On the growing problem of depression
The World Health Organization claims that depressive and anxiety disorders lead the list of mental illnesses across the globe—with 121 million people currently suffering from these conditions.
Anxiety and Depressive symptoms are responsible for approximately 25% of all visits to health care centers worldwide.
In 2005, approximately 189 million prescriptions were written for depressed patients in the US.
The percent of adults using antidepressant SSRIs between 1994 and 2002 tripled.
In 2002, more than one in three doctor's office visits by women involved a prescription for an antidepressant.
The response rates to antidepressants are 56-60%, whereas the response rates to placebos (inactive sugar pills) approaches 47%. Cognitive-Behavioral and Interpersonal therapies have similar response rates as antidepressants with none of the annoying side-effects.
After nearly 40 years since the discovery of SSRIs, we still don't understand the exact mechanism that results in the eventual relief of depressive symptoms for some patients.
Back
