Depression And Antidepressants Research Paper

Depression, Natural Treatments or Antidepressants Depression is a common and pervasive condition that affects a great number of people at some point in their lives. The symptoms of depression such as feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness can occur as a result of many factors, including unresolved past trauma, and current stressful circumstances, including toxic or abusive relationships. While some cases of severe depression may require a medical approach, often mild or moderate cases can be addressed through the use of natural methods. Depression is a complex condition that requires an in-depth look into the causes and symptoms before prescribing antidepressants and should first follow natural ways of treating the illness.…show more content…
A clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Prozac Backlash, Dr. Joseph Glenmullen says, “We see withdrawal symptoms that can be so severe that patients feel held hostage to the antidepressant." (qtd. in Healthy Place) Drug companies have named this phenomenon of withdrawal symptoms "Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome.” Patients coming off the antidepressants may experience symptoms such as, balance problems, flu-like symptoms, hallucinations, blurred vision, irritability, tingling sensations, vivid dreams, nervousness and melancholy. Compounding the problem is patients who go off the drug mistake these withdrawal symptoms for a return of the original symptoms. It is then very common for patients to restart the medication. "This is chasing one's tail by medicating withdrawal side effects, which often results in needlessly prolonging exposure to the drug." (Healthy Place) Not fully understanding antidepressants in the first place or the problems associated with withdrawal is causing doctors to leave their patients on the drugs for…show more content…
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