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Treating
depression, anxiety and other mental disorders through medication
alone is irresponsible and dangerous, according to Dr. Charles
Gant, a member of the American Academy of Psychiatrists in
Addiction and Alcoholism.
"We're
using pills to modify patients' behaviors when we should be
addressing the underlying physiological imbalances that lead
to illness' symptoms in the first place," said Gant.
"Instead of helping people get well, we condemn them
to lifelong prescription dependencies with all the ancillary
risks of horrific side effects and continuing mental and physician
degeneration. There is a better way."
Gant cites
the Andrea Yates case as the most recent high-profile example
of the way physicians treat mental disorders with prescription
drugs.
"We
need to find ways to get people well, not modify their symptoms
and behavior with drugs," advised Gant. "I just
wonder how many more tragedies it will take before we realize
that medications alone aren't the answer."
Gant believes
that financial gain is one of the reasons for the booming
drug sales prescribed by physicians for their depressed patients.
"Selling
prescription psychotropics is a lucrative business. These
highly addictive drugs generate huge profits for pharmaceutical
companies," said Gant.
Gant has
authored a new book, End Your Addiction Now (Warner Books),
in which he discusses the use of nutritional supplements to
overcome dependencies on prescription drugs.
"When
I talk to the public and tell them, 'You can get your brain
chemistry back into balance naturally,' the response is overwhelming,"
Gant said. "People recognize that there is a better way
than prescription medications."
Source:
Depression Week
of April 7, 2002
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