Depression is a very serious mental illness that can lead to thoughts of suicide and kill 30% of teens and young adults each year. Moreover, left untreated, it can cause undue stress and harm on the suffering individual and impact their familial relations.
There are numerous drugs, anti-depressants available commercially as there are complimentary homeopathic alternatives available. Fact is Depression is NOT an illness where medication works alone. OTHER tactics MUST be used as prescribed by a professionally licensed health care provider.
But when I read this article as a review of this article I am bothered, because THEY ARE INHERENTLY CULTURALLY INCOMPETENT! THEY HAVE NOT WORKED IN THE GHETTO, THE HOOD, THE BARRIO, THE BOTTOM, THE SWATS, THE PROJECTS, THE SUFFERING, THE PAIN, THE PRISONS, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTHING!
So when they ceremoniously proclaim that "POOF" we no longer need this, they have missed a huge social determinant to health! One of them mainly injustice.
The other issue is the review study was published in 2008 in New England Journal Of Medicine. PLENTY CAN CHANGE in 2 years. This was a post-processed meta-study with bias clinical trial. Which means they took all the published papers, combined the data with some key parameters they were looking for, which inherently causes bias to a favorable or statistically significant result... That is like saying all roses are red because when I see this ONE rose garden, the roses are red...
Biology rarely works that way...
What gets me is the website it is published. I find it distasteful when you have a "PHYSICIAN" hocking his books that have not been FDA reviewed as "try this you will live" on an alternative health website. Basically telling folks to go off their medications prescribed by their personal physician who has been keeping up with the latest public health directives under the Joint Commission.
He says "over the years he has seen patients" - clue! That is NOT a clinical trial, under the rules and dictates of a University Medical School, Human Subjects Division, College of Health Association and National Institutes of Health program! Sure many doctors can say "over the years", but drawing indiscriminately based markers without some complicity is malfeasance.
I put something out there like that riding off my education, and I get booed off the stage. Not only that, I get sued and arrested. But I have the sense enough to know that if someone is having a mental health problem it is best to make them see their professionally licensed health care provider and tell them to do so.
With many of our veterans returning from these wars, possibly having PTSD and not enough providers, should any of us telling them, oh take more vitamins that are unregulated in the US, and exercise rigorously for 5 days a week? Oh wait! You lost both your legs in an IED attack and now due to your PTSD, you have reached your depression stage...Sorry you have been sobbing for 12 hours! But Antidepressants do not work!
AIN'T THAT SOME ISHT!
I am here to tell you: If your professionally licensed provider has good enough sense and reason to prescribe these kinds of medications to you, then recommend extra assistance through group therapeutics, and exercise regimen, and another class, do not take crap from the web, even from a verified source and stop taking your medications without telling your provider...
HAYLE YOU AIN'T GOTTA BELIEVE ME! I'M KEWL WITH THAT! BUT SERIOUSLY IF YOU'VE BEEN CRYING FOR > 4 HOURS AND NO ONE HAS DIED IMMEDIATELY...
Because really, that is not right or healthy...
Why do I say that? Been there, done that, got a T-shirt... Why make yourself have to go back to square one everyday when you do that?
Prayer helps, finding your faith helps, but these meds allow you to function in this society without feeling like you want to put holes in places and people that do not need holes...
If you don't have your health, what do you have? Really?
