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Thursday, February 23, 2012

ANTI-DEPRESSANTS & THE PLACEBO EFFECT

A story ran on the CBS television show 60 Minutes last week about a Harvard researcher studying the placebo effect. He concluded that for the majority of individuals with moderate depression, these medications have little to no effect beyond the expectation of getting better. He was clear that he wasn't saying that the medications have no effect, but that the effect yielded from taking anti-depressants are largely the effect of expecting to feel better.

It's also important to mention that those with serious, debillitating depression still find an effect from taking medication. The results they were discussing addressed the moderate depression that often affects individuals at various points in their lives. Of course, when it's your depression, it feels pretty darned serious. The report wasn't in any way dismissive. It just said that meds aren't necessarily the very best approach.

For some time now, the combination of medication and talk therapy has been recommended even by those in the medicine business--physicians. When you're down, it helps to have an objective, caring person to listen. To those of us in this business, clients aren't individuals just whining. As a matter of fact, most people who come in talking of depression have serious life challenges that are depressing. This may be a difficult work situation(or no work at all), an unhappy relationship or a challenging parenting dilemma.

All these are troubling and can be difficult to address, particularly when you're doing it alone.

If you've been taking medication for awhile, getting off of it can be scary, even if you're not feeling as happy now as when you first started the meds. It seems a little like bare-knuckle fighting whatever is troubling you. Taking a pill every day seems like you're at least doing something, but every medication has side-effects and these can range from simply annoying to very difficult.

Therapy is helpful in dealing with depression. Talking to someone whose not related to you and who doesn't have an agenda as to what you should do can be a breath of fresh air, but talk therapy isn't the only thing you can do about this. The good news is that we've learned that moderate depression can be addressed by some lifestyle changes. Research has also indicated that regular aerobic exercise--we're not talking strenuous exercise--like taking a walk three or four times a week can have a positive effect on mood.

Depression and anxiety usually indicate that changes need to take place, but knowing what exactly needs to change is often difficult. You have reasons why you're still in the unhappy job or relationship and some life situations that are depressing can't be directly changed. Grief and loss--and even the attainment of a dream that was supposed to make you deliriously happy, but didn't--are challenging. You deserve better. You deserve someone to listen. You may have been giving this time, hoping things would work out or just go away.

Don't think meds are necessarily your best option. For serious depression, you need the medication and a supportive therapist to help address whatever the heck is going on with you. For moderate, still-challenging depression, explore your options.

You don't have to keep feeling this way.