Article questioning the effectiveness of SSRI medication

http://wweek.com/editorial/3421/10752/#comments_add

Nothing but an expensive placebo.

Earl the Pearl in Dallas

Yeah, in cases of mild depressive and mild panic/anxiety disorders. Clinical evidence shows that in moderate to sever cases, they are actually quite effective.

While I am certainly of the opinion that they are overprescribed, I still believe that they can be effectively combined with CBT to actually help a person get through whatever disorder they may have. There is no such thing as a complete 'cure' for anxiety/depression/panic disorder, but with a  plan and therapy/meds, a person can be taught how to learn to cope in as little as sixteen weeks (if stable, hence the need for a med on some term).

I've had a problem with depression and anxiety since I was a child.  It wasn't until I was in my late 20's when the SSRI's came around that I really noticed a difference in my mood.  My 30's were the most productive in my life - I mean like I was "superwoman" (not manic!). But I was married, worked full time, went to grad school part time, did 2 internships, traveled to tons of places in the US, learned to ski at age 34 and became pretty good at it  "".

It wasn't until I became addicted to drugs - first prescription narcotics for a year (trying to use drugs to escape an unhappy marriage - STUPID  "" and then came the benzos.  In a nutshell, the AD's helped me for a lot of years.

I get very depressed sometimes and have a prescription for Effexor but I'm scared tro death to take it (even though it worked before.  Anyway, that's my 2 cents about AD's.

Laura