A major study recently published by Molecular Psychiatry found no concrete evidence to prove that depression is caused by low levels of serotonin. The study’s findings have caused people to question the efficacy of anti-depression medications, specifically Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).
SSRIs allegedly treat a lack of serotonin, a chemical that is known to play key roles in mood and sleep patterns within the brain. These medications became the popular treatment for depression when the drug Prozac was released in the late 1980s. This suddenly shifted the conversation surrounding depression to conveniently push the narrative claiming that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. It isn’t entirely uncommon for large pharmaceutical companies to promote a certain story that will help their product succeed, it is however, morally unjust for them to do so.
Soon, SSRIs became the first response to depression, even for children as young as 12 years old whose brains will not fully develop until their mid-twenties. Questions were never raised on why depression medications listed “worsening suicidal thoughts or tendencies” as a side-effect, the very problem the drug was believed to solve. Psychiatrists blindly prescribed the medications, pharmaceutical companies profited, only to realize that some even had addictive qualities, and created lifelong patients.
“In general, it is assumed that antidepressants are beneficial for all symptoms of depression, including suicidality. However, some evidence suggests that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors [SSRIs] may cause worsening of suicidal ideas in vulnerable patients.”
NIH
Though SSRIs are not branded as addictive, people who experience withdraw symptoms are considered to have an “antidepressant dependence.” Some research even suggests that some individuals taking antidepressant medications will experience “severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms when quitting the drugs – symptoms so unbearable that many will be unable to quit, even when the drugs are gradually reduced by a physician.”
“First, antidepressant drugs turned out to be far less effective in treating depression than once hoped and advertised. About half of patients get no relief from these medications, and many of those who do benefit find the relief to be incomplete and accompanied by distressing side effects.“
Psychology Today
The development of SSRI medications drastically redefined depression societally. Depression became regarded as a medical condition that needed to be treated, an uncontrollable chemical phenomenon, entirely untethered to a person’s lifestyle or circumstances.
Medication should never be the first response to a physical or mental problem. Specifically, children, teens, and young adults should learn to find alternative ways of improving their mood instead of immediately getting hooked on Big Pharma. For years people believed that their depression was entirely out of their control, that there was an imbalance in their brain, and no lifestyle, diet, or circumstance change would cure their negative thoughts.
History and reality tell a different story, you should set routines, create good habits, force yourself to participate in and care for the environment around you. Get outside, enjoy the sunshine, exercise and eat a good meal. Something as simple as spending 10 minutes in the sun is proven to improve mood, sleep, and overall health. Taking on new responsibilities and thinking more on the world around you rather than focusing inward can all be overwhelmingly helpful when working on changing daily habits to create a happier mentality.
This new research is, in a way, empowering for anyone suffering from depressive thoughts, because it goes to show that you actually are in control of your mentality. You have the ability to overcome the situation without relying on medications to band-aid the problem, or be the solution.
