Antidepressants Good or Bad?????!
Question: I am doing some research for an essay in my Comp 2 class. I have decided to do it on antidepressants. My paper is to pick two diffrent opinions on the subject, and decide which one is a better opinion. I have been procrastinating on this, so any help with this would be highly appreciated. Web sites, or personal experiance, or even if you just want to voice your opinion if Antidepressants are good or should they be taken off the market? Why do you feel that way? Thanks everyone for your time!!! :)
Answers: I am doing some research for an essay in my Comp 2 class. I have decided to do it on antidepressants. My paper is to pick two diffrent opinions on the subject, and decide which one is a better opinion. I have been procrastinating on this, so any help with this would be highly appreciated. Web sites, or personal experiance, or even if you just want to voice your opinion if Antidepressants are good or should they be taken off the market? Why do you feel that way? Thanks everyone for your time!!! :)
It is my opinion that anti-depressants are overused, especially on kids. We think we have this great understanding of medicine and how it works, but what it all boils down to is chemistry and what we know about the human brain.
We can build computers that can beat chess champions, but not artificial hearts that work longer than a couple of years. We can build artificial legs and arms, but not robotic ones that mimic the actual movements of a real arm or leg.
We certainly cannot build an artificial human brain, yet we seem to think we can give someone a few chemicals and change completely how they think.
What exactly do we know about our thinking process to begin with? Thousands of books are on book shelves in libraries all over the world attempting to provide answers into the human spirit, the way we think, psychology, therapy and so on, yet none are 100% correct. So why would you trust that a company was able to get the right ingredients to make a drug that can help with depression or anything else so complex?
Also, when you consider chemistry, one formula is not always perfect for all situations, or people. Some people get drunk on a single beer, some can drink a six pack and drive down the freeway with no problem. Why? And when I ask why, what I mean is do we know. Could a doctor diagnose someone and say 1.77 liters of alcohol will get this person drunk but 1.76 won't? How accurate are doctors diagnoses? If we can't say 100%, could we even say 75%? If they are just educated guesses, would you really want them making decisions about mind altering drugs when they don't know enough about the mind to begin with? My answer is no. And drugs for the brain are a lot more serious then a drug to fight an infection from a cut on your arm.
Watch the movie Awakenings with Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro. In the movie Robin plays a neurologist trying to find out why DeNiro and the other patients in the film are catatonic and how to get them out of it. Watch him play with the dossage of the drugs. And then watch the results. The movie is based on events in 1969. To give you an example, Ritalin, the common drug prescribed to kids came out in 1960, so this isn't, from a medical standpoint, ancient history.
They just don't know enough about how our brains function to be mass-supplying this stuff to the public. Research use? Sure. But not as a commonly prescribed drug.
My final comment on this... You ever see these ads on TV where they tell you about this new drug and all its wonderful capabilities? Then they spend 20 seconds having a guy talking really, really fast rattling off the gazillion side effects it may cause? They just don't know enough yet....
If anti-depressants didn't exist, I'd be self-injuring or possibly dead, so I obviously think they're a good thing. :) Let me know if you want more details.
defently good if not abused or used inproperly. some people still thank that depression is something that you can just get over when in fact it is a chemical imbalance in your brain. not something you can control yourself
anti depressants, if they work for u, are miracle drugs. The only problem is that they are veryy bad for u cuz they alter ur brain chemicals and most have a lottt of side effects
I don't want to do your entire paper for you, however I do have a few topics for you to think about.
Bad: There's been some evidence which link antidepressants to an increased risk of suicidal ideation in youth (children and adolescents). In addition, there are many other adverse effects of taking antidepressants (weight gain, increased depressed mood, etc).
Good: On the other hand, antidepressants have been proven to help stabilize mood. You might want to argue that untreated depression is far worse than a few side effects.
Use Medline or Psychinfo to gain access to tons of Psychiatric literature on these topics.
Well, I sell one for a living, so I am a little biased. But, I will give you my honest opinion. I think that a LOT of the depression in the US is, "Situational Depression." You will not find that in the DSM-IV Diagnostic manual as a disorder but this is my thought. I think that people screw up their lives by having too much debt (check out the current mortgage crisis) or having sex with people they are not married to (unwanted pregnancy, std's). Or, they don't want to be strong parents so they have issues with their kids. Or. they don't want to be strong marriage partners so they take more than they give in a relationship. Or, whatever else we American's do to screw up our lives.
Then, instead of looking at ourselves and saying, "I need to make some changes and get over it!" People tend to look for help in a pill. If you don't fix the root problem putting a band aid on it won't help in the long run.
Anti-Depressants increase the levels of Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine in your brain through different mechanisms of action. I do believe that there are people that need these medications because they have a chemical imbalance, but I believe that they are way over prescribed. However, if a doctor told a patient, "Get off your butt, get a second job to pay off your debt, make your kids behave and be a better spouse" the patient would just look for a new physician. So what can a doctor do?
This makes me very sad when I see medications being used in children. Truly, there are kids that need medications. However, more than medications, many of these kids need better parents. For example: I an involved in a Boy Scout Troop. One of the kids has, ADHD. I admit that he is a very hyper kid, when he is in normal social situations. However, if you put a back pack on this boy, show him a mountain to climb and let him wear off all that extra energy he is one of my favorite kids.
Ok, I know this is a very long answer to your question. But in conclusion I will say that anti depressants are a good thing. But in my opinion Americans use them as a crutch, when they really just need more discipline in their life.
aslong as you dont become completly dependent on them i beleive they are life savers !
Well, from a purely medical science perspective, they are good. What is presently known about depression is that it is caused by either a deficiency of neurotransmitters within the synaptic cleft that fail to adequately stimulate the next neuron in the chain. Antidepressants either prevent the premature reuptake of the neurotransmitters or increase their production and release into the synaptic cleft. This, therefore, should and does elevate mood.
However, it can also cause insomina, restlessness and weight loss. It is important to note, at this point, the current discussion on antidepressants CAUSING and increase in suicidal thoughts and/or behavior. This happens as a result of therapy because when a person is depressed, they ruminate and think about ending it all, however, they are too mentallty and physically fatigued to act on these thoughts. As they begin to improve with the medication and get some rest, they are better able to plan and carry the plan out. These medications do not overtly CAUSE this. In fact, this behavior occurs because the meds are working.
Now, I will submit that there is a tremendous amount of over-prescribing of these meds. Just because you are sad, doesnt mean that you are clinically depressed. However, most physicians will err on the side of caution at the risk of being sued and write for the meds even when they arent warranted. That way, the patient can CHOOSE not to take them.