In October, the lucrative antidepressant market has experienced highs and lows in terms of media coverage.
At the beginning of the month, researchers at University College London attempted to make claims in favour of the long-term use of antidepressants. Claims were made that people relapse when they stop taking the drugs, implying there were benefits for staying on the drugs long-term.
Roll forward a few weeks and the media reports went the other way. Claims were made that the NHS has been wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds on ‘pointless pills’ that were not needed and which were habit-forming. The pills under the pointless spotlight included antidepressants.
The media reports continued, covering a study published in the Lancet that claimed a common antidepressant called Mirtazapine used on dementia patients may increase the risk of death. This meant that in one month, the group of controversial psychiatric drugs went from one end of a spectrum to the other.
The division of opinion is striking. For anyone on antidepressants reading the conflicting media stories, it could be confusing and unnerving. With such a wide division of opinion, an observer could conclude that misinformation is present.
This is when informed consent enters the arena. As always, there are two sides to the story. On one hand, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has been investigating the damaging and life-threatening effects of antidepressants for decades. On the other hand, there’s the unholy alliance forged between psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies which has been presenting selective information, aimed at commercial success and pleasing shareholders rather than the resolution of mental troubles.
CCHR works to present information that vested interests want to hide, or which they want to bury and forget. It includes effects of the drugs which include but are not limited to violence, aggression, suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviour. It includes the indescribable suffering when attempting to withdraw, which could easily be mistaken for relapse. It includes the cost of one antidepressant which increased by 823% at the beginning of lockdown at taxpayer’s expense. It also includes the real-life agony and unbearable grief of parents whose children took their own lives after they took prescribed antidepressants.
The huge division of opinion and controversy that surrounds antidepressants is a red flag that shouldn’t be ignored. Be fully informed and make a fully informed choice. It may be a life-saving choice.
