Pill poppers invite more cycles of depression
July 20th, 2011 - 4:13 pm ICT by IANSToronto, July 20 (IANS) Pill popping seems to be the easiest thing to do in the world, especially when trying to drive away our blues. But a study says the habit may backfire.
Evolutionary psychologist Paul Andrews of McMaster University points out that patients on anti-depressants are likely to invite more cycles of depression.
His meta-analysis suggests that people not popping pills are at a 25 percent risk of relapse, compared to 42 percent or higher for those who have taken and gone off an anti-depressant, reports the journal Frontiers of Psychology.
Andrews and colleagues analysed dozens of previously published studies to compare outcomes for patients who used anti-depressants against those who used placebos, according to a McMaster’s statement.
Andrews says anti-depressants interfere with the brain’s natural self-regulation of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and that the brain can over-correct once medication is suspended, triggering new depression.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals which help transmit signals from one neuron to another across synapses (junctions of such brain cells).
Andrews believes depression may actually be a natural and beneficial — though painful — state in which the brain is working to cope with stress.
–Indo-Asian News service
st/am/vt
- Anti-depressants doing more harm than good: Study - Apr 25, 2012
- New target for antidepressants revealed - Jun 01, 2010
- Exercise can ease depression, anxiety - Apr 06, 2010
- Neurological protein may hold the key to novel depression treatments - Nov 30, 2010
- Depression cure with little side-effects found - Dec 01, 2010
- Blood test to tell whether anti-depressants work - Dec 16, 2011
- New finding may shed light on drug abuse and depression - Apr 25, 2011
- New mouse model to probe how antidepressants work - Feb 19, 2011
- Mice study finds link between depression and inflammatory response - Dec 21, 2010
- Pills to bust blues raise heart attack risk - Dec 14, 2010
- Prozac restores movement after paralysing stroke attack - Jan 10, 2011
- Use of anti-depressants ups risk of miscarriage - Jun 01, 2010
- Gene therapy to brain may treat major depression - Oct 21, 2010
- Does psychotherapy induce changes in the brain? - Feb 15, 2011
- Delating a gene works up smarter brain - Mar 11, 2012
Tags: anti depressant, anti depressants, asian news, brain cells, cycles of depression, easiest thing, evolutionary psychologist, frontiers, habit, indo, mcmaster university, meta analysis, neuron, neurotransmitters, news service, popping pills, relapse, self regulation, serotonin, synapses