One in ten Americans take antidepressant medications. The rate of antidepressant use has increased by 400 percent since 1988, with antidepressants being the most frequently used drugs by individuals between the ages of 18-44. These troubling statics create a profound mystery. More specifically, they invoke the question, “why are so many Americans depressed, and why are Americans over the years becoming more depressed?”
While mental health experts may have various explanations for these troubling statistics, one major argument is that Americans may not necessarily be as depressed as antidepressant medication prescriptions indicate. In a study conducted by John Hopkins School of Public Health, researchers found that in most cases, Americans are being over-diagnosed with depression and are being over-prescribed antidepressants. The study found that only 38 percent of patients with clinician-identified depression met the criteria for a major depressive episode set by the American Psychiatric Association. That means 62 percent of patients left their physician’s office with antidepressants, whether clinically depressed or not.
This is alarming, as antidepressants may cause chemical imbalances in the brain of patients who do not need these medications. Since antidepressants alter neuron signaling to create a balance in the chemical signaling in depressed patients, they may disturb an already existent balance in healthy patients. Studies have not yet been conducted to determine the impact of antidepressants in mentally stable and healthy patients. That said, all medications have side-effects, making it imperative to only take a medication if is necessary for treatment of a specific illness. This is especially true for medications that may impact neural signaling in the brain.
Antidepressant medication
Image source: Jonathan Nourok
To ensure that antidepressants are only prescribed as needed, patients should check that their doctors are familiar with the criteria for a major depressive episode as set by the American Psychiatric Association. In addition, patients should ensure that they are familiar with depression symptoms in order to seek help when needed and in order to be capable of distinguishing depression from other illnesses.
Understanding depression symptoms can help ensure that patients who are depressed will receive the help they need, and that patients who are healthy will not be incorrectly diagnosed. According to the National Institute of Health, some of the common but often overlooked symptoms of depression include: decreased energy or fatigue, loss of interest in activities (as illustrated in the graph below), insomnia, and aches and pain (such as headaches, digestive problems, etc.). While one of these symptoms is not enough for the proper diagnosis of depression, these symptoms, combined with other obvious indicators of depression, may be sufficient for proper diagnosis.
Although patients often opt for antidepressants as a quick fix for their daily stresses and personal problems, they are not aware that they are doing themselves more harm than good. Feeling sad or stressed is not the same as being clinically depressed. Only clinically depressed patients, who have been properly diagnosed, should be prescribed antidepressants. It is important that individuals are familiar with the symptoms of depression in order to receive a proper diagnosis.
Furthermore, it is essential to be able to distinguish what experts call the “case of the blues” (short term sadness or stress) from depression.
