Depression - Is Society Taking the Wrong Approach?
By David Braybrooke
Is society taking the wrong approach with the treatment of depression? I would answer this as most certainly. The fact is that the pharmaceutical industry makes countless millions in revenue each and every year, profiting from the misery of the masses.
Drugs from Prozac to Zoloft and a plethora of others are fed to the wider populace at an alarming rate. From personal experience, I can clearly state that anti-depressant medication has a wide range of negative side-effects that directly affect the consumer.
At present I am taking a tablet called Effexor and am not experiencing too many troubling symptoms. However, if I decided to take myself off this medication then I can expect a whole range of worrying symptoms; anything from tremors to blurred vision and poor concentration and digestion.
On first examination the above conditions may not be of much concern to some but I have to admit being alarmed at how the human body can be so severely affected by these types of medications.
My theory on why depression is so widespread in society is that we are no longer as well-connected and networked as individuals. Many people confess that they don't even know their neighbors. The modern condition of disconnection from others is rife in modern society.
Slowing down the pace of life, remembering to count one's blessings and participating in personally fulfilling activities with other like-minded people is one avenue that depression can be combated. Instead, we're heading off to the Doctor's office in ever increasing numbers to be prescribed the latest wonder drug. Does anyone besides myself wonder about how many qualified Doctors have shares in drug companies?
New prescription medications are often unknown quantities when it comes to long termed effects in the human body. Remember what they discovered about thalidomide. Enough said!
Why do I think that medications are a poor choice in attacking the depression 'plague'? Because I've taken them myself, Zoloft, Sertraline and Effexor XR and I remained depressed and suicidal throughout the course of the medications. And I'm by no means the only one to have experienced this.
The right approach in tackling depression would be the encouragement of meaningful relating between people; really listening and being supportive of sufferers. For some, prescribed medications may offer relief in the short-term but the long-term answer is the questioning of one's personal beliefs and the examination of reasons why one is experiencing depression.
One things for certain, we weren't born depressed so it is likely that it is a learned psychological condition that can be reversed.
Keep busy, appreciate your own achievements, exercise on a daily basis and have a healthy diet. Have a positive attitude to life and get involved within your community. The way out of the darkness owes much to common sense living. And I can state this from my own experience.
David Braybrooke http://makebigmoney-fatherspirit.blogspot.com
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