Are Antidepressants a Sad Joke?

Mainstream media is now widely reporting that antidepressants do not work – and it's about time. The frenzy was set off by a new study¹ that included all the negative antidepressant studies that the drug companies kept out of the scientific literature, but were reviewed by the inept FDA when the drugs were originally approved. The conclusion is that for mild to moderate depression antidepressants work no better than placebo. In severe depression the drugs work only slightly better than placebo. In no case does antidepressant use reach a level of statistical significance in being able to show that they work.

No doubt there are many people out there in some sort of emotional anguish or state of depression. Some have probably been helped by these drugs – it is clear the majority has not and the use of them has generated billions of dollars in fraudulent sales.

This problem simply highlights the utter ineptitude of licensed professionals who think they are authorities on health when in fact they often do more harm than good. It is also reflective of a quick fix society that thinks a drug can solve their problems – when nothing could be further from the truth.

Tremendous advancements in our understanding of the brain are ignored because drugs do not solve the key issues. As it turns out our brains use ATP (energy) as a communication molecule. To fix depression you have to restore energy systems. If a person has a family history or long personal history of the issue then you also have to build better phone poles and wires so that nerves are in better shape. These things can all be done – but not with drugs. Drugs, at the very best, simply offer a little time to get the underlying problems fixed – whether they are in the person's life or in the person's head – or both.

Good nutrition and exercise are the foundation for proper energy production – complemented by a healthy lifestyle and problem-solving skills.