The New England Journal of Medicine has just released research findings on their study of anti-depressant drugs. They say depression is the leading cause of disability in people ages 15 to 44. Some good news, there are nearly two dozen antidepressant drugs on the market, 189 million antidepressants prescriptions were written last year.
Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said the goal of the study was to find treatments that were most beneficial, and helped the most patients, and they were successful. What they found was that some people were not responding to certain drugs, but did respond when another was added, or when a different drug was tried. Insel says it's important not to give up on treatment options because there is a prescription that will work for you.
I think another important part of the research being done shows there is not as much of a stigma placed on depression as there once was. It's nice to know that if needed, there are treatment options out there. But doctors also say that many people suffering from depression are unemployed, which means no insurance, which means even if given a prescription, many can't afford to fill it.
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Having battled my way through peri- and post-partum depression, I'm glad to see less of a stigma attached to the problem of depression. I am, however, still very concerned about the focus on prescriptions as the primary treatment for the problem. My personal belief is that though medicinal treatment may work for some sufferers, in other cases (my own, for instance) a prescription may just mask the "symptoms" without actually alleviating causes of depression such as stress, dietary problems, etc. I'd love to see more doctors treating the issue in a holistic manner that incorporates more than "popping a pill" to get better. :-)
Posted by: Melonie K. Murray | March 23, 2006 7:30 PM | Permalink to Comment