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It seems that I see alot of people claiming that they have depression and asking about medications or been given advice about medication. Is better living through chemistry always the cure?

2007-03-01 10:10:14 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science Psychology

4 answers

There is good research showing that, for depression - even severe depression - that psychotherapy (specifically - cognitive behavioural therapy) is as effective or more effective than the use of anti-depressants. The reason that most people take medication is (a) it requires little or no effort on the part of the person and (b) HMOs and insurance companies would rather have people medicated because it costs a lot less. So, better living through chemistry is the most popular cure, but it is not the only, or even the best cure. After all, if you learn coping strategies in therapy, these can be generalized to other areas in your life. That don't happen with a pill.

2007-03-01 11:26:49 · answer #1 · answered by senlin 7 · 0 0

I had anti-depressants when I was 14. Even though I was really depressed, I hated them more than depression, because they made me numb. So it was not "better living". Other than that medication does not cure depression, it just battles the symptons. In the end you as a person will have to battle it yourself, maybe with help from therapists.

2007-03-01 18:19:38 · answer #2 · answered by Henriette 2 · 0 0

It depends how serious your ills are. There is probably a lot of over prescription today but some people's lives are saved by anti-depressants. A friend of mine suffered a catastrophic depression tdue to a chemical imbalance and was able to bounce back after getting a prescription for Zoloft (I think it was)

2007-03-01 19:11:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Cope, not dope.

2007-03-01 18:17:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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