Would You Like Prozac with That? the Overprescription of Anti-Depressants
Would You Like Prozac With That?
With all those strategically developed commercials for antidepressants such as Abilify, Cymbalta, and my personal favorite, Zoloft, it’s easy to see why one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 turns to these happy pills when they’re down. Since the late ‘90s, antidepressants have become very popular. So popular, in fact, that their usage has increased by 400% in the last two decades. Not only that, but many users don’t even need the pills. In 2011, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that 55.2% of the Americans who were on a variety of these medications between 2005 and 2008 (most recent study period) had moderate to no clinical depression symptoms (Sharpe). It’s apparent that both physicians and psychiatrists are over-prescribing antidepressants, which will end up causing far more harm than good.
“I think that the medical industry, regardless of its intentions, has acquired far too much power over our inner lives; the power to name our pain and then sell us the cure, one pill at a time” (Greenberg, 1). I’m no stranger to antidepressants. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life and after failed attempts at going through the counseling process, my family and I finally decided I needed something more. After calling a few places, I booked an appointment with a local psychiatrist’s office. I’d had an idea in my head of what it was like to see a psychiatrist. I figured I’d be psychoanalyzed in some comfy chair whilst relating words to strange pictures of blotched ink. Like in the movies. But it was nothing like that.
A bright and cheery face of a twenty-something year old called me back to a cute room with pink and lime green decorations. I thought she was just going to ask me a few questions and then I’d see the real doctor. But, she was the real doctor, much to my dismay. She was very nice, but I wasn’t confident in her abilities from the get-go. She required that I fill out a ridiculous form while
With all those strategically developed commercials for antidepressants such as Abilify, Cymbalta, and my personal favorite, Zoloft, it’s easy to see why one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 turns to these happy pills when they’re down. Since the late ‘90s, antidepressants have become very popular. So popular, in fact, that their usage has increased by 400% in the last two decades. Not only that, but many users don’t even need the pills. In 2011, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that 55.2% of the Americans who were on a variety of these medications between 2005 and 2008 (most recent study period) had moderate to no clinical depression symptoms (Sharpe). It’s apparent that both physicians and psychiatrists are over-prescribing antidepressants, which will end up causing far more harm than good.
“I think that the medical industry, regardless of its intentions, has acquired far too much power over our inner lives; the power to name our pain and then sell us the cure, one pill at a time” (Greenberg, 1). I’m no stranger to antidepressants. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life and after failed attempts at going through the counseling process, my family and I finally decided I needed something more. After calling a few places, I booked an appointment with a local psychiatrist’s office. I’d had an idea in my head of what it was like to see a psychiatrist. I figured I’d be psychoanalyzed in some comfy chair whilst relating words to strange pictures of blotched ink. Like in the movies. But it was nothing like that.
A bright and cheery face of a twenty-something year old called me back to a cute room with pink and lime green decorations. I thought she was just going to ask me a few questions and then I’d see the real doctor. But, she was the real doctor, much to my dismay. She was very nice, but I wasn’t confident in her abilities from the get-go. She required that I fill out a ridiculous form while
Cited: Greenberg, Gary. Introduction. Manufacturing Depression: The Secret History of a Modern Disease. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. 1-2. Print. Mojtabai, Ramin. "Prescriptions for Antidepressants Increasing among Individuals with No Psychiatric Diagnosis." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. John Hopkins University, 4 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Sharpe, Katherine. "The Medication Generation." The Wall Street Journal (n.d.): n. pag. Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 29 June 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013 Archer, Dale, Dr. "Citizens Commission on Human Rights International | Mental Health Watchdog." CCHR International RSS. Fox News, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. Lane, Christopher, PhD. "Overprescribing Antidepressants." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 11 May 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. Lacasse, Jeffrey R., and Leo, Jonathan. "Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature." PLoS Medicine: Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature. Antidepressants Facts, 8 Nov. 2005. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.