Antidepressant use doubles in US, study finds

Antidepressant use doubles in US, study finds

www.alertnet.org

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday.

About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Apologies if this is an already ongoing thread....

I was totally taken aback that the number of Americans on antidepressants is so high. Has the pace of life become so difficult to handle, that people need to resort to chemically altered states to cope? Things here in America have not seemed to me to have the stresses that others in the world have deal with on a daily basis. Whats your opinion?

www.alertnet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by maldronath

I was totally taken aback that the number of Americans on antidepressants is so high. Has the pace of life become so difficult to handle, that people need to resort to chemically altered states to cope?

One thing to be aware of, is that antidepressants have many more uses than just for depression.

mentalhealth.about.com...

Antidepressant medications are used to treat more than depression. Some antidepressants are used to help you sleep; others treat anxiety; and some can be used to help relieve certain types of pain. Antidepressants are theorized to act on neurotransmitters in the brain - the chemicals that transmit nerve impulses between neurons (brain cells). In most cases the drugs act to either increase the amount of neurotransmitters at the synapse (the gap between neurons) or to keep these chemicals around longer. The first antidepressant, iproniazid, was originally developed as a treatment for tuberculosis.

Doctors.

The new drug dealer for the rich.

The probem is two-fold.

One is that many more people have lost hope due to the brutal economic system in which we find ourselves embroiled. The fast pace of life most must retain in order to succeed at all.

Secondly is an extremely poor healthcare system which relies on pills as band aids instead of adressing the real problems face with their physical and mental health.

If you aren't depressed these days there is something seriously wrong with you.

Their ad campaign sure got results didn't it?

Now everyone who isn't bubbling over with joy is convinced that he/she is "depressed" and needs these drugs.

Just another cog in the wheel of the take down of the US.

I take anti depressants because I used to have severe depression and I am bi polar so I take meds for that too. I don't know why people say these drugs make them feel like a zombie because for me they make me able to do so much stuff and they don't make me feel weird at all. I feel weird as hell without them and without them I get extremely bad mental states and can't think about anything except my #ty childhood and war and stuff. I know, I know everyone says to let the past go but its not so easy for some people.

Plus I have a wife and a kid and have to get up for work everyday and I've tried not taking the meds and I can't cope with my problems without them. If I didn't take them I probably wouldn't be fit to raise a family, so for now I take 'em! No way in hell I'm giving my family up just so I don't have to take some meds! I'll continue to take them until I figure out how to cope without them, I've tried therapists and all kind of stuff and none of it works. I'm only in my mid twenties though so I'm sure I'll figure out how to cope someday.

But I personally think a lot of people who take these meds don't even need them. They go through a slight depression and think they need meds when most the time all they really need to do is talk to someone or change their lifestyle.



[edit on 3-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

reply to post by jeasahtheseer

I take anti depressants because I used to have severe depression and I am bi polar so I take meds for that too. I don't know why people say these drugs make them feel like a zombie because for me they make me able to do so much stuff and they don't make me feel weird at all.

Your attitude is right on. Too many people that could BENEFIT from such medications won't take them, because they feel that someone it makes them less of a person. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I do agree that doctors sometimes over prescribe them, but too many times, I have seen people that need them, don't take them, even though they have been prescribed, and continue to be depressed, or act out.

I applaud you for sharing your story, and your great attitude. God bless.

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
reply to post by jeasahtheseer

 

I take anti depressants because I used to have severe depression and I am bi polar so I take meds for that too. I don't know why people say these drugs make them feel like a zombie because for me they make me able to do so much stuff and they don't make me feel weird at all.

Your attitude is right on. Too many people that could BENEFIT from such medications won't take them, because they feel that someone it makes them less of a person. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I do agree that doctors sometimes over prescribe them, but too many times, I have seen people that need them, don't take them, even though they have been prescribed, and continue to be depressed, or act out.

I applaud you for sharing your story, and your great attitude. God bless.

Yeah thats what I was kind of trying to say at the end of my post. There are many people who take these meds and don't need them, but there are also many people who could truly benefit from them. The way I look at prescription drugs is none of them are really "bad" (except oxycontin and stuff, do we really need prescription heroin?) but they become "bad" when they get in the wrong peoples hands, which happens way to often. For instance I have friends who have just minor anxiety and they go and get stuff like xanax or other benzos prescribed and now these people are pretty much addicts and can't live without the drug when they didn't even need it in the first place! Its sad. I know you can turn that around after reading my last post and say I appear to not be able to live without them either, but I literally can't! I have been through so much # in the past 10 years of life and all the way til last year I was against taking meds and I tried therapists and alternative medicine for about 5 years until I started taking meds. Nothing has worked except the meds, I hope oneday I can figure somethng out because I don't really like taking meds!

Also a lot of people talk about how bad meds are and stuff but then they'll go smoke pot and stuff, I find it funny! and I'm not anti pot, I'm all for medical marijuana and stuff, I live in CA and its legal here and it helps many people. But I still find it funny, because pot is still a drug and messes with your brain. Although pot is probably much better for you than a lot of meds, I know that.

Anyways I'm ranting, sorry lol.

Peace



[edit on 3-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

[edit on 3-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

You ought to see the statistics about how many Americans are on medication, period. It's frightening. In 2004 it was over 2.6 billion prescriptions. That's a whole lot of drugs. I'm sure much of it was wholly unnecessary, too.

I think that with so many people taking antidepressants, something is terribly wrong, and we're trying to fix it by suppressing the symptoms. That's like taking the battery out of a smoke alarm because it's making too much noise. I mean, I'm sure many people do need these drugs, but - so many? It doesn't seem reasonable.

reply to post by maldronath


You have the big Pharma essentially making big bucks off of our stress-filled overly busy lives and feeding us the "cure" while raking in the dough.

I personally think these medicines, for the most part, are a big joke, most, from what I can tell, don't even help, at least judging by the commercials. Who else has seen the Abilify commercial where they tell you your pills for anti-depression actually increase your chances of suicide all this in a medication that is designed for when you are already on one anti-depressant and that one isn't working? Even if that's only a side-effect its still horrific and makes me wonder what exactly the FDA wouldn't approve... Is your anti-depressant not working? Then just get another one, its great, this one only has a 1 in 1000 chance of killing you

Abilify

Honestly unless your depression is so severe it is literally threatening your life, its not worth pumping these toxins into you, unless you can find ones that don't have dire warnings and side-effects...

[edit on 3-8-2009 by Titen-Sxull]

Rather ironic really. I put up a thread yesterday on this subject:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I've been off them for... about 6 months now! After 12 years of use, so that's cool...

It's much much harder without them. But I was so sick of the side effects- being tired, loss of interest, all sorts of things... plus the fact that the only one I liked causes seizures in one out of 250 people.

But to be honest I'm crazy stressed out all the time and I just want to sleep a lot.

But I'm not on ADs anymore, and it's hard to tell what's a side effect of my birth control and what isn't.

Depression can be be caused by chemical or hormonal imbalances. And natural ways can help it. Like sunlight, fish oil and vitamin e, vitamin b12, avoiding sugar and processed foods, etc.

Originally posted by jeasahtheseer
and can't think about anything except my #ty childhood and war and stuff. I know, I know everyone says to let the past go but its not so easy for some people.

Im with you on the childhood stuff, it was really bad for me. Can't imagine coping with war memories on top of that.

I'd like to thank everyone for the responses so far. A lot of insight/angles that I would expect from the ATS forums.

Stop the more with less bulcrap and force bosses to lay off the stress and you would see happier people. We all slave and stress so a few executives can own yachts and houses like castles. Capitalism is not freedom for the masses it is freedom for the Elites. Those guys in the top floor DO NOT work harder than the rest of us and deserve nothing more than we do for their contributions witch are usually minimal and gimmicks or eye candy that fade as soon as they get on their elevator to the top floor.

How can anyone not be stressed in a country gone mad like this one.

Originally posted by eldard
Depression can be be caused by chemical or hormonal imbalances. And natural ways can help it. Like sunlight, fish oil and vitamin e, vitamin b12, avoiding sugar and processed foods, etc.

No, those are physical ailments, which medication will actually help.

Depression is when your like "Oh im sad this sucks im bored screw the world" and that is a 100% mental choice, totally based on thought processes.

"Thoughts" are actually Electrical and you can control them effectively.

I can choose to either be depressed or happy with my life. Thats my choice based on my conscience.

A person dying in the desert of dehydration can find happiness inside, or some guy dying because he got his legs blown off. Its all in the mind, and it is a choice.

Now, if your talking about fatigue or aches/pains, thats not "depression", those are physical ailments. medication can probably help you with those issues.

I do agree with your suggestion to find natural remedies, as that is the safest route for initial medication.

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
reply to post by jeasahtheseer

 

I take anti depressants because I used to have severe depression and I am bi polar so I take meds for that too. I don't know why people say these drugs make them feel like a zombie because for me they make me able to do so much stuff and they don't make me feel weird at all.

Your attitude is right on. Too many people that could BENEFIT from such medications won't take them, because they feel that someone it makes them less of a person. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I do agree that doctors sometimes over prescribe them, but too many times, I have seen people that need them, don't take them, even though they have been prescribed, and continue to be depressed, or act out.

I applaud you for sharing your story, and your great attitude. God bless.

Are you joking me? I know numerous people who have at one point been on antidepressants and they are not good news what so ever.

Just like anything that people use a pill to resolve, it is doing nothing to actually solve the underlying issue, it is the famous American "Band-aid" solution.

If you are depressed, you have issues. You need to resolve those issues. It's just like if you have a health problem, you need to get off your ass, exercise, and eat right, not take a bloody pill to fix your issues.

How do any of you actually feel that it is RIGHT that the US is more heavily drugged than any other nation on earth? Yet, this is the "land of opportunity", "freedom" yada yada yada.

Half my family was dead before my 20th birthday, including my brother, my dad, and my immediate cousin. If there's anyone who could honestly whine about how bad life sucks, it would be me. But I NEVER have, it's a pathetic excuse to garner pity and get attention. I've never been depressed because I choose not to be, life is what we make it and if you want your life to be junk then just think it's junk and junk it will be. After all when your sitting around pitying your existence, no one else gives a damn. And you're stuck their mopping over spilt milk.

Taking a pill for a problem reinforces the concept in your mind so that you believe you have a problem. And as a beautiful side effect, companies with no actual care for your health get RICH.

"I can't cope with my problems without them"

Wah.... WAH.... WAH.... Don't kill yourself when your wife leaves you or you come home and shes in your bed with another man cause her man can't 'cope with his problems'.

HEY IM SO DEPRESSED LET ME TAKE THIS PILLS AND EVERYTING WILL BE OK, AFTER ALL IT'S NOT LIKE THERES ANY SIDE EFFECTS OF ANYTHING

Side effects, included but not limited to...
Insomnia, Diarrhea, Dry Mouth, Somnolence (sleepiness or drowsiness), Dizziness, Increased Sweating, Constipation, Fatigue, Indigestion, Ejaculation Disorder (male), Decreased Libido (decreased sex drive) (both male and female), Impotence (male), Influenza-Like Symptoms (flu-like symptoms), Appetite Decreased, Rhinitis (runny nose), Sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), Possible Impairment of Fertility (inability to get pregnant), Danger of Birth Defects (Pregnant Females), Passing of Drug to Nursing Babies, Danger to Patients With History of Mania, Danger to Patients with History of Seizures, Danger to Patients with Suicidal Tendencies (note: Drugs such as Lexapro have been present in numerous suicide cases, although drug companies have denied the drugs as causes). Additional side effects include: Interference with operation of machinery including automobiles, Impairment of Judgment, Priapism (males) (Persistent, usually painful erection of the penis, especially as a consequence of disease and not related to sexual arousal).

Alot more people would not be depressed if the United States didn't consume 2.6 billion prescriptions, and instead got a god damn grip.


[edit on 3-8-2009 by king9072]

Originally posted by king9072

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
reply to [url=http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread488185/pg1#pid6

I don't know if you were aiming this post at me but I am bi polar which IS a medical condition. Do some freaking research if youdon't believe bi polar is a medical problem. Its not me just sitting around saying "oh I'm depressed" lol. Also I'm against taking meds and tried all different kinds of things for years and none of it works. I went for over 5 years refusing to take medication none of it works. And my wife will never leave me ever I've been with her since we were 7 years old. Plus I don't talk around that stuff with my wife or child, its negative and thats not good stuff to talk about with a wife and kid. And maybe your wife cheats on you but mine never will.

And don't even try to bring up family lol. I don't really have a family and the only person in my family I cared about was blown to 500 pieces from a car bomb in iraq.

And I don't want pity or sympathy from anyone. If you knew me you'd see thats the last thing I want. Also I don't even talk about my issues with people I know, who wants to hear about depressing # like that?

Plus this isn't a arguement over who has more reason to be depressed, thats childish and lame.

And yes I know I have issues... But how do you suggest I get over them? Whatever you suggest I guarantee I already tried.

But thanks for the rude, immature post!

Also atleast me none of those side effects you mentioned I've ever had. Not everyone gets side effects.


[edit on 3-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]