Effectiveness of drugs
Drugs control us, we do not control them. At the start of the twenty-first centry, the Prozac phenomenon has reached immense proportions. Use of Prozac and other new antidepressants—such as Paxil, Zoloft, Serzone, Celexa, Remeron, and Effexor—is so widespread that almost everyone seems to know somebody who's taken one of these drugs. Indeed, the World Health Organization estimates that in 1998 depression was the fourth leading cause of worldwide "disease burden," and since 1988 Prozac alone has been prescribed to more than 35 million people worldwide.(1) Currently, the mental health field is dominated by the theory that emotional distress is based in the biology of our brains and by the belief that psychiatric drug therapy can correct the alleged biological defects. But what do we—and medical science—really know about the pills with which we increasingly treat our ills?
New drugs like Prozac, particularly those known as the SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), are among the most widely prescribed of all prescription drugs in the United States—yet their safety and efficacy are still not totally established.(2) Because they have been on the market for such a short time, long-term adverse effects of these drugs may still remain largely undiscovered.(3) There is also the unanswered question of whether this type of drug might induce violent or erratic behavior in some individuals.(4) Additionally, recent evidence suggests that antidepressants may not be much more effective than placebo pills, or fake non-drug pills.(5) Further, many people believe they have been harmed by using these drugs.(6) With these issues in mind, it is clearly time that we as individuals and as a society stop unquestioningly accepting the notion that psychiatric drugs will solve the problems that plague us.
Moreover, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and other such drugs seem to be more frequently prescribed for women,(7) which constitutes and important, though often overlooked, women's health concern.
Making the decision, for oneself or another, to use these drugs can be an overwhelming and confusing process. It is further complicated because we cannot necessarily count on our prescribing physicians to provide us with a balanced and fully informed understanding of these drugs—since doctors often get the bulk of their drug education from pharmaceutical sales reps, who are biased or who may offer incentives to prescribe.(8)
Drugs like Prozac have both helped and hurt people, yet while praise for them is abundant, the other side of the story is often kept quiet.(9) Hence "The Other Side Resource", to present the other—or at least another—side of the story.