Antidepressant Drug Use up 400%
March 8, 2016
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the use of antidepressants has jumped 400% in the last two decades. Research also suggests that roughly 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12 takes an antidepressant, 1 in 25 teenagers takes one, and 1/3 of users have seen a mental health professional in the last year.
Dr. Greg Plotnikoff, at Allina’s Penny George Institute for Health & Healing, says antidepressants are useful but shouldn’t always be the first choice. He believes that we are undermedicating severe depression, but we may be overmedicating sadness and things that are less severe. Instead of choosing the pharmaceutical approach, we should explore alternative ideas and focus on fundamentals, such as diet, exercise, cognitive behavioral approaches, and the discovery and development of mind-body self-care skills. He discussed the matter with KARE11’s Mike Pomeranz.
