Date: Sunday, August 14
Time: 6:30-7pm
Where: My facebook page
Topic: De-stigmatizing Antidepressants–Once Again
In looking over the comments from the last Facebook LIVE, I saw that there was a lot of misunderstanding as it relates to antidepressants and other mental health medications. Given that the suicide rates have dramatically increased, I thought we’d tackle the topic. This will not be a discussion on specific antidepressants but more about the stigma related to using them. We will leave that to the psychiatrists.
“The last time we were able to successfully decrease suicides in this country was during the late 1980s, when rates began a steady, decade-long decline after the FDA approval of the SSRI antidepressants Prozac and Zoloft, says Christine Moutier, MD, chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Prozac hit the market in 1987, and by 1990, 650,000 prescriptions were being written or refilled every month. It’s no coincidence, says Dr. Moutier, that self-inflicted deaths started to fall around the same time. “Suicide rates were going down quite beautifully,” she says.
According to a 2010 report in the New England Journal of Medicine. “There was a media swirl that very much confused both healthcare providers and the public because the rhetoric became that antidepressants are more dangerous than they are helpful,” says Dr. Moutier. “But that’s not a true statement. Effective use of antidepressants to treat depression saves lives, and there is plenty of research to show that.”*
- Would we deny a diabetic insulin?
- In our zeal to be more “holistic” are we making people feel guilty for medicine they need?
- Are we passing on that stigma to our children, teens and other parents making other parents feel guilty?
- What about the argument that the pharm companies are pushing them on people?
- Next topic: How can we stop the faucet of prescription meds
*Source: Washington Post: http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/117179/suicide-rates-rising-young-women
Thank you for this post AM. There should be no shame for our children who require antidepressants or other psyche meds to feel better. To remove stigma means we must lift the vail completely and be encouraging and supportive to all people whose lives depend on taking medication. We must not judge. What works for one doesn’t always work for others.
Right now I can say with 100% confidence that the doctor prescribed meds that my son takes absolutely helps him want to live another day.
As a Mom, that is a win win for me and most importantly for my son. The meds help bring clarity and stability to him.
Thank you Mary Ellen