I am not a fan of anti-depressant usage by any stretch of imagination. I believe that they can be used extremely carefully in very traumatic situations, short term only – to assist someone who is in a very bad state and is not in a frame of mind to do what it takes to get well using nutritional medicine and emotional healing work.
However, this should only be used as a short term solution to help the person cope with whatever has happened in their life, while strengthening them nutritionally and emotionally through techniques, therapies and practices which allow healing on all levels to take place so that the person can truly heal and move into a stronger, more liberated life.
I do not agree with the long-term use of this type of medication and I have seen first-hand how it ruins lives. Not just in the devastating side-effects which can include suicide, but in the detrimental personality changes which many experience. Another observation is that people on long-term anti-depressant medication seem to be “stuck” in the problems which caused the depression in the first place. It is as if the brain is numbed and unable to process, heal and release the emotions that were overwhelming, so the issues are still there underneath, in the same depth and intensity that they originally were experienced. In this way the person never learns and evolves and seems to live in a limbo of anti-depressant fog.
Just recently there was an uproar in our local newspaper about doctors prescribing Prozac for teens without parental consent. Not only is this incredibly dangerous when the potentially catastrophic side-effects are taken into account – but it bypasses the healing potential of working through issues and learning the skills of emotional awareness and intelligence. Skills that stay with us throughout life and help in many situations along our journey. This is not to diminish the pain that those suffering with depression are going through – but covering it up with medication is not a solution to the problem.
The subject of anti-depressant medication is one that is very close to my heart – having had many members of my immediate family suffering with severe depression, having suffered with it myself, and with a history of suicide in our family. What I have come to understand though, is that underneath this condition called “depression” are underlying causes which are able to be healed. Nutritional deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, thyroid disorders and unresolved emotional trauma’s are some of the issues which seem to be present in many family members. Yet so often medication is handed out without addressing the underlying causative factors – setting up a situation of life-long dependency.
If you have any interest at all on this subject, or want to raise awareness of the dangers of medication for “mental illness” with your family, I highly recommend watching this excellent DVD – “Making a Killing. The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging”. This documentary is an absolute eye-opener as to the lengths the psychiatric establishment has gone to, to make medication the treatment of choice for what are ultimately mainly”fictional” illnesses.
If someone you know is suffering from depression of course they need help. But alongside proper evaluation, ensure that they are receiving support from a qualified naturopath to assist in replacing nutrient deficiencies, and from a pracitioner trained to assist in working through emotional issues from whom they can learn coping skills.
Leisa
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