Discusses the safety and efficacy of using drugs to treat depression.
This paper is divided into three sections. The first section explores anti-depressant drugs, their characteristics, and how they work on the central nervous system. The second section investigates the acute and chronic effects of antidepressant drugs and whether drugs such as Prozac are necessary to assist such disorders. Finally, the debate as to whether antidepressants are safe and effective in the wide usage for depression is examined.
“While the management of depression with non-pharmacological agents (i.e., counseling, psychotherapy, electroconvulsant therapy (ECT) and light therapy) has been an option, the pharmacological agents (antidepressants) such as Prozac have promoted as effective and safe in the treatment of depression (Turkington & Kaplan 1994). The Sumerians in the Tigris-Euphrate valley were aware of the mood elevating effects of opium poppy 5,000 years ago, and they used the juice to give relaxation to people whom presented symptoms similar to being depressed. However, it was not until the 1930’s that the clinical structure was described (Stahl, 1996). Iproniazid was developed to treat or ease the symptom of tuberculosis. While the drug was in use to ease the symptoms of tuberculosis, the drugs happy effect was noticed.”