Citizens Commission on Human Rights points out that research has provided evidence that lifestyle changes and social interaction can be effective alternatives to antidepressants in alleviating depressive symptoms, while avoiding the potential side effects from the drugs.
-- Managing the holiday blues can be a challenge for those missing a loved one or feeling overwhelmed in life. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) points out there is ample research on approaches to turning things around that do not involve prescription drugs and their potential for harmful side effects.
While antidepressants may be prescribed for depressed people, recent studies have concluded that it is unclear whether the drugs provide any benefit over placebos [dummy pills]. Beyond questionable benefit, antidepressants come with the risks of side effects that include deepening depression, emotional blunting, sexual dysfunction, suicide, and violence. On discontinuing the drugs, patients may experience withdrawal symptoms that can be severe and long-lasting.
On the other hand, CCHR points out that research has found evidence that simple lifestyle changes can be effective in fighting the blues. The most comprehensive study of the effect of exercise on depression found it is as effective as antidepressants and should be offered by medical professionals as an evidence-based treatment option. Among many other lifestyle changes, consuming a healthy diet free from ultra-processed food, spending less time on social media, and even having a hobby have all been associated with fewer depressive symptoms, according to researchers.
Spending time with trusted friends or caring family is another important, evidence-based approach to depression. Research has found that those engaging in supportive social contact have fewer symptoms of depression.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States, addressed the value of social contact in his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, published in 2020. Dr. Murthy explored loneliness as a public health concern because of its role as a root cause of, and contributor to, many of today’s physical and mental health problems, including depression.
His ”prescription” is simple. “At the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect,” he wrote. “We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.”
Health care providers may offer many other evidence-based, non-drug approaches that research has proven effective, if their patients ask for them.
About the company: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by members of the Church of Scientology and the late psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry Thomas Szasz, M.D., recognized by many academics as modern psychiatry’s most authoritative critic, to eradicate abuse and restore human rights and dignity to the field of mental health.
Contact Info:
Name: Anne Goedeke
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights, National Affairs Office
Address: Washington, DC
Website: https://www.CCHRNational.org
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSfkwNmYeSQ
Release ID: 89149406
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