A common psychiatric statement is the idea that the benefits of the drugs outweigh the risks, but it is hard to see how benefits could outweigh someone taking their own life. Furthermore, calling suicidal thoughts a "side effect" is not entirely correct; they are an "effect" of antidepressants.
Time after time, we read about individuals who have taken their own lives where, via media reports, the antidepressant link is in full view.
When film director Tony Scott jumped to his death off a bridge, the autopsy found he had taken antidepressants and sleeping pills.
Another case involved grandfather Brian Palmer. An inquest in Chichester last year concluded he took his own life following the prescription of antidepressants.
The psychiatric spin doctors or psychiatrists themselves try their utmost to exonerate the drugs in question, but there are now so many deaths linked to antidepressant usage it is difficult to miss the fact.
A report from the Office of National Statistics gave the number of deaths where antidepressants were mentioned on death certificates.
There were 2,031 deaths in England and Wales between 2008 and 2012. Over a five-year period, that's more than one death per day.
It is of paramount importance that anyone who is prescribed this type of drug is allowed to make a fully informed decision before taking them.
More than 27 million prescription items for antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2012. One can only surmise what the figure would be if the person really knew the consequences of taking them.
The safety of antidepressants has been questioned for years and with so many deaths, it is not a subject that can be swept under the carpet any more.
Public safety is being compromised. It's time for change.
Comment: Yes, this "cure" is more dangerous than the illness:
- Number of Americans taking antidepressants doubles
- More than 1 in 10 Americans on Suicide-Linked Antidepressants
- Paxil Babies: The Dangers of Antidepressants
- Children prescribed antidepressants up four-fold in UK
- New Antidepressants Can Increase Risks for Elderly, Study Suggests
- Antidepressants Could Cause Harm to Heart, Brain, and Bones
- Why Antidepressants Don't Work for Treating Depression
- Madness! Antidepressants given to babies in New Zealand
- Why Antidepressants Cause Brain Damage, Breast Cancer, and Early Mortality
- Increased Risk of Death, Stroke in Postmenopausal Women Taking Antidepressants, Study Finds
For a comprehensive and proved effective healing way on how to deal with depression, see Mass nervous breakdown: Millions of Americans on the brink as stress pandemic ravages society.