by Lucinda Bassett
Hello Everyone,The Wall Street Journal recently published an interesting, thought provoking article about antidepressant medications being used to banish simple sadness or dissatisfaction at an enormous price to the patient/consumer. Not from a financial standpoint, but from a “loss of life experience” standpoint.
Do Antidepressants Make People Artificially Happy?
The article, "A Psychotropical Paradise," features excerpts from a book entitled "Artificial Happiness" by Dr. Ronald Dworkin. Dr. Dworkin talks about a turf war among doctors and psychiatrists over the fate of the American brain. His book examines the implications of a new class of “artificially happy” people who avoid the normal sadness in life by taking antidepressants. Some Melancholy Feelings are Normal
The article goes on to discuss how these new antidepressants can be so effective at treating sadness as well as clinical depression and other mood disorders that patients and doctors were conflating everyday unhappiness, which could be due to job dissatisfaction, relationship issues, or personal conflicts that need to be addressed, with the genuine disease of depression. Sadness Can Motivate People to Change Their Lives
The downside of treating unhappiness with medication as if it’s depression is obvious. If people are unhappy due to personal life situations, possibly their unhappiness will motivate them to take action to improve or eliminate the situation. Hopefully they will learn to acquire coping skills for dealing with these experiences in a positive, self-empowering way. While they might benefit from seeing a counselor, they do not necessarily need medication. In fact, the medication could prevent them from making the life changes that they need. Settling for Happiness with Antidepressants
If someone is medicated with antidepressants, he or she might remain in an unfavorable situation due to psychological complacency or emotional numbness to the negative. And the motivation to learn healthy ways of coping is, unfortunately, eliminated, at least as long as the medication “works” and treats the sad feelings.Dr. Dworkin gives examples in his book about people on Prozac becoming complacent about their miserable marriages, unfulfilling jobs, or unhappy lives as a result of the medications. He points out that, most troubling of all, these drugs are now being prescribed to children, inhibiting them from developing the very skills that could help them cope with feelings of disappointment and learn to create their own happiness. If children do not learn basic skills to cope with the normal dissatisfactions in life, then they will not be emotionally prepared to really live a life. Plus, they will be dependent on medication for happiness in mediocre lives.
Depression Has Become a Catchall Word
According to the article the catchall word “depression” now covers sadness, dejection, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. It certainly offers physicians, many of whom are overworked and have less time to spend with their patients, an option for a quick and effective fix for their emotionally distraught patients. And the pharmaceutical companies are certainly on board, advertising directly to the consumer who now goes directly to his or her physician asking for a specific drug to treat feelings that they do not like. According to the article, insurance companies are on board as well, preferring to pay for pills over costly psychiatric or psychological treatments that are more effective at preventing relapse than medication for those who suffer from legitimate depression.Do You Need Antidepressants?
So what does this mean to you? Certainly there is a place for antidepressants. They are useful for some clinically depressed patients, especially when combined with other types of therapy. But how many people are taking them to mask the emotional pain of life’s ups and downs? And how many people are staying stuck and remaining complacent when, if they could “feel” the pain, they might “do” something about it, or even find healthy coping methods to deal with these challenging emotions?Learning Coping Skills for Depression and Sadness
Again, it brings me back to the program. I am so grateful to have these skills to share with my children as they grow and move through life’s challenges and disappointments, for there will be many… as there have been for me.I personally have chosen not to use antidepressants, although at times I have been tempted. That said, I am glad these types of medications are available for the clinically depressed who need them. But I can’t help but wonder how many people are medicating when they should be learning coping skills that could last a lifetime instead of a quick fix that will not teach them how to truly deal with their mood disorders.
These skills would also help them help their children understand that life isn’t always about fun, feeling good, and being happy. It’s also about being able to cope when things go wrong, when you’re feeling sad or disappointed, when things seem gloomy. After all it’s the bad times that make us appreciate the good… right?
Just food for thought. Till next time…
Lucinda
