A news report published on-line on October 20 2011 states that anti-depressant usage is up by 400% since 2008 in the US. Apparently one in ten people ‘are taking’ anti-depressants, although I suspect a more accurate reporting would be to say have been prescribed anti-depressants. Prescribed and taking are different.
I chatted with a doctor recently who was very unhappy about the metrics around patient care, specifically how many clients should be seen within a given timeframe. This particular doctor felt that with only a few minutes in which to consult with a client there is an unreasonable pressure to prescribe something and move to the next client.
Even so, says this report from October 21 2011 up to one third of people with severe depression are not taking anti-depressants.
I also hear stories of people not taking medication prescribed for them whether the treatment is for the heart, the head, or the chest. The last time I consulted a doctor I was so disappointed with the diagnosis made and advice administered that I didn’t get the prescription filled. There are many stories and lots of opinions, around medication. I don’t quite know what to believe, or who to trust.
“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” Mark Twain has been quoted as saying, showing some disdain for statistics. I share his sentiment after reading these reports, I can’t untangle the figures from the facts. Should more or less of us should be taking ant-depressants? That’s not a question that can be readily answered, one story suggests less and the other directs us to think more, and I suspect both articles could feed opinions, without being particularly helpful.
There must be a for and an against case around medication to treat depression, with lots of factors that influence what is effective and why. I can’t help thinking that treatment options, choice around medication use, and advice one can trust, and monitoring of the effects and outcomes, are more valuable than statistics.