| Pharmaceuticals are big business. From the | | | | depression, patients are more likely to be |
| prominence of drug manufacturers in the stock | | | | unnecessarily medicated. |
| market to the scores of prescriptions dealt | | | | |
| each day by physicians across the nation, | | | | For their part, pharmaceutical companies have |
| pharmaceuticals touch most Americans through | | | | done their best to ensure that the public is |
| illness, injury or enhancement. One area | | | | more accepting of medication as the first |
| where the prescribing of drugs has seen major | | | | line of treatment. Advertisements offer |
| increases over the last several years can be | | | | pills for every possible malady to an eager |
| found is in traditionally psychological | | | | public, made even more eager by the promise |
| treatment. From attention deficit disorder | | | | of instant relief from whatever ails them. |
| medications to selective serotonin re-uptake | | | | This is not only a problem with psychological |
| inhibitors, few problems associated with the | | | | based issues, but with medicine in general. |
| mind are left to time or discussion. | | | | |
| | | | The tendency to over-prescribe antibiotics |
| Many problems associated with the mind can be | | | | has resulted in new, resistant strains of |
| better treated through medication, but not | | | | life threatening bacteria. Even over the |
| all problems benefit from their use. Still, | | | | counter products unrelated to medicine have |
| the psychiatric community as a whole can't be | | | | been created and marketed in an effort to |
| blamed entirely for the increase in | | | | play upon public fears for increased product |
| prescriptions used to help with depression, | | | | sales. Antibacterial soap will stop the |
| anxiety and other illnesses. Pharmaceutical | | | | majority of germs that can cause illness, but |
| giants and the medical community as a whole | | | | so will the plain old soap people have been |
| have as much or more of responsibility for | | | | using for centuries before it. |
| the change in practice. | | | | |
| | | | Ultimately, it's in the hands of the |
| Undoubtedly, depression is a medical illness | | | | physician to make the right decision for |
| that can have a crippling effect on certain | | | | their patient. Therapy patients who insist |
| individuals at various points in their lives. | | | | on being referred to a psychiatrist or |
| Of equal importance is the fact that almost | | | | related M.D. with the intent of being |
| everyone, for one reason or another, | | | | prescribed medication are entitled to as many |
| experiences depression at some juncture. | | | | opinions as they want, but until the |
| When the medical establishment fails to | | | | psychiatric community as a whole becomes less |
| distinguish between serious bouts of | | | | willing to accommodate those who could be |
| depression such as postpartum, debilitating, | | | | helped without medication yet still request |
| and suicidal depression with simple, everyday | | | | it, the problem is only going to get worse. |