Friday, March 15, 2013

Treating Clinical Depression - The Myth Behind Pills That Make You Happy


Treating clinical depression, and depression in general, has become so easy, perhaps too easy. Our society has never had so many unhappy people. It is shocking that we may be victims of unprecedented psychological misery in face of unprecedented prosperity, world power, and material well-being. We live in an age where sadness and helplessness is the predominant emotion.

Clinical depression treatment: pills that rescue
It must be a bad habit to consult a doctor to ask for Prozac when your mood is low. Like a band-aid on a cut, Prozac and its fellows make-happy-pills dress emotional wounds without the need to deal with the underlying issues. We start popping rescue pills that will save us from feelings of disappointment, loss, failure and rejection. They shield us from negative feelings that are essentially connected to us being fully human.

How can you be certain about being happy if you have never been unhappy? How can you tell the difference? Rescue pills are crutches, no less, no more. It is dangerous for your health to resort to a fashion drug.

Treatments for clinical depression: pills that work when brain messengers are low
I'm not a big fan of antidepressant drugs (ADs). They have their place to treat depression, for sure. They have got a long tradition, I know. However, I feel that their status in therapy is hugely overrated. Of course, there will be always people who benefit tremendously and who are not able to live without them but this doesn't hold true for most people with depression.

There is one thing that you should know: Research has shown that treating clinical depression with ADs only work for people with a neurotransmitter imbalance in the brain. Only 50-60% of these people benefit from ADs when taking medication alone. They do not work for people with depressions of other provenience. Before taking ADs, I recommend you to visit your physician to get a special blood test done to identify that your specific brain messengers are low.

Clinical depression treatments: treat mild to moderate depression naturally
St.John's wort (hypericum perforatum; plant) and SAMe (sammy: chemical naturally found in the body) have been scientifically researched and proven effective to treat mild to moderate depression. However, it is not clear how they work. Both increase the needed messengers in the brain for the 'soul and the body' to function in a healthy way. Good news is that they have hardly any side effects.

When you think that you are depressed, and you've identified depression signs and symptoms don't take antidepressants drugs lightly. They have got a lot of side effects. Think first about healthier alternatives, especially when you belong to those who are only mildly to moderately depressed.

No comments:

Post a Comment