According to the results of a recently published study, despite an increase in antidepressant prescriptions, treatment is rarely made available to those who need it the most. It goes on to reveal that those who do receive medication for depression don't necessarily need it.
Part of this latter problem could have something to do with medical professionals' over-reliance on drug-based treatments versus a more holistic approach that includes diet, exercise, and psychotherapy. Part of it could have something to do with faulty diagnostic processes, leading to overdiagnosis of depression. Screening for depression is, after all, oftentimes conducted within the space of a few minutes via a quick questionnaire that doesn't allow for the nuances between mild depression and more serious psychological distress. Sometimes this even happens during a visit with a primary care physician. The patient mentions she's feeling blue. The doctor—not necessarily qualified to recognize full-blown anxiety or depression—offers the quick fix. Other times, it happens within the space of a single appointment with a mental health professional, after spending just 30 minutes laying out the reasons you were compelled to seek out help.
Sometimes, despite the diagnosis you're given, it's hard to know whatyou need, or if what you're feeling is a "normal" reaction to the regular ups and downs of daily life, or an "abnormal" reaction. After all, you can easily collect five different diagnoses from as many different doctors.
Many times, whether you really need it or not, taking medication can feel like giving in to a weakness. Like a personal failure.
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