Through marketing, the pharmaceutical industry seems to be influencing the public to request more prescriptions for antidepressants and physicians to write more prescriptions for antidepressants.

It is in the pharmaceutical industry's best interest to convince everyone that a chemical imbalance in the brain is the main cause of depression - an imbalance that can be corrected with medication.

Depression most likely has multiple causes, not one simple cause, but low levels of certain neurotransmitters have been strongly linked to depression. Whether this is a cause of depression or a result of depression hasn't been determined. Relief of depressive symptoms correlates with an increase in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain whether a person is treated with medication or psychotherapy.

Yes they do profit, but the pharmaceutical industry did not invent depression. More and more prescriptions are being written but there has always been a need for the relief of clinical depression. Is the industry actually creating demand or tapping into a market that already exists?

Many ads on television list the symptoms of depression. In many ways, this is good. It increases depression awareness. Many people who see these ads are clinically depressed (or know someone who is) and it may prompt these individuals to get the help they need.

But not all people who have some of the symptoms of depression some of the time have clinical depression. These people may go to their family doctors (whom write the majority of prescriptions for antidepressants) claiming they are depressed, recite the list of symptoms from an ad they’ve seen and request antidepressants. This is purely speculative and it is not known how many people are using antidepressants 'inappropriately.'

Though they may have side effects and don't work for everyone, antidepressants improve the quality of life for many people who suffer from clinical depression. As more antidepressant medications are developed more people may find a medication that works them.

Many people who suffer from depression never receive any treatment at all. Some may argue that antidepressants are under prescribed.

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