Can You Treat Depression Without Prozac?
We all feel depressed from time to time when life is being unkind. This is quite normal and usually doesn’t last long once the situation has resolved. But have you ever felt depressed for no reason? It feels like a dark mood that’s impossible to shake, like a grey cloud that permeates every fiber of your existence. You feel like you’re sinking into it and you’re powerless to pull yourself free.
Negative thoughts seem to be spiralling out of control. Each dark thought leads to another until it almost feels like you’re living in an alternate universe. Eventually this becomes your new reality.
“What is depression like? It’s like drowning, except everyone around you is breathing.” Anonymous.
If you can summon the energy or the will to visit the doctor, you may be diagnosed with clinical depression. The doctor will almost certainly prescribe an antidepressant, such as Prozac. Should you take that pill? Or should you try a different approach?
The answer is to follow your doctor’s advice. But when your head clears a bit and the world starts to make sense again, it may be time to re-visit the above question. Most people don’t want to be medicated for the long term but cannot see another solution.
So what is clinical depression?
Let’s start with what it’s not. Depression is not a biochemical imbalance. It’s not something that can be tested for and it doesn’t show up on any scan. The idea that depression is caused by low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain which enhances mood, is now being challenged. Research done in 2009, shows that low levels of serotonin is more an effect of depression rather the cause.
So where does this leave popular anti-depression drugs such as Prozac?
Prozac is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) that increases levels of serotonin in the brain. Although many people do benefit from taking an SSRI such as Prozac, this is really treating the symptom rather than the cause. An SSRI is only meant to be a short-term treatment. However, when a patient tries to come off the drug, they can suffer horrendous withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia, nausea and anxiety and even physical symptoms that may persist for several weeks.
Broadly speaking, clinical depression is feeling sad when there is no apparent cause. Normal depression is feeling depressed about an event or situation. Normal depression is a natural reaction to life’s upsets and usually resolves when the situation changes.
The dangers of anti-depressants
Research has shown that depression may be over-diagnosed and therefore over medicated. There are several kinds of depression, but even people who are depressed over an event, such as the death of a loved one, or even a pet, are now being treated with medication instead of letting time do its job of easing their low mood. Sometimes just having someone to talk to or listen can do more to help a depressed person than any brain-altering medication.
“A depression diagnosis gives people an identity formed around having a disease that we know doesn’t exist.” (www.theatlantic.com)
The dangers of over prescribing these types of drugs are not limited to long term use either. Antidepressants may double the risk of suicide in otherwise healthy adults. They may also increase aggressive behaviour in children and teens and even lead to psychotic behaviour, particularly in middle aged women.
Obviously, anti-depressants have their uses, but alternative ways of handling depression should be considered too. Let’s have a look at two effective ways to fight depression naturally.
The first is to be aware of your thinking. This isn’t easy since we have several thousand thoughts pass through our minds every day. However making the effort to consciously monitor these thoughts can pay huge ongoing dividends. Negative thoughts can become so ingrained in a depressed person’s mind that they seem real, but they are just thoughts and not necessarily the truth, even though they feel like it.
Being aware of your thoughts and consciously changing them for better ones can seem tedious at first, but if you persevere, it will become a habit.
Science is increasingly discovering that physical exercise can have an extremely beneficial effect on a depressed person (1). Exercising, especially outside in the sunshine, is a healthy way to boost mood and lessen the need for any kind of medication. Exercise boosts health and is shown to increase happiness at the same time.
What a pity that it’s almost never prescribed!
To start with you may have to force yourself to step outside and move, but the end result will make it worthwhile. Challenge yourself to do this every day; you can begin with a short walk around the block. Feel the sun on your skin and breathe the air deeply into your lungs. Feel the life force flowing through your body and imagine the dark cloud flowing away each time you breathe out.
If you can do this every day for a month, you will start to enjoy it. It has now become a ritual and you’ll look forward to your daily walk. You’ll find yourself walking for longer distances as time goes on, and as your physical fitness improves, your mood automatically starts to lift. You’ll want to explore other places to walk, maybe a forest near you, or along the sand near the beach.
Nature is the best natural healer; it’s there for us to enjoy and it’s free. Walking in nature is possibly the best cure for depression, so get out there and get moving!
This article is the opinion of the writer and should not be taken as medical advice. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, contact “Beyond Blue” — https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ in Australia (phone 1300 22 4636)or if in the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 1–800–273-TALK (8255).