In a study done on 1829 people on antidepressants from the University of Liverpool that was published in the February 2014 issue of the journal, Psychiatry Research, more than half of the participants reported psychological problems due to their medication! Thoughts of suicide, sexual difficulties, and emotional numbness were far more common than appreciated.
The biological effects, such as weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, and type 2 diabetes, of antidepressants are widely known, but their psychological "side" effects have been attributed to the disease rather than the drugs. More than 50% of those people between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age reported suicidal ideation, 62% reported sexual problems, and 60% felt "emotionally numb."
Making matters even worse, previous research has documented that the SSRI antidepressants are no more effective than placebo and that exercise alone is superior after about 6 months! So, why do we prescribe drugs that are basically a placebo with serious side effects?
