1) SSRIs cannot cure depression nor are they designed to.
The most commonly prescribed antidepressant today - Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors are designed to block the body’s natural re-uptake of serotonin so that more serotonin is available to act on receptors in the brain thereby producing a mood lift. Unfortunately the low serotonin levels associated with depression are not the cause of the condition but rather the result of excessive stress being placed on the mind. SSRIs can provide some welcome relief for sufferers but are by design only beneficial to temporarily control extreme symptoms, not cure depression.

2) SSRIs commonly experience relapse rates of up to 80%
SSRI exhibit such alarmingly high relapse rates because they focus on altering the “chemical imbalance” in the brain while ignoring the cause of those imbalances; therefore when the medication is denied, serotonin levels again fall and the depression relapses. In only approx 20% of cases the mood lift effects of depression medications are sufficient to push them past a minor stressful event.

3) SSRIs are highly addictive often resulting in dependency.
Since the FDA approved Paxil (Paroxetine) in 1992, approximately 5,000 U.S. citizens have sued its manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. Most of these people feel they were not sufficiently warned in advance of the drug's side effects and addictive properties. It’s not the ingredients in SSRIs that are addictive but rather the feelings they invoke by increasing serotonin. Sufferers become “addicted to the happy feelings” caused by the medication, a scenario that often leads to long term use and increased probability of serious side effects.

4) SSRIs side effects include aggression, violence and suicidality.
A 2004 FDA docket states “Strong obsessive suicidal thoughts emerged after Prozac treatment. The serotonin system enables us to dismiss normally fleeting and transient suicidal thoughts and prevents us from acting on aggressive impulses. Excessive augmentation [increasing serotonin] may render us unable to dismiss these thoughts, leading to uncharacteristic obsessions.”

In data from Sertraline (Zoloft) paediatric trials submitted by Pfizer, “aggression was the joint commonest cause for discontinuation from the two sertraline placebo-controlled trials in depressed children.”

5) SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome
A condition that occurs during or following the interruption, reduction or discontinuation of regular SSRIs. The most common symptom being “Brain Zaps” which are said to defy description for whoever has not experienced them, but are described as a sudden jolt likened to an electric shock originating in the brain itself, with associated disorientation. These symptoms are considered to be caused by the brains attempts to readjust after such a major neurochemical change in a short period of time.

In January 2007, Hugh James Solicitors in the UK commenced litigation against GlaxoSmithKline on behalf of several hundred people who allege withdrawal reactions through their use of Seroxat (Paroxetine). The issue at the heart of this action claims Seroxat is a defective drug in that it has a natural tendency to cause a withdrawal reaction.

6) SSRIs prescribed to children can be a lethal combination.
Currently the only SSRI that is FDA approved for depression treatment in children and adolescents is Prozac; all others have been banned from paediatric use as their safety and efficacy have not been proven. Despite this in 2002 there was 10.8 million antidepressant prescriptions dispensed to children under the age of 17 by U.S. physicians with less than 1 million of those being for Prozac.

In March 2004 the FDA proposed that the makers of all antidepressant medications update the existing black box warning on their products' to include warnings about increased risks of suicidal thinking and behavior, known as suicidality, in young adults.

7) The fastest, easiest and most effective permanent depression treatment is NOT medication.
Excessive stress results in depression, yet the quantity and intensity of stress we experience is not determined by any particular external circumstances but rather by our perception of how those circumstances will impact our lives. In addition the body’s natural reaction to stress is to activate serotonin re-uptake; hence when you reduce your stress the serotonin levels return to normal, boosting your mood without medication.

By utilizing specifically designed subconscious techniques it becomes quite simple to create a mindset based on positive perceptions in only a few days, thereby breaking the cycle of stress, anxiety and depression - permanently.

- - - - - - - - -

Reprint Rights – Permission is freely granted to use and republish this article so long as it is not altered in any way and the author biography remains unchanged including all links.

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit | Furl

Gregory Park is the Director of Research at Depression Perception, a company, whose success is founded on their unique subconscious algorithms which work by re-writing the minds perceptions of stress triggers, thereby permanently removing the cause of depression, stress and anxiety.

Submitted by Gregory Park on Sunday 01/07/2007