Symptoms And Treatment Of Depression. A.d's "treatment Worse Than The Disease" ?

Q: Findings from an online survey of 2,370 patients treated for depression within the past 5 years show that a majority report significant side effects.

A:Three quarters of respondents were women. Respondents were either currently on (78%) or had received antidepressant treatment within the past 5 years. Overall, 61% described themselves as "somewhat" or "very satisfied" with treatment. While on antidepressant therapy, 81% of respondents reported that their depression continued to "moderately" or "extremely" impair their social life. Depression impaired family life in 79% and work performance in 72% of those polled. According to the survey, 25% said that medication had had no effect on symptoms. Forty percent reported no improvement in fatigue and loss of energy and 35% reported no increase in ability to experience pleasure while on antidepressant treatment. There are about 20 antidepressants available and they all work -- but they don't all work for every patient...We need to continue with research on new medications...[Patients] shouldn't have to choose between treatment of depression and quality of life," Lewis said. "Patients are no longer thinking of suicide, but they can't sleep through the night, they have no libido. What we need to remember is that no treatment or undertreatment of depression can be fatal...We also have to remember that there is an average length of 12 years between the onset of symptoms and treatment. These people are in pain -- and it can take up to 6 weeks for antidepressants to begin working. One thing is for sure, if you really want better ways to diagnose depression and better drugs to treat depression, it will only come from heavy duty and unfortunately, expensive scientific research. This sort of thing will only occur if the orders come from the top...people with power. It will never occur just because "joe shit the depressed ragman" wants it. Somebody important and powerful must want this research in order for it to occur. Honestly, there also must be a potential for a big financial payoff at the end of the research...like better antidepressant drugs for the pharmaceutical companies to sell.

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