Clean and Happy.

This is random, but whatever.

Just about every time I am at work, I am assigned to a patient on antidepressants. And throughout the past few years, I've learned of people living at my church and in my community who are taking antidepressants. I don't want this to create a huge 'controversy' amongst the few people that will come across this post (and by that I mean VERY few), but something saddens me when I think of so many people in our culture taking pills to maintain a clear (and 'elevated') mood.

I was reading on the WHO (World Health Organization) website, and it is stated (amongst obvious 'biological' and 'genetic' and 'familial' risk factors) that:

"The assumption that depression is the direct result of an abnormality (such as a drop in neurotransmitter activity in the brain) may be an oversimplification. It is still a matter of debate whether the abnormalities in various neurochemical systems in the brain cause depression, or are themselves the result of depression."

I also read that:

"If people have distorted thinking by which they view everything around them including themselves and their future negatively and pessimistically, then their mood also becomes sad, completing the picture of depression."

I have several problems with antidepressants in our culture, one of which stems from reading through patient's charts at work (specifically their social histories). I believe that there are evident 'modifiable' reasons for which people are depressed (and for which pharmacological methods shouldn't be used). For example, I read of a patient who lived alone and hadn't left their apartment in months. And, to add to the reality of the situation, this person's hygiene was VERY bad, on the level of having hair like moses and smelling like a dumpster - which is simply just an interesting addition to the story (wink). But nevertheless, this person was on antidepressants. Now don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty sure that a complete lack of social connections would throw me into a depressed state as well...let alone not having bathed in weeks. I absolutely NEED people around at times, and I need to be clean too (wink wink). But antidepressants? What about finding this person some sort of motivational social connection...to start :)

I feel like too many people in our society could be diagnosed with 'depression' too quickly, when really they are simply in a 'depressed state' that could be changed by non-pharmacological means (this coming from a nurse who is VERY good at popping pills out for patients, and does so quite willingly).

And with that, I'll end my rant. And for some reason, I could really go for a nice hot bath right now...