Biological Link Between Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Discovered

MENTAL HEALTH NEWS
By Chris Sovey
RN, BSN

Stephen Ferguson and his colleagues at The University of Western Ontario have discovered the first biological link between stress, anxiety, and depression. While serotonin and other neurotransmitters have been believed to be involved with these conditions for a long time, researchers have been baffled exactly how they interact with these conditions.

This is big news. For a long time, pharmaceutical drugs developed to treat these conditions have basically been shooting blanks. SSRI efficacy is highly exaggerated in order to sell more antidepressants. In fact, antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drug of any kind. Over 27 million Americans are prescribed antidepressants at any given year (Butler, et al., 2006). The scary thing is this is over double the amount prescribed in 1995.

Why do I bring this up? SSRIs simply don't work very well, or the side effect profile is so high that many people stop using them. This is because no one has really understood HOW depression / anxiety works. Now that researchers are armed with an idea of the underlying mechanism of depression / anxiety, we may be able to start effectively treat the conditions and develop effective drugs. The question is ... does Big Pharma really want us to get better when they are making so much money off of us? We'll see.

For more information, click the following two links:

Biological link between stress, anxiety, and depression
Scientists find first biological link between stress, anxiety, and depression

I will follow this subject closely, and continue to update you as I hear more.

Cheers to your health!

Disclaimer: Most postings on this blog are opinion-based. Information on this blog is not meant to serve as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before implementing any opinions presented on this blog.

References:

Butler, AC, Chapman, JE, Forman, EM, & Beck, AT. (2006). The Empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: a review of meta-analyses. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17-31.