Here’s some depressing recent medical news: Antidepressants don’t work. What’s even more depressing is that the pharmaceutical industry and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have deliberately deceived us into believing that they DO work. As a physician, this is frightening to me. Depression is among the most common problems seen in primary-care medicine and soon will be the second leading cause of disability in this country.
The study I’m talking about was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. It found that drug companies selectively publish studies on antidepressants. They have published nearly all the studies that show benefit — but almost none of the studies that show these drugs are ineffective. (1)
That warps our view of antidepressants, leading us to think that they do work. And it has fueled the tremendous growth in the use of psychiatric medications, which are now the second leading class of drugs sold, after cholesterol-lowering drugs.
The problem is even worse than it sounds, because the positive studies hardly showed benefit in the first place. For example, 40 percent of people taking a placebo (sugar pill) got better, while only 60 percent taking the actual drug had improvement in their symptoms. Looking at it another way, 80 percent of people get better with just a placebo.
That leaves us with a big problem — millions of depressed people with no effective treatments being offered by most conventional practitioners. However, there aretreatments available. Functional medicine provides a unique and effective way to treat depression and other psychological problems. Today I will review 7 steps you can take to work through your depression without drugs. But before we get to that, let’s take a closer look at depression.
What’s in a Name?
“Depression” is simply a label we give to people who have a depressed mood most of the time, have lost interest or pleasure in most activities, are fatigued, can’tsleep, have no interest in sex, feel hopeless and helpless, can’t think clearly, or can’t make decisions.
But that label tells us NOTHING about the cause of those symptoms. In fact, there are dozens of causes of depression — each one needing a different approach to treatment. Depression is not one-size-fits-all, but it is very common.
Women have a 10 to 25 percent risk and men a 5 to 12 percent risk of developing severe major depression in their lifetime. (2) One in ten Americans takes an antidepressant. The use of these drugs has tripled in the last decade, according to a report by the federal government. In 2006, spending on antidepressants soared by 130 percent.
But just because antidepressants are popular doesn’t mean they’re helpful. Unfortunately, as we now see from this report in The New England Journal of Medicine,they don’t work and have significant side effects. Most patients taking antidepressants either don’t respond or have only partial response. In fact, success is considered just a 50 percent improvement in half of depressive symptoms. And this minimal result is achieved in less than half the patients taking antidepressants.
That’s a pretty dismal record. It’s only made worse by the fact that 86 percent of people taking antidepressants have one or more side effects, including sexual dysfunction, fatigue, insomnia, loss of mental abilities, nausea, and weight gain.
No wonder half the people who try antidepressants quit after 4 months.
Now I want to talk to you about the reasons why doctors and patients have been deceived by the “antidepressant hoax.” Despite what we have been brainwashed to believe, depression is not a Prozac deficiency!
How We have Been Deceived by the Antidepressant Hoax
Drug companies are not forced to publish all the results of their studies. They only publish those they want to. The team of researchers that reported their findings inThe New England Journal of Medicine took a critical look at all the studies done on antidepressants, both published and unpublished. They dug up some serious dirt …
The unpublished studies were not easy to find. The researchers had to search the FDA databases, call researchers, and hunt down hidden data under the Freedom of Information Act. What they found was stunning.
After looking at 74 studies involving 12 drugs and over 12,000 people, they discovered that 37 of 38 trials with positive results were published, while only 14 of 36 negative studies were published. Those that showed negative results were, in the words of the researchers, “published in a way that conveyed a positive outcome.”
That means the results were twisted to imply the drugs worked when they didn’t.
This isn’t just a problem with antidepressants. It’s a problem with scientific research. Some drug companies even pay or threaten scientists to not publish negative results on their drugs. So much for “evidence-based” medicine! I recently had dinner with a step-uncle who runs a company that designs research for drug companies. He designs the study, hires the researcher from an esteemed institution, directs the study, writes up the study and the scientist just signs his or her name after reviewing it.
Most of the time, we only have the evidence that the drug companies want us to have. Both doctors and patients are deceived into putting billions of dollars into drug companies’ pockets, while leaving millions with the same health problems but less money.
The scientific trust is broken. What can we do? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. But I do think functional medicine, on which my approach of UltraWellnessis based, provides a more intelligent way of understanding the research. Rather than using drugs to suppress symptoms, Functional Medicine helps us find the true causes of problems, including depression.
I see this in so many of the patients I have treated over the years. Just as the same things that make us sick also make us fat, the same things that make us sick also make us depressed. Fix the causes of sickness — and the depression takes care of itself.
Consider a few cases from my practice …
A 23-year-old had been anxious and depressed most of her life and spent her childhood and adolescence on various cocktails of antidepressants. Turns out, she suffered from food allergies that made her depressed.
Food allergies cause inflammation, and studies now show inflammation in the brains of depressed people. In fact, researchers are studying powerful anti-inflammatory drugs used in autoimmune disease such as Enbrel for the treatment of depression.
After she eliminated her IgG or delayed food allergies, her depression went away, she got off her medication — and she lost 30 pounds as a side effect!
Here’s another story … A 37-year-old executive woman struggled for more than a decade with treatment-resistant depression (meaning that drugs didn’t work), fatigue, and a 40-pound weight gain. We found she had very high levels of mercury. Getting the mercury out of her body left her happy, thin, and full of energy.
Or consider the 49-year-old man with severe lifelong depression who had been on a cocktail of antidepressants and psychiatric medication for years but still lived under a dark cloud every day, without relief. We found he had severe deficiencies of vitamin B12, B6, and folate. After we gave him back those essential brain nutrients, he called me to thank me. Last year was the first year he could remember feeling happy and free of depression.
These are just a few of the dozens of things that can cause depression.
The roots of depression are found in the 7 keys to UltraWelless and the 7 fundamental underlying imbalances that trigger the body to malfunction. Taking antidepressants is not the answer to our looming mental health epidemic. The real cure lies in rebalancing the underlying systems in your body that are at the root of all healthy and illness.
Here are a few things you can do to start treating your depression today.
7 Steps to Treat Depression without Drugs
- Try an anti-inflammatory elimination diet that gets rid of common food allergens. As I mentioned above, food allergies and the resultant inflammation have been connected with depression and other mood disorders.
- Check for hypothyroidism. This unrecognized epidemic is a leading cause of depression. Make sure to have thorough thyroid exam if you are depressed.
- Take vitamin D. Deficiency in this essential vitamin can lead to depression. Supplement with at least 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day.
- Take omega-3 fats. Your brain is made of up this fat, and deficiency can lead to a host of problems. Supplement with 1,000 to 2,000 mg of purified fish oil a day.
- Take adequate B12 (1,000 micrograms, or mcg, a day), B6 (25 mg) and folic acid (800 mcg). These vitamins are critical for metabolizing homocysteine, which can play a factor in depression.
- Get checked for mercury. Heavy metal toxicity has been correlated with depression and other mood and neurological problems.
- Exercise vigorously five times a week for 30 minutes. This increases levels of BDNF, a natural antidepressant in your brain.
Overcoming depression is an important step toward lifelong vibrant health. These are just of few of the easiest and most effective things you can do to treat depression. But there are even more, which you can address by simply working through the 7 Keys to UltraWellness.
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Have you been diagnosed with depression? How have antidepressants worked for you? Do you plan to try any of the approaches mentioned here?
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, M.D.
References
(1) Turner EH et al. 2007. Selective publication of antidepressant trials and its influence on apparent efficacy. New England Journal of Medicine. 358: 252-260.
(2) Eaton WW, Kalaydjian A, Scharfstein DO, Mezuk B, Ding Y. 2007. Prevalence and incidence of depressive disorder: the Baltimore ECA follow-up, 1981-2004. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 116(3):182-188.
This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post
Very good article. I believe that as a society we have become addicted to the quick fix, rather than dealing with the underlying psychological and physical issues that cause depression. Whether it be Zoloft or a sugar pill, they act the same way. They represent an emotional security blanket or rabbits foot. It creates a false sense of security and relief in the user. Your tips were spot on and hopefully more people will incorporate these into their lives, in addition to focusing on their emotional and spiritual well being. Thanks and blessings on your journey. Mark
Congratulations! An excellent and much needed article. The expressive meditation techniques that I teach, for example the laughter, dancing, gibberish, humming, tears, also help with depression. They not only offer an outlet of expression for repressed emotions but provide a context in which the person can discover the wisdom of their heart, body and soul.
Thank you for bringing attention to this important issue. I hope many people follow your advice and excellent suggestions. Wishing you peace and joy. Pragito
I've had life long anxiety and depression, and I tried everything before "giving in" and taking antidepressants. I feel good for the first time in my life. I suspect this type of drug is over-prescribed and some are looking for a quick fix, but for those of us who have been trying things for 35 years and now realize that a chemical in my brain has been missing, this is such a relief. For the first time in my life, I'm not worried. I'm not self-conscious. I feel like I've reached enlightenment, quite frankly. I feel one with the world. Take care not to scare those who really benefit from this treatment.
Sakura, I am sorry to hear that your journey to mental equilibrium took 35 years to obtain. I know it must have been a deep and painful struggle at times. I admire the effort that you put in and I hope others will be as vigilant as you to pursue all options before turning to anti-depressants. Thank you for sharing your story and trusting the community. I hope that your journey continues to be blessed and in balance. Mark
Yes, it’s horrible that someone would twist scientific evidence in order to promote their own business. The funny thing is that you do exactly the same thing here. I’m really dissapointed that this blog would publish something like this. By the way, here is the link to the cited NEJM article so you can see for yourselves if the author’s conclusions are that ‘antidepressants doesn’t work’ -> http://www.nejm.org/action/showImage?doi=10.1056%2FNEJMsa065779&iid=f03
Very true that these chronic conditions can be caused by food allergies that then disrupt the brain chemistry, wheat is a definite culprit for many.
While I am the last person who wants to defend the pharmaceutical companies, I feel the headline of this article is misleading. Finding the right anti-depressant saved my life, even though it took almost 20 years of different therapists and trying different medications, to find the best one for me. I have always looked to alternative and natural solutions first, and continue to base my health regimen on natural diets, exercise and meditation. But I have lost almost half of my life due to depression, and while anti-depressants are not the only solution, they can make the difference between barely surviving and actually having a shot at a 'normal' life. So, they can, and they do work in many cases. For me, they are simply are like a life jacket to help me swim and keep afloat–not a first class ticket on a private jet and constant happiness. I do have harsh words for the pharmaceutical companies that price medications so high they are inaccessible to most without insurance, as I believe no company should profit off of another's suffering or illness. I look forward to the day when they can better match up certain meds to certain mental illnesses, and when the stigma of mental illness has gone away. I hope someday I can live life without having to take an anti-depressant, and to when medical research knows more about the workings of the mind, so that we all can have good mental health.
The fault lies not with the antidepressants or the drug manufacturers.
It's the bloody vultures pushing the stuff (aka "medical professionals" , psych included).
They do bugger all follow up, teach no coping mechanisms, and seldom take responsibility for the effects in a patients (sorry, customers) life. Effects such a poor diet and check for allergins would expose. It also doesn't help that very very few parents are capable of passing on adaquate coping mechanisms to their child (let alone the education caregivers!). Some of the parents can't cope, so have nothing to pass on; others have never really faced problems of that nature so can't relate and have not developing coping skills to pass on!!!
So my ire is for the medical vultures in their posh clinics and houses and fancy cars, getting rich from the misfortunes of others…. and shoving more inappropriate pills into them and calling "next"
I am 23 years old, have been on nearly every drug there is, I even recently took part in a clinical study. Nothing has worked. I've been diagnosed is major depressive for a very long time. I no longer have medical insurance and feel as though there is no way out of my depression. Because I have suffered from this for so long, I have never had the luxury of truly enjoying things our cultivating healthy relationships or interests so when asked those questions in a psychiatric evaluation I have no response to gauge upon. As an adult I feel stuck. I have very few friends, I live alone, I do many activities but find myself drained from them and not enjoying them. There are many days that I feel as if my life is a punishment for something. I have attempted suicide many times unsuccessfully, that now even the thought of a suicide attempt is discouraging. Not having a foundation in life or having a passion in life hinders me from being a contributing member of society. I have been unemployed for most of the time since I received my bachelors degree four years ago short of one year working retail full time where I attempted suicide at the end of that year after being so drained from that experience. I feel as if there is no place for me, and no relief from whatever this is.
Dear bkdk:
I feel for you and hope you can find some help that will provide some relief for your depression. It can be very difficult, I know, living alone, and doing everything alone, as I am alone, too. But you are so young, and have a shot at a very good life ahead of you. You do matter. You are worthy of having some happiness. You successfully obtained your BA degree, which is a great accomplishment.
I don't want to offer platitudes to you, but I will say sometimes life can change in a day…take it one day at time, sometimes 1 hour at a time. Hope and peace to you.
A great article, and not very surprising. After years on various medications while in and out of therapy, I realized that when I get depressed, within six months I start to come out of it and then soon after go back into depression. When I would go on medication, I assumed it was the medication bringing me out of it, but after being through so many rounds of depression while on medication, I realized it was a natural cycle that brought me out of it over time – the medications did nothing but caused side effects.
I would caution people reading this article thought that the three examples you gave of causes for depression (vitamins, mercury and food allergies) are probably not indicative of most people. I have been exercising, eating healthy, juicing, taking vitamins, but still deal with depression. I think there are many people like me that have to re-learn how to deal with life/stress/trauma etc – without falling into another depression. It is almost like a PTSD experience – something happens and our body automatically goes into a depressed state as a way to cope – and I am now learning and teaching myself the early warning signs and alternatives ways to handle and deal with stress.