Antidepressants: help or hell?

More than a million Dutch people take antidepressants. On the one hand, an antidepressant may be the only solution, for example in the case of a physical cause that cannot be treated otherwise. On the other hand, more and more psychologists and scientists are asking questions: are we not taking pills too quickly? Should a depressive feeling no longer exist in our ‘happiness society?’ Are there other ways to view and deal with depression? The Mental Health Fund is stimulating a much-needed discussion. Ever known? More than a million Dutch people take antidepressants. But few people are familiar with the fact that antidepressants have a name that does not describe it. The drug is not only prescribed for depression. Antidepressants are also used for anxiety disorders, eating disorders and physical pain. There is a lot of discussion surrounding antidepressants. This has no influence on its use for the time being. Since 1999, we have started using 6% more antidepressants every year.

Too many antidepressants?

The Mental Health Fund deliberately stimulates the discussion around antidepressants. There are numerous questions surrounding antidepressants that require an answer. For example, does its ever-increasing use mean that we are becoming more depressed en masse? Is the reason that we no longer tolerate negative feelings in our ‘happiness society’? Or does it mean that doctors are prescribing antidepressants too quickly? After all, we live in a time when general practitioners in particular are required to quickly ‘process’ the flow of people they see passing by every day. And the pharmaceutical industry obviously benefits from the use of its resources, so it promotes their use.

Another look at depressive feelings

No one wants to downplay the hell that is depression. There are physical causes, such as a lack of serotonin production, that cannot be solved through talking but can be solved through pills. But the Mental Health Fund rightly draws attention to controversial questions. It is a fact that antidepressants flatten and suppress our emotions. We can also wonder whether the underlying problem will still be given the opportunity to be in the full light of day and to be treated. “If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger” is sometimes said bluntly: what you can’t get over makes you stronger. Some emotions are too heavy to live with even for a day, and then medication is a possible remedy. But on the other hand, there are experts who argue that our emotions can evolve, and that we can too. Emotions can help us gain insight into ourselves and gain a greater ability to process and carry negative emotions in our lives.

Surprising facts about depression

• One study found that half of people who took a placebo or fake drug responded as well as people who took a real antidepressant
• According to clinical psychologist Andrews and psychiatrist Thomson, depressed people often become better at – because they are forced to think more analytically about problems and situations – than people without depression.
• A small proportion of depressions are due to physical causes, but usually a situation (possibly to be solved or processed) is the reason.

Is depression always only bad?

Winston Churchill famously said ‘the black dog of depression.’ But other celebrities also have or had to deal with depressive episodes. They include actress Halle Berry, author Amy Tan, first lady Barbara Bush, writer Charles Dickens, rapper Eminem and composer Ludwig Beethoven. An intriguing question is whether depression hindered or boosted their performance. Some scientists question whether depressive feelings are best treated with pills, because these can not only have harmful side effects, but also hinder the evolution of feelings.

Experienced experts speak

The Mental Health Fund asked a number of experienced experts, doctors and psychologists for their opinion. It turned out that one of them, in addition to being an expert by experience, was also a general practitioner, who believed that antidepressants can save lives. An antidepressant can give people who can no longer move physically and mentally due to psychological causes a boost. However, another opinion from an expert was that too little is known about the effects of antidepressants. This person was not helped by antidepressants, and stopped taking them because three different medications did not work. Moreover, the side effects were significant. Ultimately, the depression was alleviated and ultimately removed through the use of one’s own strength. Finally, there was a respondent, a psychiatrist and researcher, who pointed to recent research. This showed that antidepressants are not as easily prescribed as we think. The practitioner also applies guidelines. Within these guidelines, attention is also paid to phasing out use.