Mental Health Blogs

In an article that came out on Monday in the LA Times the paper delves into the reality of anti-depressant withdrawal problems. The article is a sidebar to a longer piece on depression in America, which pretty much concludes that depression is undertreated. I cannot make myself get into tearing that one apart.

More interesting is the reporter’s explanation of withdrawal syndromes:

“The biology behind symptoms is unclear. Antidepressants boost levels of brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, but they also dampen the system that transports these chemicals, researchers believe. When there’s suddenly less drug in the brain, it takes time for the system to pick itself up again. And since these brain chemicals control more than just mood (they also influence digestion, sleep and motor control, for example) withdrawal reactions can be broad.”

What the article fails to say is that what you just read there is a compelling argument for drug-free depression treatment, especially given that CBT and other psychotherapies work about as well as anti-depressants.

All the same, I appreciate the paper’s honesty in reporting on withdrawal problems with anti-depressants. Many in the media ignore the phenomenon when they write about depression.

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Related posts:

1. Tragic Anti-Depressant Withdrawal, Murder Case In UK
2. Two Studies: Mom’s Anti-Depressant Tied To Newborns’ Health Problems
3. The Anti-Depressant Trap Leads To Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis, Lithium Toxicity
4. Study: US Anti-Depressant Use Doubles From 1996 to 2005
5. Doctors On CNN, Fox News Criticize Long-Term Anti-Depressant Use