mental Health Year in Review: 08

In John M. Grohol's article "Mental Health Year in Review: 2008," he explaids how drugs' bad or ineffective side, specifically anti-depressants, are not shown to the public. He states many facts regarding the ineffectiveness of antidepressants such as the failure of antidepressant Pristiq to treat adolescents with depression, and also its side effect of not being able to discontinue the drug (which he commented he recieved the most replies from people reading the article saying that they could not quit the drug). He does prove a point about many things of our society, such as what we expect from medical reseachers as well as how it is shown to the public. I believe that it is our expectations from medicine that cause people and organizations such as the FDA to tell the public what they want to hear. Consequently, what needs to change is not how they give information to the public, but rather what the people want and need. Since Mr. Grohol has specified antidepressants, I will give my opinion on that topic. First of all, depression is not feeling sad about failing a test or losing a small amount of money (although it may be). To me, depression is a more serious condition that plagues your whole body, all of the time. It is feeling sadness or loneliness in everything you do and everywhere you go, no matter who you talk to or what happens. It can be triggered by a failing test score or loss of money, but it is something deeper than that, such as having that cause the failure of a year or drop out of highschool, or losing money when you need to pay a due, and then not being able to participate in something you love. Anyways, what I am trying to say it, depression is a very serious condition that has affected many people in the past. Unfortunately, I believe that no drug or medicine can cure depression of any sort. Changing hormones in the body or any type of internal change can't change truth or reality. I think that people should not rely on antidepressants to counter their feelings. Often times, antidepressants can have a negative effect on people, causing them to feel more depressed than before. Instead, depression should be countered with friends, love, support, religon, and other things that are real in this world.