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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Phillipa on October 21, 2011, at 21:21:32
Wow!!!! Phillipa
From Medscape Medical News > Psychiatry
Dramatic Increase in Antidepressant Use
Deborah BrauserAuthors and Disclosures
October 20, 2011 Antidepressant use by Americans has risen dramatically in the last 5 years, with almost 1 in 10 individuals older than 12 years now taking these agents, according to data released from the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
However, the survey, which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also showed that less than one third of those taking a single antidepressant between 2005 and 2008, and less than half of those taking multiple antidepressants, visited a mental health professional in the past year. Those who did make such visits were significantly more likely to be men than women.
"Females are more likely than males to take antidepressant medication at every level of depression severity," writes lead author Laura A. Pratt, PhD, from the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Hyattsville, Maryland.
The study was published online October 19 as an NCHS Data Brief.
400% Increase
According to a 2010 report released by the CDC, antidepressants were the most frequently prescribed prescription drug between 2005 and 2008 for adults aged 18 to 44 years, and the third most commonly used drug for all ages.
That report also showed that use of antidepressants increased by almost 400% for all ages from between 1988 and 1994 to the period between 2005 and 2008.
The NHANES is a continuous survey conducted by the CDC's NCHS. It focuses on the health of the US population and consists of a household interview and a visit to a mobile examination center for a physical examination.
For this analysis, data were examined for 12,637 participants aged 12 years and older between 2005 and 2008.
Questions from the Patient Health Questionnaire were included in the NHANES to assess depression symptom severity.
Results showed that almost one third of people with severe depressive symptoms took antidepressants during the study. Although more than 60% of these individuals took this class of medication for longer than 2 years, 14% had taken it for more than 10 years.
"In general, there was no significant difference between males and females in length of use," report the researchers.
Other findings included that:
10.8% of all Americans older than 12 years take antidepressants;
15.4% of women older than 12 years take antidepressants vs 6.0% of men;
those numbers increase to 22.8% vs 8.5%, respectively, for those aged 40 to 59 years;
for all ages with severe depressive symptoms, 39.9% of women and 21.0% of men take antidepressants; and
whites are more likely to take antidepressants (13.6%) than are blacks (3.9%) or Mexican-Americans (2.7%).
No variation in use was found between different income groups."According to the American Psychiatric Association guidelines, medications are the preferred treatment for moderate to severe depressive symptomatology," write the investigators.
"The public health importance of increasing treatment rates for depression is reflected in Healthy People 2020 , which includes national objectives to increase treatment for depression in adults and treatment for mental health problems in children," they add.
2005-2008 NCHS Data Brief. Published online October 19, 2011
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 0:24:43
In reply to Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Phillipa on October 21, 2011, at 21:21:32
you know what else happened in the past 5 years? The freakin economy tanked.
Posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 18:41:34
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 0:24:43
Better than jumping out of windows like the Great Depression!!!! Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 19:11:34
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400% » Christ_empowered, posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 18:41:34
LOL, true.
Sorry my response seemed harsh. It wasn't directed at you. I just think its curious that this whole "chemical imbalance" thing has gotten so accepted that we witness a really striking example of social problems manifesting as "psychiatric" issues (or at least psychiatric drug use), and the medical experts are wondering "well, what's going on?"
Posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 20:45:44
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 19:11:34
CE nothing wrong with your response you weren't harsh. Now I'm wondering if antidepressants really do anything. I know there are illnesses that require meds. I feel bipolar if really bipolar yes, schizophrenia yes, and I know when I had the panic so horrible when age 24 nothing but nothing other than beer could rid me of this. But I climbed out of a hole by going to school, and all the other stuff. Now at my age I am bored never have been before and If I could have anything at all it would be to recapture those years of nursing. Not sure this is possible at age or legally. So in a way I feel the use of ad's is over rated. If they were meant to be used for years and years wouldn't the trials be this long? Kind of confused. Love Phillipa
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 22, 2011, at 21:09:15
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400% » Christ_empowered, posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 20:45:44
I seriously think that atm, doctors are hnading out antidepressants for conditions that arnt depression, they are just unhappiness, which is a very different thing.
I had a co-worker whos wife left him with three kids..... within a week, he started to itch uncontrolably all over, and went to a doctor.
Instead of explaining that it was stress, or giving him a weeks worth of Valium, or some antihistamine pills and some reasurance, the doctor gave him a script for 6 months worth of Zoloft.
I think the chances of this controling his stress related itching were about as great as the second comming of christ happening in my lounge room this afternoon, the doctor was using Zoloft as a placebo
Posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 21:14:59
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 22, 2011, at 21:09:15
Jono placebo again as if not depressed how can an ad work? Nothing to work on. Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 22:16:20
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400% » jono_in_adelaide, posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 21:14:59
I guess whether you're "depressed" or not, the AD drugs will work the same. You'll probably feel more tranquil, maybe a bit stimulated (really depends on the drug...) I've heard Prozac compared to Ritalin plus a neuroleptic. I did find that mixing Abilify with Adderall resulted in a feeling similar to what I got with "successful" antidepressant treatment.
I think it helps society to do this. Medicalize the problem, tell people its a brain problem, maybe send them to a counselor/therapist for yet another diagnosis and "treatment." The message: you need to change. Not your life, not your peers, not your society: its you, all you.
I would say Big Pharma is behind this, but a lot of the SSRI drugs are generic and amazingly cheap now. I imagine there are a good number of people on the newer antidepressants who could possibly do without them and/or don't have depression, even under the lax DSM guidelines, but I imagine a lot of these people are getting cheap generics. The medical profession benefits by taking control over the human condition, including stress and tragedy; society benefits by calling the alienated "mentally ill;" sometimes I think, in select cases, even the patient benefits by blaming the brain instead of reflecting on his life. He hands over his problems to experts and demands "treatment" for the "condition" of being a human being in an increasingly harsh world. I used to be like that.
Posted by Phillipa on October 22, 2011, at 23:47:58
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Christ_empowered on October 22, 2011, at 22:16:20
Perfectly said!!!! Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on October 23, 2011, at 4:48:15
In reply to Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Phillipa on October 21, 2011, at 21:21:32
I would say when a national leader boasts of hope and change, but instead delivers despair and suffering, coupled with economic conditions more in tune with a depression than a recession, it is no wonder antidepressant usage is up. With all the TV and magazine ads from pharmaceutical companies, I would say their marketing teams are succeeding at reaching their goals, as shown by the 400% increase.
If there was ever a time in history for antidepressant usage to spike to new highs, this is it.
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 23, 2011, at 18:08:25
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by bleauberry on October 23, 2011, at 4:48:15
I think we are at the point now with SSRI's that we were at with benzodiazepines in the 70's - doctors prescribe them when they are confronted with an unhappy patient and feel they should do somthing, but dont know what they should do - a placebo that might do some good.
There has always been a need for somthing like this, wether it is the SSRI's now, Valium in the 70's, Dexamyl in the 50's, or iron tonics in the 30's etc.
As someone once said. "the desire to take medicines is what seperates man from the lower animals"
Posted by Phillipa on October 23, 2011, at 18:27:33
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by jono_in_adelaide on October 23, 2011, at 18:08:25
Jono well said as I am a product of both eras, Mother's little helper and now the ad's are supposed to do the same which they don't to me. Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2011, at 18:58:53
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400% » jono_in_adelaide, posted by Phillipa on October 23, 2011, at 18:27:33
At least the benzos do the job.
Posted by Phillipa on October 23, 2011, at 19:36:30
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2011, at 18:58:53
Not anymore. What I do need is to be at least l0 years younger so can reactivate my RN license and go back to psych nursing. So bored!!!! Phillipa
Posted by sigismund on October 23, 2011, at 19:41:26
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2011, at 18:58:53
At least Dexamyls did the job.
Posted by jjjaspar on October 28, 2011, at 8:59:17
In reply to Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by Phillipa on October 21, 2011, at 21:21:32
For one thing, they are increasingly being used for other problems. One lady friend was prescribed Cymbalta for her arthritis pain interfering with her sleep! It was incredibly stupid as she had a horrible time getting off it. The withdrawal from it gave her psychiatric side-effects! And no, she didn't have psych symptoms to begin with.
Then there was another antidepressant given which caused huge weight gain.
Finally, she went to a doctor who simply had her take some supplements including a high quality fish oil, curcumin, and ginger for her arthritis (this was in addition to her anti-inflammatory). She finally got relief without antidepressants used in such a bizarre manner.
Posted by Phillipa on October 28, 2011, at 20:35:33
In reply to Re: Dramatic Increase In Antidepressant Use Up 400%, posted by jjjaspar on October 28, 2011, at 8:59:17
Just saw an add on TV for cymbalta as a man with arthritis had lower back pain and with cymbalta it went away and he's living happily ever after. Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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