FDA seeks antidepressant suicide warning

FDA seeks antidepressant suicide warning

news.yahoo.com

The Food and Drug Administration asked makers of the drugs to expand its warning labels to include adults age 18-24. The labels already include similar warnings for children and adolescents......The FDA advises that patients of all ages starting on antidepressants should be "monitored appropriately and observed closely" for worsening symptoms, suicidal thoughts or behaviors or unusual changes in behavior.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Now I know there are some people who needs these types of medicine. However, generally when a person is JUST DEPRESSED it’s because their unhappy about something in their life. No medicine on earth is going to make them HAPPY.

Happiness, comes from within. If your current situation in life is making you that unhappy that your thinking of killing yourself, then it’s time for a change.

There’s nothing wrong with just finding out what you like in life and moving there will you know you will be happy.

I think some people are stuck in locations that just isn’t them and therefore it makes them very unhappy. Take a sun lover for instances their not going to like it where it’s cold and snowy. Their going to be more happy in the south or where they can get out and enjoy that sun.

A person who lives to ski and that’s his life isn’t going to be happy in the south. He needs to be up north where there’s more snow than warm sun.

I think doctors just medicate people way too much. Most of the time a change is all someone needs.

I’m not talking about your mentally messed up people who hears voices and stuff or see something that isn’t there. I’m talking about plain old depression, Most of the time they just need to find something that is going to make them happy. No medicine is ever going to do this.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3-5-2007 by Shar]

I can't agree more Shar..I've always believed that these anti-depressant drugs were nothing but a scam and a way for pharmecutical companies to line their pockets. There are natural ways to relieve depression, exercise, healthy diet, and positive hobbies. Simple stuff can help a lot, but these pharmecuticals push their agenda that if you aren't happy, you are abnormal and you need drugs.

There are natural ways to relieve depression, exercise, healthy diet, and positive hobbies.

This is so true. I just don't understand why (A) people can't see this for themselves. (B) Why don't doctors tell them up front. There's no happy pill. Your going to have to find what makes you happy in life.

Now if only your statements were true. these are obviously just your views on things, sort of looking at other peoples problems through your own mental state.
I have to agree, I would have thought that a few years ago, but not now. I have suffered from depression for a few years now and I can honestly tell you that it is not circumstantial. yes, you can be happy for a short period of time if your circumstances change, but the depression does not go away. It is like a cloud that hangs over you and it follows you wherever you go.
So i'm sorry to spoil your diagnosis of depression but it's not that clear cut by any means.
Cheers
jon.

Have you asked yourself why your depressed.

Usually, you can ask yourself and figure it out. Mental illness and depression in my opinion is two different things.

I really think a person has to find what is going to make them happy and go for it. You cannot expect someone else or medicine to make you happy.

Well there are 2 types of depression...chemical which is a disorder of the bodies harmonal system (as I understand it) and situitional as in I am out of work and the bills are piling up and I am so depressed about it kind of thing and in all actuality they have little in common expect the name and a feeling of helplessness.

Is it me or does anyone else find it weird that an anti depressent could lead to suicide?

Its amazing, really. Companies can produce and market drugs that cause "worsening symptoms, suicidal thoughts or behaviors or unusual changes in behavior" but as long as the righteous FDA slaps a label on the side its all good. No need to make the poison less poisonous we can just put a label on it that reads "may be poisonous" this way the people think the government is doing a wonderful job and the companies we're all in the pockets of can continue to profit off of their shoddy merchandise.

Its win win!

So why do we have the FDA again and how much is it costing us?

I wonder how many good products that have been developed are still awaiting FDA 'approval' because their producers cant pay for the lobbyists to push the process along or for the bribes that are necessary to get the drug on the market.

grover,
Is it me or does anyone else find it weird that an anti depressent could lead to suicide?

Yes, I find it very weird that a person who takes anti depressent wants to kill themselves. What’s really in this medicine that it does this to someone’s mind.

Seriously, who would want to take this kind of medicine. Not only does it bad for their stomach and liver its also makes them want to kill themselves.

What has our government done?

[edit on 3-5-2007 by Shar]

Thisguyrighthere,
So why do we have the FDA again and how much is it costing us?

I really don’t know the answer to this question. I do know the FDA is worthless.

Rarely, are they working for us the American people. I think the FDA is working for the companies instead.

Now for some actual facts about depression:
As a psychologist and as someone who has suffered from clinical major depression for 15 years, I can tell you that anti-depressants have saved my life. Without them, I would have committed suicide long ago. Suicide is a symptom of depression.

Depression is not just being unhappy, this is a popular misconception. Depression is called that because the brain activity is suppressed (depressed). For me, this meant I didn't even have enough energy to get up out of bed for a week at a time or so. I struggled like this for 8 years before going on anti-depressants. Why? Because even as a psychologist, depression wasn't something that was considered that serious at the time. I went to doctor after doctor and no one could diagnose what was wrong with me.
Finally, my Gyn told me "you have all the symptoms of major depression. "
When I went on anti-depressants 7 years ago, it changed everything. I became more social, had alot more energy and didn't feel on the brink of suicide all the time. I was also far more effective at work and didn't have so many absences.
Depression is a serious mental disorder and you can die just from depression alone. It is an unbalance of brain chemistry and affects the person in varying degrees. Depression is also rampant in this society. You see it alot more, once you know the symptoms.
Please, those of you without some kind of serious education on this topic, don't tell people they are evil, horrid drugs. You may keep someone from gettilng their illness treated, which could lead to them committing suicide. Suicidal ideation is far more common with depression than it is with anti-depressants. They may not be perfect, but they're the best we have right now and depression is a horrible illness, a serious trip through hell, for anyone who has ever suffererd from it.
Exercise, diet, St. John's wort, etc. are all well and good and help the condition, but for people with serious depression, such as mine, they don't really do very much and anyone who's suffered from major depression can tell you that.

As someone who has suffered from chronic depression for 20 years, I have to tell you, your simple cure isn't that easy.
Chemical imbalances in the brain can't be cured by a change of scenery.
Some people just can't up and move, and have you thought about this..
Many people who are in a depth of depression don't have it in them to even think about WHY they are depressed.
It is a situation that just is, and nothing matters, not even taking the next breath. You breathe, because your body has to breathe, but you don't care.
Sometimes I think that the only reason I am alive, is because it just took too much effort to try to kill myself.
Before you simplify something as complicated as someone emotional response to something correctable by something as easy as making a change, please remember that everyone is very different, and unless you are them, you really don't know what they are going through.
I found my way through my drepression. I found something to get me out of bed every morning, and made me interested in life sometimes, without taking pills, but I am still depressed, I still have the the feeling that none of what I do means anything anyway, so why should I bother.
I still break down and cry, I still hide in the dark, and wonder why should I care, when no one else does.
I fight my depression every day, and I would probably be happier if I took anti depressants for several reasons, including the the increased risk of suicide, I don't.
As for WHY people just starting anti depressants kill themselves.. Remember what I said about it being too much effort to try?
Well the anti depressants give someone who is leaning towrds death as a solution, just enough strength of will to make the attempt, when it is not in sufficient enough consentrations to life the depression, at the beginning of the course of medication.
Which is why these inciendent occur when someone first begins taking the medication usualy.
Do not think I am advocating drugs, as I have said, I do not take them. But I found your solutions a bit trite, and quite upsetting, and I hope that you take the time to learn about the subject you are expounding on.

Was your depression a Chemical imbalance. Then yes medicine will help with the imbalance.

However, putting every person on medicine just because they need to get up and find happiness by getting involved in life is different.

A lot of people gets put on medicine when all they really need is something in their life that is missing.

Yes, my depression is chemical in nature, and no, not every one who is depressed needs to be tossed a few pills.
I am reminded of the old majuiana commerical with the kids in the stairwell, offering another the joint saying, "it will make you feel good.. good.. good.."
The fact is many people are lazy, and they want a pill, they want a quick fix. and the pharmacutacul companies are only too willing to provide it.
Forgive my harshness, I am usually more circumspect in how I write.

Its very simple people. Fear hate guilt, depression, envy, as well as peace, love, happiness, joy, fun, are all just experiences we are having in this universe of duality. We cant understand one without the other, we wouldnt understand fear if we didnt know love, and vice verca. We wouldnt know joy if we didnt know pain, we wouldnt know hot if there wasnt cold to compare it to.

We are meant to experience it all, for the benefit of our soul evolution, and our soul history of experiences, which go back many lifetimes.

So naturally, everyone at one point or another, will experience both polarities in their experiences here on Earth. Its inevitable. You wont find anyone one this planet who is in a constant state of bliss, or depression. It wont happen. We have our "ups and downs" like we are supposed to. Its part of experiencing life in 3D physical Earth. The key to beating depression is acceptance and forgiveness of SELF.

But, in our world of ignorance, people never see the causes of the effects of life, they only see the effects, and try to effect the effect by outside influences, rather than deal with the root cause of the effect which ALWAYS lies within.

So we have pharmaceutical companies come out with "anti-depressant" pills, which are happy pills that change the chemicals in your brain to induce a more blissful state of being. Yes, but this chemical change changes ALL the chemicals, and creates great imbalance in your brain, which can cause you to have irrational thoughts and actions. It happens all the time.

I had a friend Valerie, she was a model and all, but she was very unhappy with herself and her life. She was but on anti-depressants, and there was a point where she told me she couldnt live without them. One day, Val was found dead, overdose of anti-depressants. She took the entire bottle all at once. She had commited suicide.

Now I know what happened to my dear friend Val, the anti-depressants causes imbalances in her brain, which caused her to have these negative suicidal thoughts, which lead her to take her life.

Now, the FDA is saying "anti-depressants can lead to suicidal thoughts" REALLY NOW! I NEVER WOULDA GUESSED IF YOU DIDNT TELL ME!

I wouldnt put it past these people, that they KNOW it causes imbalances, they KNOW it will lead to suicidal thoughts, and this is what they WANT, so they do it. All the top pharmaceutical companies are owned by the Global Illuminati Elite who have public written documents that show plans for mass extermination by covert methods such as food contamination, vaccines, and medicine.

Wake up and realize the facts. They dont care about you. They system is meant to fail you, and is meant to keep you down and out as they suck you dry.


[edit on 3-5-2007 by LightWorker13]

Originally posted by Shar

There are natural ways to relieve depression, exercise, healthy diet, and positive hobbies.

This is so true. I just don't understand why (A) people can't see this for themselves. (B) Why don't doctors tell them up front. There's no happy pill. Your going to have to find what makes you happy in life.

This is such a bad way of looking at it.
Depression is caused by seratonin imbalance in the brain.
Anti depressants are usually SRI (seratonin re-uptake inhibitors) or SSRI (selective seratonin re-uptake inhibitors)
This is one reason why users of the drug Ecstasy feel bad for days after taking them - the drug affects the seratonin levels.

For people with clinical depression, often the only option is anti depressants, although other treatments can be effective (such as cognitive behaviour therapy) if the disease is not as far progressed.
Endorphins from exercise, chemical triggers in food and other "natural" anti depressants are not enough.

some facts
www.clinical-depression.co.uk...

www.rcpsych.ac.uk...

The WHO has estimated that between 25%-33% of people will suffer from a mental illness at some stage of their life, and lets not forget that it is nearly always a biological illness - it is not
slacking
feeling pi**ed off
laziness
poor diet
or any one of a hundred other things the uninformed put forwards.

Before you state things such as the quote, may I suggest that you do a little research?
For those who suffer from depression or other mental illness, it is upsetting, condescending and annoying to see what can be a fatal illness, mis diagnosed by people who have no idea what actually constitutes mental illness.

I have done all the research I need on depression. There is nothing I don't know about it.

However, I'm talking about way too many people who is being put on medicine when in fact they just need a change.

I already said, I'm not talking about mental illnesses.

I'm talking about a 17 year old who just don't have a life yet. So she gets depressed.

I'm talking about the child in the home who has been raped by her dad and instead of her telling someone about the rape. She goes through life depressed.

I’m talking about the kids who are abused by their parents at home and again instead of them telling someone about it they get depressed and rather kill themselves because they see no way out of it.

Most kids who kill themselves before their 18 birthday has been abused by someone. Those who gets out of that life and somehow can find a new life has done very good for themselves. Yeah, it might take them their whole life to deal with what happen to them. They might not be able to function the way a “normal person” who has never been abused but this type of pill is not going to help them.

This kind of pill is for the chemical or mental illness of something else. Not this type of depression. It’s TWO different types.

This is what I’m talking about people.

There is other reasons for depression besides this chemical imbalance. The doctors need to tell people it’s two different things.

A pill is not going to help these kind of people.

I disagree.
Depression is by definition, a mental illness.
You cannot diagnose depression on the basis of history alone, nor can you attribute it to any one factor.
In adolescents, the factors become more complex, given the state of the hormonal changes present.
You will also notice that other treatments were mentioned, such as CBT, counselling is also a treatment when depression is not severe.
When the depression is severe, often the only treatment option is to address the chemical imbalance.
This is what the tablets do.

It cannot be stated with any degree of accuracy that other methods work better, as studies have shown that treating the chemical imbalance is by far the best method and more often leads to a full recovery.

Speaking as someone who has had to deal with severe depression, and has lived with varying degrees of the disease, I can state with certainty that treating chemical imbalance is the only real solution.

There have been instances of teenage suicide, particularly attributed to seroxat, but I would suggest that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

[edit on 3-5-2007 by budski]

I take it you didn't read my post right above yours.

There is no way a pill is going to help someone who has been abused. Abuse causes depression as well. However, it's two types of depression. The doctors need to discover what type of depression it is.

The problem then is sorting out who are clinicly depressed from those who are just on the next rung up from being fed up. I don't surpose it is an easy call if you are on the border line. Personally, I have severe clinical anxiety and depression. I do have suicidal thoughts sometimes but that normally stops at self harming.
If anyone wants to send me to the bahamas for a couple of weeks though. I could tell you if it helps.

Cheers
jon