Study on serotonin and depression sparks fierce debate

And why is it that when somebody I know felt a little down and went to see a doctor about it (because that is what you do these days) the doctor literally dished out several huge boxes of multiple types of pills to treat the "depression" after an examinatoon of just a few minutes?

Read: Crazy Like Us (2010). It includes a chapter of how American big pharma saw opportunities for lots of dollars to be made in Japan in the 90s.

Also check what percentage of Americans are on antidepressants (it's truly depressing).

All you need to do is to follow the money.

I promise you I would not be alive today if it were not for SSRIs.

I went from writing out my will, selling my old things, suicde notes and self harm from being stable enough to get out of bed and take my first breath of fresh air in over 2 months because of antidepressants.

Of course they're overprescribed. Maybe we're not even entirely sure how they work, but they save lives, and not only mine.

I’m glad you’re still here, StG.

I remember once hearing that part of the problem with antidepressants being overprescribed, especially in the 80s/90s, was that while they are needed for people with non-specific depression, chemical imbalances, etc., they were also being given to repress feelings from normal life events.

For example, if you are living what appears outwardly as a “normal” life - stable job, good money, fine family, interesting hobbies, and so on - but you’re still feeling suicidal, then yes, you probably need antidepressants.

If you lose a loved one, you will probably be desperately sad, and probably for a long time. But that is a normal reaction, and does not require antidepressants. Awful as it is, grief is a common part of the human experience, and running from it won’t help.

These doctors are stupid. It's really not complicated. It's just like when any kind of machine continually breaks down, you need to diagnose the fault that causes the failure (psychotherapy/lifestyle changes) but also the repair that fixes the breakage (anti-depressants). It's not, or shouldn't be, rocket science.