This is an indicator of how prevalent depression has become in America. I suspect the causes are mainly economic. We've heard that many heroin/opioid overdoses are deaths of desperation, almost like suicides, where the individual cares very little about whether they might die. Well now the same phenomena may be happening with antidepressants, because this medication has become so common. 12.5% of U.S. adults are taking antidepressants. Antidepressant-linked overdose deaths in US have climbed for two decades Number of US deaths involving antidepressants in a year on par with those involving heroin. Antidepressant-linked overdose deaths in US have climbed for two decades, Hannah Harris Green, The Guardian, 3 September 2024 Previously, it was common to take antidepressants for just a few months. But increasingly, many patients have been on them for many years, which can elevate the risk for severe withdrawal and suicide attempts if they try to get off them. Doctors are increasingly unlikely to take patients seriously or take them off the medication when they report negative experiences on the medication. Doctors are now prescribing additional psychotropic medications on top of the antidepressants. Sometimes patients will add alcohol or non-prescription opioids to the mix to balance out the negative effects of a cocktail of meds. Most of the statistical increase in antidepressant deaths can be attributed to persons who were taking them in conjunction with opioids. All of these factors can increase the risk of accidental overdose or suicide attempt. Both suicide rates and antidepressant prescriptions have climbed for teens and young adults in recent years. Rising depression rates as well as social stressors could explain these numbers. The analysis of CDC overdose data found that suicides involving antidepressants increased 2% each year from 1999 to 2015, although many of the suicide deaths get mistakenly classified and counted as unintentional overdoses in the statistics.
Ok, so I take anti-depressants daily now and they are not happy pills like what I imagined them as a child. So, while they take the edge off of sadness and despair, they don't offer any benefits for taking more. There's not a high effect for the medication in extra dosages. People aren't taking them in huge dosages and abusing themselves. More likely these are simple lapses in memory and the people are taking their dose over again because they don't remember taking them yet that day. It can happen. A daily-dose pill case is a good option for that.
I think that's very doubtful. More likely these persons are just feeling desperate. Perhaps are not thinking clearly, just down a whole bunch of pills hoping it will make the feeling of desolation go away.
When you're right, you're right. I never have or had the desire to get more pills in my body than nessesary.
Got to love how some of the antidepressant commercials say that some of the side effects can be suicidal thoughts.... Pure big pharma unadulterated poison. Instead of trying to address the root cause of why we are depressed, let's take this poison and become dependent on it and change our brain chemistry and just hope for the best. Really makes me want to go get some of it and then maybe I'll go get my vaccine after that...
