The mainstay of the treatment of depression, which we can call the disease of our age, is antidepressant drugs; however, these drugs are frequently criticized for how permanent their effects are. Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use antidepressants, given that they’ve saved many people’s lives; however, this does not change the fact that if the person stops taking the drugs, they often return to their previous state of depression.
A new study, now published in PLOS One, suggests that antidepressants do not improve people’s quality of life in the long run, compared to people with depression who do not use such drugs. According to the findings of this study, which is the latest in a series of studies that argue that the use of antidepressants should be reconsidered, better therapies may be the real solution to depression.
Millions of adults are diagnosed with depression each year
New research led by pharmacoepidemiologist Omar Almohammed of King Saud University in Saudi Arabia is helping people who are not finding their hopes with antidepressants. looks like it might. These drugs, which do not make a great contribution to the treatment of depression in some people; It is known to have undesirable side effects such as weight gain, insomnia, loss of sex drive and even withdrawal-like symptoms that indicate addiction if stopped abruptly.
Almohammed and colleagues state in their article that improving people’s general well-being, particularly their quality of life, is the “end goal of therapy” for years, not just a few months. However, doubts remain as to whether antidepressants can help achieve this goal. Accordingly, it is claimed that the pharmaceutical industry has been hiding many data showing that antidepressant drugs may be ineffective for their own interests for years.
Even though this understanding has decreased recently, it is obvious that antidepressants do not give most depressed people what they want and that different treatment methods are needed in this area. To offer a solution to this problem, the researchers in the new study therefore compiled data from a nationwide study that tracked which healthcare services Americans use.
Antidepressants are insufficient to improve quality of life
According to the health records covering the period between 2005 and 2016, approximately 17 million adults are diagnosed with depression every year. When we consider that this number is equivalent to the population of the Netherlands or Ecuador, the seriousness of the situation is much more obvious. On the other hand, it is stated that the fact that approximately two-thirds of the people in this 11-year data set are women is an indicator of how real-life gender inequality reflects on mental health.
The analysis found that antidepressant use was associated with some mental improvements, but not with physical aspects of quality of life. In other words, this means that people’s psychological distress and well-being improve with antidepressants, but physical health problems, bodily aches, and lack of vitality often persist.
Worse still, the positive changes in some aspects of quality of life in people taking antidepressants within two years were not very different from changes seen in nonusers. Drawing on these data, the team notes that physicians and healthcare professionals should consider including their patients in psychotherapy or social support sessions before resorting to antidepressants, mainly because these drugs do not have a lasting impact on people’s quality of life.
Taking antidepressants with therapy may be the most effective method
On the other hand, this study does not reveal a correlation between newly diagnosed depression cases and people who have been living with mood disorders for years. It doesn’t discriminate either. That is, subjects were included in the analysis if they had a diagnosis of depression and two-year follow-up data. This may mean that for some individuals these drugs have an initial effect before the observed two-year period. However, the researchers were unable to conduct any analysis of the severity of depression, as it was not recorded in the survey data.
Another aspect that the study lacks is the difference between the two study groups in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and poverty experiences. It would also be absurd to think that the findings of a US-based study would apply to everyone, anywhere in the world; however, the study is very much in line with other studies from other countries that suggest that modern antidepressants fall short in many ways.
Of course, this does not mean “Throw away your antidepressants immediately” as we have said before. The study just points out that experts should reconsider how best to use these drugs and how long-lasting the effects will be before resorting to direct antidepressants. What’s more, according to a 2016 meta-analysis of more than 150 randomized, placebo-controlled studies, the concurrent use of antidepressants with the support of a psychotherapist is more effective in improving people’s quality of life than simply taking medication or going to talk therapy alone.
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