"Sometimes years of antidepressants are prescribed by non-mental health providers when short-term therapy with a smart therapist would have given the client some permanent techniques to get rid of and prevent  sad moods."

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Antidepressants & You

 "Many of the most popular antidepressants are said to be non-addictive, but try stopping them after a  year or so........"

Kid3.wmf (1800 bytes)Was your child prescribed behavior medication? Read this first
The New Market: You
Drug companies are excellent marketers. They are looking for new markets, and we're considered one of them. They know that African Americans are extremely stressed by our social context and by our histories. They know that we will identify with the messages in the non-stop  television commercials recommending mood-altering drugs and giving a sister actress one of her few television commercials. These commercials run back to back with public service announcements: (Say "No" to drugs, Say "Yes" to your pharmaceutical company. Huh?)

Most physicians are swarmed over by sales people, delivering samples that they gladly pass on to you. Most physicians have had little time to examine the benefits of talk therapy. Mostare well meaning but have little knowledge of the impact of   foods on moods and behavior. Sometimes simply removing a food item from your diet will fairly quickly reduce your depression. (Start with the sugars.) Sometimes it takes longer for the unknown chemical or substance to leave your body. Mood levels often change with menstrual  periods.

 What you need to know:
  • Why the drug is prescribed
  • Who prescribes it
  • How long you are supposed to take it
  • How much you are supposed to take (Did your psychiatrist start you  with the lower to moderate dosages recommended by the drug maker?)
  • Side effects you can expect
  • How to get more info (Look up the research on your drug at the National Medical Library. Ask for the drug study on the prescription in question. Find out what's been said about it.
  • If the drug has been tested on and approved for children
  • For more on foods and moods, check our Library
 Please note: Antidepressants can be a lifesaver when you really need them. They can offer short term helpful emergency assistance when your body just can't supply you with the normal hormones that keep your spirits up. Or when the chemicals in the processed foods you're eating cause you to feel depressed.
If you're deeply sad, feeling suicidal (or homicidal), can't sleep  or eat from worry and hardly able to work or deal with your children
AND
brief counseling with a licensed mental health professional does not change this
THEN
the mental health professional should be the person who refers you for medication.

If, however, your ob/gyn or general practitioner simply asks if you're depressed or stressed and prescribes, Valium, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft or Welbutrin, make an appointment to see a therapist or psychiatrist first.

Many physicians routinely prescribe these meds to nearly all their patients. Maybe it keeps them coming back.

Behavior and depression medication for children
Children should never be placed on antidepressants until they've been seen by a child psychiatrist who understands Black children. Children should also not be placed on antidepressants or psychotropic medication until their diets have been analyzed by a nutritionist and changed to include plenty of fresh vegetables and home-cooked food. Eliminate sugars (sodas, candy, cookies, desserts, juices, etc.) & see if they don't change.


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