For the facts about antidepressants, the best place to look is the Food and Drug Administration. By law, drugs have to be extensively tested before being marketed. The tests are evaluated by FDA doctors, chemists, and statisticians. An examination of the risks and benefits of a drug must begin with a look at the medical problem it is intended to combat. Those who have not personally experienced major depression should not underestimate the severity of the disorder.
Few afflictions are so capable of causing suffering.
Galled was my innermost spirit with an unutterable sense of despair about the future. To this may be added fatigue, a feeling of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, anxiety, difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping, indecisiveness, inability to concentrate, or thoughts of suicide. The number of people who suffer from this mood disorder has been poorly studied and is often exaggerated, either to sell drugs or to advance depression to a more prominent position on the list of disorders worthy of media attention, aggressive medical treatment, and public funds. In a survey of 18,000 people funded by the National Institutes of Health, 1.5 percent of the population was suffering from major depression when interviewed, and 4.5 percent had experienced major depression at some point. At any time, about 4 million people in the United States suffer from the disorder.