What's Wrong With Antidepressants?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 7:08AMAmong other problems, they don't work for more than half the people who take them. New findings from an investigation at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine suggest that antidepressants fall short because they're aimed at the wrong biochemical targets in the brain. Research from Northwestern psychiatry professor Eva Redei reveals that in the rats she studied (their brains are remarkably similar to humans in areas related to depression) there's only a small overlap between genes related to stress and those related to depression.
This suggests that chronic stress doesn't cause the same molecular changes in the brain as depression, and undermines the belief that stress itself can be a major cause of depression. Redei maintains that this explains why antidepressants don't work better - they're more suited to treating stress than depression. Antidepressants that aim to boost levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are also often ineffective. Redei did not find the dramatic differences in the levels of genes controlling the function of these neurotransmitters that would be expected if depression were related to their activity.
In a presentation at the Neuroscience 2009 conference in Chicago in October, Redei concluded that today's antidepressants have been focusing primarily on the effect of depression, not its cause. And that's why they don't live up to expectations.
In my view, this illuminating study helps explain the limited effectiveness of antidepressants. Buddhist philosophy encourages the daily practice of meditation, and this is perhaps the best way to address the root of depression and change it. However, meditation does not produce quick results. For immediate improvement of symptoms related to depression, there is no better method than regular aerobic exercise.
More information on depression and depression treatment.
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (7)
Though preaching to the choir, it is the choir of the wrong church. Still, I would like to suggest it is unfortunate that Dr. Weil characterizes psychotherapy as effective only for mild cases of depression, while serious cases, "clinical depression," require serious treatment--medicine.
Medical people endeavor to define an ever increasing number of lifes problems in medical terms, and, it only follows that medical problems call for medical solutions. Following up on the respondent preceding me, I have to concur in the observation that antidepressants are often ineffective. Less effective than he or she suggests, however. In 14 years of full time clinical (psychology) practice in hospital psychiatric, residential, and private practice settings, I have not seen more than a handful of patients for whom antidepressants, alone, were satisfactory treatment.
Of course, there is abundant literature attesting to the effectiveness of psychotherapy, and not for merely mild conditions. The trouble, as I see it, is that physicians don't really believe it. Many (or most?) psychiatrists have little or no training in psychotherapy, and family doctors follow their lead, rather than seeking out those who could step in to fill the service gap for their patients.
The tragic situation for patients is that pharmacological approaches to psychiatric and other of lifes difficulties have been over sold, that higher than necessary rates of treatment failure are simply tolerated, while psychotherapy that could be helpful for many is ignored, or worse, disparaged.
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY STUDIES THAT SHOW THE EFFECTIVNESS OF EXCERCISE AND DIET,WHY DON'T DRS RX THAT FIRST; I MEAN REAL PROGRAMS TO WALK AND EAT WELL. IN MENTAL INSTITUTIONS THE FOOD IS INCORRECT AND PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO ZONE OUT INSTEAD OF EXERCISE
The problem is bigpharma produces pills and then tries to find the cure they fix. Also insurance will not pay for meditation classes, but they are all too happy to pay for pills.
wow this is great!. thanks for the information!.
hello,i just want to leave a comment here for my essay writers
My 2 cents.
I found anti-depression meds were very effective. I was very stressed out, not sleeping well even with medication, dealing with aftermath of chemo & hormone deprivation treatment for cancer, job stress etc My doctor suggested Celexa and therapy. I was not crazy to go on meds due the stigma. Psychotherapy was not very ineffective but meds helped me. I also embarked on yoga and exercise. Certainly exercise, yoga/ meditation alone would have mitigated the situation but the meds accelerated my "recovery". I was sleeping and back to normal in 3-4 weeks.
I read about anti-depression meds being no more effective than placebo and maybe it's true but it helped me
greatly. Now I want to work on getting off the meds and stay vigilant with other tools to deal with stress.
Thanks for helpful information. I always felt that there was something wrong with antidepressants, and your custom writing has just confirmed it. I think the best way to avoid depression is to have high spirits and positive attitude towards friends and foes.