Interesting Video Antidepressants

[darksideofthemoon]

Video about the ineffectiveness of many antidepressants...... Test studies that have been done....


http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7399362n

[KK77]

I agree for mild cases of depression ADs are probably minimal in effect, and I don't deny the placebo effect here. But as the doc notes himself, for more extreme cases of mental illness there is a benefit - however small or moderate that may be.

Interesting vid though.

[grotbags]

I took Dosulpin and I swear it was placebo. Well, initial placebo and then I realised it didn't work. But i am convinvced that Cipralex did help me a lot. I've spoken to a lot of people who claim that antidepressants don't work, but I am convinced that Cipralex DID really work!!

Thing is, none of them work enough, do they? It seems like they help to an extent but they are not a cure. We need medications that do actually cure, but they do not yet exist.

[Geoff2301]

If you read Irving Kirch's book, "the emperorors new drugs" I think it was called........ it makes fascinating reading and really makes you realise how ineffective these drugs are.

[KK77]

'Ineffective' for some. But you use that word loosely I think.

For mild to moderate depression I think any small benefit would be outweighed by side effects anyway.

Let's also not forget that anxiety, GAD, panic disorder, SAD, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, pain disorders, BDD etc, for which ADs are also used on- and off-label, were not taken into account. Only depression is mentioned.

[NoPoet]

Nobody can say that antidepressants are "ineffective". Millions of people have benefited and continue to benefit from them. It is ridiculous to think the NHS would chuck billions away on something that's as helpful as Sweetex. EDIT: When they do chuck billions away on something, it's usually something the Government forces them to, such as red tape and middle managers.

On the other hand, not everyone responds to some or all meds, and medication cannot cure depression. Medication has never been sold as a "cure", it is intended to help relieve the symptoms, just like migraleve is not stated to "cure" migraines even though it can (in some people) get rid of the physical symptoms. Same with beta blockers, they can alleviate stress and therefore reduce the occurrence of migraines and headaches, but they don't take away a person's natural tendency to stress or any outside factors that induce this stress.

There is some new thinking that depression therapy needs to be more aggressive. Combinations of medicine from different classes seem to be more effective than one medication alone in some people, particularly "treatment resistant" people.

Also, I am not convinced everyone having therapy is seeing the right type of therapist - for example, CBT is recommended as first-line treatment for depression and counselling isn't. It also depends on the qualities of the therapist: their experience, talent, skills, training, intelligence and level of insight. Finally, therapy's eventual success is also determined by the character of the person undergoing treatment. Someone who never bothers to do their CBT homework, or who stoutly resists any kind of personal insight, or who doesn't stick to their medication dose/routine, is far less likely to recover than someone who is well-sorted and takes ownership of their recovery.

To say "medication doesn't help" is essentially a worthless argument IMO as there too many variables.