Although antidepressants were once reserved for the mentally disturbed, today it is difficult to find someone who has not taken one. Prescribed for everything from learning and behaviour problems, bedwetting, juvenile delinquency, aggression, criminality, drug addiction and smoking, to handling the fears and problems of the elderly, antidepressants are among the most widely prescribed drugs on Earth.
Since this type of psychiatric drug came onto the market, there have been studies published about antidepressants which reveal a division of medical opinion about their use. At one of the end of the spectrum, antidepressants have been lauded while at the other end, the drugs have been slammed following their links with suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviour and school shootings.
The latest study that’s been published comes from experts at University College London (UCL). A national newspaper reported that the experts at UCL reviewed all existing evidence on common antidepressants and concluded there remains ‘considerable uncertainty about the benefits’. The article, published in the Daily Mail, stated, ‘Doctors should stop prescribing antidepressants because there is no decent clinical evidence that they work better than a placebo.’
It demonstrates that the controversy surrounding antidepressants just keeps on going, and it’s been going on for decades. The drugs were introduced in the 1950s. Then in the 1980s, a new breed of antidepressants was introduced and promoted as having fewer side effects than older ones.
These were the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). They were marketed as being capable of selectively targeting the chemical called serotonin in the brain that was theorised to influence depression. The theory was that SSRIs prevent serotonin from being naturally reabsorbed and thus create continued stimulation of cells, relieving depression. There remains no scientific evidence to substantiate this theory.
What is known is that these drugs work by influencing the normal functions of the body: they speed them up, slow them down, dam them up or overwhelm them. This is why a person gets side effects that can sometimes be more pronounced than a drug’s intended effects. They are, in fact, the body’s natural response to the invasion of a chemical
that is confusing its normal functions.
It may be be that informed consent is not a reality for many people. They may agree to take the drugs, but their decision to go ahead may well be based on uninformed consent.
CCHR produced a series of booklets to inform people of the facts about the effects linked to different categories of psychiatric drugs. The booklet about the effects of antidepressants is a free download from the website and is aimed at helping a person make a more informed choice. Reading the booklet could even prevent a person from becoming another statistic.
