Prozac Nation No More?

I am a Childrens Mental Health Therapist and I have to say in a perfect world this doctors approach is admirable, but unfortunately the realities family face in this world make this approach also quite difficult to attain. Of course therapy, sounds like Dialectic Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, in this case, are clearly beneficial, but often not enough, as families struggling with daily realities of surviving arent able to stick to and generalize these approaches consistently. Therefore, SSRI's clearly can assist with increasing mood and functioning. Often times, medication therapy is utilized for a certain time frame and can often be discontinued after environmental stressors are alleviated.

I think it is dangerous to argue against the use of antidepressants for clinical depression. People with depression do have a chemical imbalance that is often independent of any life circumstances or diet/exercise factors. They need antidepressants to bring them stability. You can meditate all day and still not "wish" depression away. It's not that simple.

I am so pleased to see this article. I have believed for a long time that James Gordon's approach is the truest way. Especially great coming from a psychiatrist. We are so eager for quick fixes in this country, and like James says, they do not help the underlying issues.
Stuart Baker, Massachusetts

You don't really understand the situation nor the subject matter;

In the USA we have 15% of the population that are considered to be mentally ill-----that is 45 million people---

Depression is a very difficult illness to deal with. In order to successfully beat depression, the patient must undertake a series of therapies and treatments SIMULTANEOUSLY, or concurrently, ON A DAILY BASIS. These are, medications, CBT, exercise, diet, sleeping habits and to carry a sound and workable lifestyle. If anything of the above fails, depression reigns forever, unfortunately.

Oh, one more thing, talk to Mike Wallace, he is convinced that Prozac saved his life. Who is to judge, the man might just know what he is talking about.

Okay, if you want to jump on the TM bandwagon be my guest. But I have family members who have battled chronic major depression and I can tell you that there is no magic cure, pill, or treatment that beats the commitment of the chronically ill to find what works for them. It is a long and arduous road. What I personally believe has worked most effectively is a commitment to talk therapy, antidepressants or a scatalog of other options that can be tried. They may or may not work. But I also believe in today which is also known as a the present, which means a gift. I am not negating but am aknowledging each person that struggles with any form of mental illness. And sometimes, a connection with anything that is relevant to that person is valuable. I could be a mountain stream, lying on your back and looking at the clouds, unloading with loving friends and family, music, prayer, theater, excercise, a swim, a dog, a cat, a book, a hug, a loving and random act of kindness. To say that TM is "it" is just another way of saying it's the "latest" trend to come along. And, there are many other books by accredited authors who would vehemently disagree with this approach. I am not am MD, but live everyday with loved ones who suffer unbearably. Often I have seen that when they reach out to those less fortunate, that is the greatest gift of all for everyone involved. Drugs, therapy and Doctors still have a valuable place to fill. And just in case any of you reading are suffering from PTSD after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, please get help from the VA now. They can save you years of suffering, and they use many techniques, including sweat lodges in some of their programs. My support to all that suffer, and if TM works for you, great, but I do not believe that it is the great panacea. I believe it still takes a village to heal the mentally ill.

scatterflake , I agree with you. It all depends on the patient selection. You can prove anything through your 'research". I am sure this method will work for a major proportion of the people on antidepressants who may not really need them. But for people with real "chemical imbalance" medicines may be the option. We just have to 'test" and find out who are these patients who need to be on long term SSRIs and SNRIs. On the other side, think about how many "counselors" need to work on them day in and out, to fix the population?. May be just going back to your church or temple will give better bang for the money. Take away the "stress" from the community. Stop bombing.

scatterflake , I agree with you. It all depends on the patient selection. You can prove anything through your 'research". I am sure this method will work for a major proportion of the people on antidepressants who may not really need them. But for people with real "chemical imbalance" medicines may be the option. We just have to 'test" and find out who are these patients who need to be on long term SSRIs and SNRIs. On the other side, think about how many "counselors" need to work on them day in and out, to fix the population?. May be just going back to your church or temple will give better bang for the money. Take away the "stress" from the community. Stop bombing.

scatterflake , I agree with you. It all depends on the patient selection. You can prove anything through your 'research". I am sure this method will work for a major proportion of the people on antidepressants who may not really need them. But for people with real "chemical imbalance" medicines may be the option. We just have to 'test" and find out who are these patients who need to be on long term SSRIs and SNRIs. On the other side, think about how many "counselors" need to work on them day in and out, to fix the population?. May be just going back to your church or temple will give better bang for the money. Take away the "stress" from the community. Stop bombing.

Protip... 50, 100, 200, 1000 years ago, depressed people without SSRIs simply stayed depressed all their lives... or they killed themselves, overtly or covertly. Still, it doesn't hurt to look into different kinds of treatments, drug-related or not. No one solution works for everybody.

Excellent, Excellent article! Finally a psychiatrist with some sense in the news! With the right holistic living and drugs as a last resort rather than a first, we can all head to a Prozac Free Nation

and VansRV, invalidating the messenger with modern day accusations of heresy and witchcraft eh?

Hey, whatever works.

Sounds like a Scientologist. Antidepressants save lives, thats a fact.

Sounds like a Scientologist. Antidepressants save lives, thats a fact.

Agreed. Antidepressants are overused. Even if an illness is biochemical that doesn't mean that the chemical imbalance preceded the illness. Life's stresses can throw our biochemistry out of whack, and perhaps changes can have positive affects on our biochemistry as well. However, we live lives that are fast. Meaningful, positive changes can take years to effect, so the drugs are a shortcut. They allow many people to function faster than alternatives,, such as therapy, which in my experience only works for aacute problems.

I have always felt that the "Quick fix" mentality is as strong in medicine as it is in general society. We are content in the treatment of symptoms and adversed to seeking out the real cause, which is more than likely a life in disarray. With hating, the casting of blame, the projection of guilt outwards onto others, comes penalities that are disguised as personality aberrations such as anxiety, depression, a loss of the zest for life. It is not until we are taught how to think, how to see the futility in reacting to others, how to recognize the fact that we, ourselves, are the only problem that is deserving of our complete and total attention. This drug mentality is just as insane as are the difficulties they are meant to erase, difficulties that come to tell us that a change is required to get back on the right track which is Love. Love your brother as yourself simply because he is you!. Al Jefferson-A Teacher of Spiritual Metaphysics.