The following exchange was first published in the Winter/Spring (Dec 2019 – Mar 2020) issue of Community Center Shanghai’s Guide magazine.
Dear Counselor,
I’ve been feeling down lately and think maybe I am experiencing depression. Friends and family have suggested I go to see a doctor/psychiatrist, but I am nervous about the idea of taking medication for this. What advice/information would you give to someone who is apprehensive about using medication to treat depression?
Sincerely,
Feeling Down
Hi Feeling Down,
It is understandable that you are apprehensive about using medication to alleviate feelings of depression. The widespread prescription of antidepressant drugs is based on the assumption that people diagnosed with depression have an imbalance of brain chemicals and that the drugs help correct this imbalance. However, no such imbalance in brain chemicals such as serotonin or dopamine has ever been consistently observed. If you were to visit a doctor or psychiatrist in order to determine whether you have a chemical imbalance, you would quickly realise that there are no laboratory tests designed to measure such things. Unlike a condition such as diabetes for which blood tests can objectively measure a patient’s blood sugar levels, there are no such tests in psychiatry. Furthermore, many people experience feelings of depression at least partially as a result of external situational factors – the death of a loved one, a break-up or divorce, the loss of a job, or other difficult life circumstances.
There are alternatives to antidepressants that have been proven by many studies to be as effective (if not more so) in alleviating depressed feelings and that don’t come with the unwanted side effects that antidepressants sometimes have. These include counseling and physical exercise. I would encourage you to explore these interventions before deciding to take antidepressants to help with your feelings. I wish you the best of luck in tackling the issues you are facing and if you would like more information, feel free to contact CCS Counseling at counseling@communitycenter.cn.
Sincerely,
Jon
Have a question for a CCS counselor? This could be on topics such as depression, anxiety, or relationship issues. Submit your questions to counseling@communitycenter.cn
