Depression and
anti-depressants
Depression affects 19 million people a
year. One of the ways doctors treat depression is through prescribing
anti-depressants. Anti-depressants are the 2nd most prescribed drug
in America.
Symptoms of depression
- Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
- Sleeping too much or too little, middle of the night or
early morning waking
- Reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite
and weight gain
- Loss of pleasure and interest in activities once
enjoyed, including sex
- Restlessness, irritability
- Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to
treatment (such as chronic pain or digestive disorders)
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making
decisions
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
- Thoughts of suicide or death
Causes of
depression
· Biological -
People with depression typically have too little or too much of certain brain
chemicals, called "neurotransmitters." Changes in these brain
chemicals may cause or contribute to clinical depression.
· Cognitive -
People with negative thinking patterns and low self-esteem are more likely to
develop clinical depression.
· Gender - Women
experience clinical depression at a rate that is nearly twice that of men.[3] While the reasons for
this are still unclear, they may include the hormonal changes women go through
during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. Other reasons
may include the stress caused by the multiple responsibilities that women have.
· Co-occurrence -
Clinical depression is more likely to occur along with certain illnesses, such
as heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease
and hormonal disorders.
· Medications -
Side effects of some medications can bring about depression.
· Genetic - A
family history of clinical depression increases the risk for developing the
illness.
· Situational -
Difficult life events, including divorce, financial problems or the death of a
loved one can contribute to clinical depression.
Side effects of
anti-depressant medication
- agitation
- sexual dysfunction
- can be associated with movement disorders such as akathisia,
Parkinson’s disease, dystonia (acute rigidity), dyskinesia (abnormal
involuntary choreic movements) and tardive dyskiniesia
- upset stomach
- nausea
- HA
- fatigue
- tremor
- nervousness
- dry mouth
- insomnia
- weight gain
- improper bone development
- improper brain development
- gastrointestinal bleeding
- amotivational syndrome
Doctors are
prescribing additional medications to help control the side effects of the
anti-depressant. For example:
-
ex. Prozac can cause agitation so a sedative might be prescribed with it
-
ex. If gastrointestinal bleeding occurs docs are prescribing acid-inhibiting
drugs
-
these new drugs can cause side effects leading to the need for other drugs
Research
FDA admitted that “two to three children out of every
hundred” could be expected to develop suicidal thoughts or actions as a result of antidepressant therapy (Harris 2004).
The risk of suicide events for children receiving SSRIs has been three times higher than placebo. 2-4 times
higher chance in adults then with placebo
In a study designed to investigate the anatomic effects of
serotonergenic compounds, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found that
high-dose, short-term exposure to SSRIs in rats was sufficient to produce
swelling and kinking in the serotonin nerve fibers (Kalia 2000).
These side effect reversed after prolonged recovery period.
Research performed by a different
team
of investigators demonstrated a reduction in dendritic length
and dendritic spine density, and in contrast to the previous study, these
changes did not reverse even after a prolonged recovery period. The results
were interpreted to suggest that chronic exposure to SSRIs may arrest the
normal development of neurons.
Andrews et al. (2011),
like El-Mallakh et al. (2011), stress
what I had first described as compensatory mechanisms. SSRI antidepressants
block the removal of serotonin from the synapses between neurons, in effect
trying to flood these synapses with serotonin. Many studies confirm that the
brain attempts to compensate for the impact of the SSRIs by reducing the
brain's capacity to respond to serotonin. This leads to a loss of serotonin receptors that can
reach 60 percent. Blockade of serotonin
reuptake causes a potentially harmful adaptive response in the form of a persistent hypertrophy of the reuptake
mechanism. Additional studies show
persistent biochemical changes in the brain following exposure to SSRI
antidepressants.
In a meta-analysis of 46 studies, Andrews et al. (2011) found the relapse
rate for antidepressant-treated patients (44.6 percent) was much higher than
for placebo-treated patients (24.7 percent). Andrews also found that the more
potent antidepressants caused an increased risk of relapse on drug
discontinuation. A 2010 Minnesota evaluation of patient care in
the state found
that only 4.5 percent of more than 20,000 patients were in remission at 12
months, indicating that they had become chronically afflicted with depression
during and probably as a result of their treatment.
Although many
negative opinions have been stated, some people do have a serious chemical
imbalance and need anti-depressants. In some studies anti-depressants did show
to improve people’s lives. Anti-depressants have also not been linked to any
serious diseases like cancer and heart disease. In my opinion people should
seek counseling if they are having problems with depression. Working out also
shows to have positive results with improving depression. I think if a person
is trying to get help for depression without taking anti-depressants and their
depression is not getting better then trying anti-depressants might be a good
idea.
Sources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc-4zhqViQ4
