Talk Vs. Pill Therapy
There is no hiding the seriousness our society faces when it comes to depression. It effects people of all ages, cultures, and both men and women alike. This mental disorder has been likened to heart disease and other major medical epidemics within health care. Depression affects roughly fifteen percent of men and twenty-four percent of women. Fifteen percent of all patients diagnosed with depression commit suicide. Depression has an economic toll of over 43 million dollars on our health care system (Adams 2003). The problem with depression is it has become such an epidemic; it is too popular within our culture. We have gone from diagnosing adults to adolescents to children with depression. While these cases certainly exist, what is the best method of treatment? Since the emergence of depression medication in the 1950’s, we have recently begun to rely heavily on these drugs as a primary method of treatment. There are many ways to treat depression including psychotherapy. There are some alternatives to treating depression rather than prescribing these controversial drugs, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Collaborative Therapy. The basis of my argument is therapy, when applied in addition to medication or by itself, is as effective as medication alone. It is a more cost-effective treatment in the long run and posses no threat of harmful side effects to patients.
Depression medications are not as safe as many may think. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA’s) act on the reuptake of neurotransmitters and have been used widely since the 1950’s. They have been found to have adverse side effects. Many patients have stopped taking these medications because of side effects such as fainting, dry mouth, and blurred vision (Hollon, et. al., 2004). Additional undesirable side effects include sedation and weight gain. TCA’s can also cause liver damage and can be lethal if taken in excess. This is especially alarming since fifteen percent of...
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