Pros and Cons of Antidepressants, Essay Example

Depression seems to be a common illness of 20^th and 21^st centuries. Because of an active development of psychology, specialists began to pay much more attention to human mood and it appeared that some people are really ill. Their low spirits, anxiety and insomnia are not traits of their bad character or a wrong lifestyle, but signs of a mental illness called depression. The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) says that “4.4 percent of Americans develop major depression at some point in life.” (Katherine Read Dunbar, 2006). It means that about 1 of 25 suffers from this illness.

The symptoms of depression are numerous and range from self-loathing, rage, anxiety or apathy, inability to concentrate, tearfulness, destruction of relationships, sadness and so on to such dangerous presentations as hallucinations, sleep disorder and aggression(Jennifer A. Hurley 1999). If a person loses his joy of living and this condition lasts more than two weeks it is a sufficient reason for going to the doctor.

Depression has three types: mild, moderate and severe. The reasons of mild cases could consist in stresses caused by attempts to find a compromise between desires and liabilities, accumulated contradictions, break-offs or simply by tough competition and exhausting and hard work. This case of depression visits almost everyone. It is over as soon as a certain personality is able to overcome negative emotions caused by definite events and in such cases no medical treatment is need. Conditions for recovery in this way are active lifestyle, visits, parties, calm walks, interviews with psychologist, physical activity and good food. In other words, it is what a healthy person should do in order to stay healthy. Moderate type of depression comprises only a few more symptoms rather than mild and do not affect a person’s lifestyle greatly when severe depression in its extreme forms makes individuals unable to work, sleep and maintain basic needs. A severe case of depression needs much more special treatment while the common patient sees the world in dark shades and has no will to change anything at all.

This illness can de divided into several types not only by its course. Dianne and Robert E. Hales name in their article 3 forms of major depression: melancholic, atypical and psychotic (Dianne, and Robert E. Hales 1999). Patients with the first type often feel sad, especially in the morning, they lose appetite and, as a consequence, weight. They are not able to enjoy activities that brought pleasure earlier, reject all the achievements and see no sense in the further existence as every aim becomes unappetizing. Some blame themselves thinking that their way of life has led to dissatisfaction while others can consider themselves quietly sound and connect their frustration and physical disorders with peculiarities of character and organism. Individuals with atypical depression, on the contrary, enjoy their lives, food and sleep, but are extremely sensitive to rejection that makes their ability to work and socialize doubtful. Psychotic depression is the most complicated while individuals “lose touch with reality and may develop hallucinations, usually reflecting their sense of doom” (Dianne, and Robert E. Hales 1999).

Medical treatment in this way is based not only on the thought that the ill person is unable discuss his problems but on extensive research into the neurobiology of depression that showed a correlation between mental abnormalities and the balance of brain chemicals, the flow of blood, the hormones, the signaling system and the mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness. It proves that medical treatment is necessary and will be certainly helpful.

Antidepression medicines trace to 1960s when the first tricyclic antidepressants appeared. These ones affected norepinephrine and serotonin and were very effective though they have side effects as every powerful medicine has. Other antidepressants were monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) used mostly for the treatment of panic disorder and bipolar depression. Doctors prescribed a special diet along with MAOIs because of dangerous interactions when combined with certain foods. Since 1987 SSRI became widely spread (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). It is known as free of serious side effects as its work consists in blocking the reabsorption of serotonin (that is why it is called selective). But still it has definite effect called akathisia which causes restless, agitation and insomnia. With the further development of medicine antidepressants has been lowering their side effects remaining theirs work.

First antidepressants had really unpleasant side effects. They were dry mouth, bladder and sexual problems, blurred vision, insomnia, constipation, increased heart rate, dizziness and drowsiness as a daytime problem (Katherine Read Dunbar 2006). These side effects certainly disappointed people who counted on drugs as on a fast and effective remedy from depression. Newer antidepressants were “by far better” – they still cause some sexual problems, nervousness, headache and nausea that usually went away after some time. Nowadays side effects of the newest antidepressants are almost the same but occur much rarer. For instance, newer birth control pills have almost the same side effects. It is essential to say about such a property of antidepressants as withdrawal. It means that when stopping drugs symptoms of depression may recur. It is advisable to lower the dose of the antidepressant gradually in order to keep curative effect.

Antidepressants have certain use as they help to supply lack of essential elements in human organism. For instance, it is known that low level of hemoglobulin and lack of vitamins causes apathy. Special diet helps overcome unpleasant condition. Antidepressants work the same way. Moreover, psychiatrists name several times of a year when person is more likely to be depressed. They are early autumn (because warm days and holidays are gone), winter (because of lack of sunlight) and early spring (because of lack of vitamins). In these periods it is reasonable to supply organism with some useful elements. It does not mean that drugs are necessary – most people recover themselves or with the help of special diet and activities, but there are cases when depressed people are in need of medicines which will return sleep, appetite and energy by supporting organism with necessary elements.

But in spite of certain, as it seems, use antidepressants are widely discussed not only because of their positive and negative effects. Some antidepressants are prescribed to children and teenagers without proper psychiatric evaluation and, moreover, without consciousness that these remedies still have unknown side effects. The number of children are being prescribed antidepressants is said to be at least 580,000 (Tamara L. Roleff and Laura K. Egendorf 2000). It means that some teenagers taking drugs do not need them or interfere with their health.

Kyla Stinnett points out in her article that “antidepressants including Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and Effexor have provoked hostile behavior and thoughts about suicide in a number of children and teenagers and some of them killed themselves” (2004). Eventually the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) warned about this possible effect of Paxil and more seven antidepressants including Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor. But the question is should antidepressants possess such side effects at all. Severe depression is a very serious illness itself and if the risk during the medication is inevitable, let it be a risk not connected with the aggravation of depression itself. All of these drugs except Prosac were said to be prescribed only to people who are 18 years old and elder.

The FDA reported that during clinical trials in the United States of Paxil 49 adult patients attempted suicide, seven of them were successful. This information could be inaccurate while in a review of April, 1991 successful suicides were told to be five and the attempts were told to be 40 (Kyla Stinnett 2004). Some people believe that pharmaceutical companies changed some figures in order to lower mistrust to these drugs. But some number of incidents took place and that is enough to talk about such a side effect.

At the same time statistics says that the risk of suicide during taking antidepressants is equal to 1% and this number is too low to take it into consideration. Suicidal behavior of patients might be connected to physical improve after taking drugs while mental improve still does not come. The first effects of antidepressants are rise of energy level and sleep. It means that the patient will feel better but his melancholic thoughts will stay the same and he may be seized by suicidal desires more extensively and even going to make it real. That is the real reason of several cases given as counterarguments. To prevent such incidents psychiatrists should much more carefully see after patients during the time they are starting to take drugs.

But even these sad examples did not persuade some people to abandon the idea of taking drugs when having mild cases of depression. Having no time and desire to improve their lifestyle or to think over all the evens that might have led to their condition they chose the easiest, as they believe, way to tune their life. The consequences are evident: people become drug-addicted, spending their money on expensive and needless “treatment”. Not knowing side effects of the drugs they put their hopes on medicine and become addicted not only to the remedy itself, but to the thought that it will definitely help. Though trials proved the fact that placebo could be as effective as a pure drug because of human’s trust in medical treatment, antidepressants are not placebo and their composition will always influence human body.

So the problem is in the growth of antidepressant popularity. Earlier depression was said to be a kind of moral weakness (Jennifer A. Hurley 1999). Bad mood was considered to be an evidence of bad character, but nowadays depression becomes even a kind of a fashionable illness. From the moment the research showed that depression could be closely connected to some chemical processes in the organism this fact has being aggressively used by pharmaceutical companies in order to change people’s mind on this illness and replace standard treatment of mild and moderate depression by drug treatment. It was rather cheaper than psychotherapy and has led to immoderate use of antidepressants among people who could recover themselves, notwithstanding that improper use could cause not only addiction but overdosing or withdrawal.

Despite definite positive sides, antidepressants should be used very carefully. They have helped plenty of people overcome chronic depression, but one should always remember that depression is not physical illness but mental as well and the most effective treatment is a combination of both psychotherapy and medication. Moreover, antidepressants are prescribed not only to adult people, but to teenagers. Drugs become a common therapy while every case is individual and it is impossible to cure a person who has just lost his or her favorite job by prescribing pills. Antidepressants mustn’t be prescribed without a full psychiatric evaluation among both teenagers and adults. No matter how seldom, but they may cause violence and suicidal behavior so the only conclusion is antidepressants should be used cautiously as every powerful drug.

Works Cited

“Overview: Antidepressants.” At Issue: Antidepressants.  Katherine Read Dunbar. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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“Antidepressants for Children Are Overprescribed.” Opposing Viewpoints: Mental Illness.  Tamara L. Roleff and Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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“Antidepressants May Cause Suicide and Violent Behavior in Children and Teenagers.” At Issue: Treating the Mentally Ill.  Kyla Stinnett. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com.terrehaute.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010326203&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=ivytech16&version=1.0>.

“Antidepressants Help Millions of People.” At Issue: Treating the Mentally Ill.  Kyla Stinnett. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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“Drugs Can Remedy the Symptoms of Depression.” Current Controversies: Mental Health.  Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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Hales, Dianne, and Robert E. Hales. “Depression Is a Major Illness.” Contemporary Issues Companion: Depression.  Henny H. Kim. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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“Preface to “What Non-Drug Therapies Effectively Treat Mental Illness?”.” Current Controversies: Mental Health.  Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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Horowitz, Janice M. “Your Health.(Personal Time)(Brief Article).” Time 155.22 (May 29, 2000): 89. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Ivy Tech – Terre Haute. 10 Apr. 2009
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