lie to those eyes.....

People are different. I've dealt with enough depression and seen others going through it because of what my daughter has been through. There are different meds out there and they can affect the same person differently, just as the same med can affect different people differently. I know that in some cases antidepressants are known to make things worse for some people, so they end up experimenting to find the best med and dose for that person. I do actually believe that medication does indeed help, I've seen enough evidence of that....however I also believe that some sort of counseling should also be used in most cases, that medication alone is not necessarily enough.

With that said.....I also think that some doctors are too fast to subscribe medication. I'm glad that what was available for us was a more full program for my daughter. Yes they prescribed meds but also set us up with counseling that was twice a week, group thing for kids with depression/self destructive behavior as well as individual counseling to better address each one's root problems.