What to say about depression? Some people suffer from severe and intractable depression and need help. I would guess however, that for most of us some degree of depression is an entirely normal reaction to everyday life and is a result of generations of evolution making us better able to survive. If a situation makes you feel bad, maybe the best solution is to realise this and get out of it. So your brain makes you feel bad until you do.
What to say about depression meds? I have read some of the trials data and the results for some are that they are barely better than placebo. If you do nothing about depression and just wait 6 months, it will probably get better. Depression med sellers tell you to take them for at least six months and then you will probably get better. Big surprise. They may make you feel better while you are waiting to heal yourself. Give you more drive and generally make you care less about things around you. Thus the discovery some of them boost suicide rates rather than reducing them, because the people concerned cease to care about whether they are dead or alive, and have more determination to go out and successfully suicide. Some of the more modern pills are inherently less dangerous, so not so handily available to kill yourself if so minded. Basically they are less than brilliant medicines, but then giving people antibiotics because they have a cold is pretty useless too (antibiotics do not kill virues), but it still makes people feel better because the doctor seems to be doing something.
I'm a researcher in psychiatry and my specialty is in depression in men. It concerns me that a doctor put him on anti-depressants. That's the way we're seeing things go these days, and it's really not good. That's just my opinion. Anyway... tell him to go to a psychologist. He should be aiming to get off the medication, and seeking psychosocial support.
Its an industry. It is absolutely not unique to doctors, all professionals become centred on the idea that only they can solve a problem. The solution to depression which has been caused by some situation in your life is to change the situation. Or I guess as the psychologists would be aiming to do, teach you to get a better perspective on a situation. This is very probably a time intensive way to treat people so much easier to hand out some pills which the profession claims work. A clear conscience for the doctor and no big bills for whoever is paying. Just a steady income stream for the manufacturer and repeat prescription fillers.
Sexual dysfunction with antidepressant use is not at all uncommon. But more often than not it resolves after coming off the meds
And what about those left with permant sexual impairment? Frankly the denial of sexual side effects of this class of medications ever since they were invented has been a medical scandal.
