Marianne Williamson - Antidepressants Are Overprescribed for Normal Human Despair

[applecorped]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/marianne-williamson-antidepressants

"Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson told BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM that she believes antidepressants are overprescribed by doctors and that they aren’t needed to treat situations she categorized as instances of “normal human despair” instead of a mental illness."

this should go over well

 

[Travis]

How did she end up running for president and not running a crystal shop in Sedona, Arizona?

 

[Venom]

She has a good heart.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

How did she end up running for president and not running a crystal shop in Sedona, Arizona?

As I understand it, she's using the proceeds from her crystal shop to fund her run.

She's a nut, but I am glad she's running for president. There need to be more people on that fringe, to stretch the Overton Window out a bit in that direction.

 

[Resume]

She has a good heart.

And a poor mind.

 

[thines]

I agree she's a nut in many respects. But on this specific idea, she's not far wrong. Americans are far too likely to run for some sort of psychotherapy, pharmacological or otherwise, to treat every little psychological "ouchie." Steve Salerno put it very well in his book "SHAM. How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless" (Crown, 2005, p. 141): "Today, as never before...given the genuinely apocalyptic threats unfolding around us, Americans have an obligation to themselves, their families, and society to quit whining, stop comparing notes on who is more diseased, addicted, or dysfunctional, and just get down to business."

 

[Travis]

I'm not a fan of the "over prescribed" narrative since I've seen several people deny their own obvious mental illness until they met untimely early deaths. The idea that maybe some people being too cautious weighed against "I've got no problem" while clearly engaged in constant suicide idealization until one day they actually do it....well I break on the give them pills side.

 

[rdwight]

I'm not a fan of the "over prescribed" narrative since I've seen several people deny their own obvious mental illness until they met untimely early deaths. The idea that maybe some people being too cautious weighed against "I've got no problem" while clearly engaged in constant suicide idealization until one day they actually do it....well I break on the give them pills side.

And I've seen normal people who drop into a bought with depression change for the worse in the long term, affecting their own lives as well as those around them due to eager to give prescriptions when other methods might have worked better. We all have personal anecdotes that we can reference, but I don't think this is a over the top statement.

It might come down to the specific drug prescribed at any given point, but I do understand your point of view. I have never been seriously depressed for any long period of time, but experiencing a short window where I was changed my perspective on those in which this is an ongoing issue.

 

[dann]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/marianne-williamson-antidepressants

"Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson told BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM that she believes antidepressants are overprescribed by doctors and that they aren’t needed to treat situations she categorized as instances of “normal human despair” instead of a mental illness."

Her crystals aside - in this case she seems to have a valid point:

"For patients with depression, if you narrow down to those who have a biologically-based depressive sub-type, the antidepressants are distinctly effective," he says.
"For example, biological depression or melancholia shows a 60 per cent response to medication, compared to only a 10 per cent response to placebo. If, however, you include other depressive disorders with no primary biological basis—as occurs, if not dominates, in most studies—antidepressants appear to be ineffective."
Antidepressant efficacy is the new fake news (MedicalXpress, Aug. 2, 2018)

 

[dann]

I'm not a fan of the "over prescribed" narrative since I've seen several people deny their own obvious mental illness until they met untimely early deaths. The idea that maybe some people being too cautious weighed against "I've got no problem" while clearly engaged in constant suicide idealization until one day they actually do it....well I break on the give them pills side.

You are not at all worried about side effects? Caution isn't relevant in that respect?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Her crystals aside - in this case she seems to have a valid point:

You need to be careful interpreting psych treatments. If 40% weren't helped you don't know if it's because there is a different cause and said meds don't have the right mechanism of action.

The brain and the immune systems are complicated. And you can add genes/viruses causing cancer to that. We don't have all the diagnoses and treatments yet. That doesn't mean you need to sing Kum ba yah around a campfire. It means we need more research.

 

[Apathia]

I'll take my normal human despair without antidepressants, thank you.

And I'll take it without platitude advice from a life coach.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

I'll take my normal human despair without antidepressants, thank you.

And I'll take it without platitude advice from a life coach.

I think that's great.

It doesn't work for everyone. If I don't take my antidepressants, I find myself crying for no reason among other symptoms.

Not everyone is depressed to the same degree and in the same way. If one doesn't need meds, they shouldn't be prescribed for them.

 

[Apathia]

I think that's great.

It doesn't work for everyone. If I don't take my antidepressants, I find myself crying for no reason among other symptoms.

Not everyone is depressed to the same degree and in the same way. If one doesn't need meds, they shouldn't be prescribed for them.

I wasn't speaking of clinical depression. That is a matter for meds.

I'm not sure what Williamson meant by "normal." Usually the life coach and spiritual advisor crowd want to tell anyone to enlighten up and get off their meds. I've seen people under New Age and meditation guru influence go off their meds to horrible and tragic results.

 

[dann]

You need to be careful interpreting psych treatments. If 40% weren't helped you don't know if it's because there is a different cause and said meds don't have the right mechanism of action.

The brain and the immune systems are complicated. And you can add genes/viruses causing cancer to that. We don't have all the diagnoses and treatments yet. That doesn't mean you need to sing Kum ba yah around a campfire. It means we need more research.

Notice that she doesn't tell you to get off your meds. Nor does she advocate less research.

 

[applecorped]

Despair and depression must be hard for some people to differentiate

 

[BobTheCoward]

I'll take my normal human despair without antidepressants, thank you.

And I'll take it without platitude advice from a life coach.

As I always say...life is meant to be endured, not enjoyed.

 

[dann]

Life is not meant to be anything.

 

[Puppycow]

She's a nut, but I am glad she's running for president. There need to be more people on that fringe, to stretch the Overton Window out a bit in that direction.

In the woo direction? Why? How could that possibly be a good thing?

 

[varwoche]

I wasn't speaking of clinical depression. That is a matter for meds.

I'm not sure what Williamson meant by "normal." Usually the life coach and spiritual advisor crowd want to tell anyone to enlighten up and get off their meds. I've seen people under New Age and meditation guru influence go off their meds to horrible and tragic results.

Far be it for me to defend her. That said, Williamson should be criticized -- or not -- for the positions she actually takes, as opposed to what we may expect as typical from new age types.