Untitled Essay, Research Paper

Prozac-Mania ³Yeah, I’m on Prozac,² I hear quite often, said

as if the speaker had just received a new Porsche. I often do catch myself

responding with, ³I’m on Zoloft‹isn’t modern medicine great?²

In a way, this exchange is a way of bonding. In another, more twisted way,

it is a way of receiving a stamp of approval from my peers, for antidepressants

have become extremely widespread and widely accepted. ³Prozac…has

entered pop culture…becoming the stuff of cartoons and stand-up comedy

routines² ‹and, of course, really bad jokes by people who do not

take the drug. (Chisholm and Nichols 36).

These days, being prescribed an antidepressant carries

less stigma than in the past. ³Prozac has attained the familiarity of

Kleenex and the social status of spring water² (Cowley 41). Gone are

the days when the label ³loony² is slapped upon a person taking

these drugs. Antidepressants have become almost as commonplace as Tylenol.

Prozac is being prescribed for much more than clinical depression. Some of

the other illnesses that are treatable by Prozac include bulimia,

obsessive-compulsive disorder, and dysthymia, which is chronic low-grade

depression. In some cases, it is even prescribed for anxiety or low self-esteem

(Chisholm and Nichols 38).

Part of the popularity of Prozac stems from declining

health care. ³As medical plans cut back on coverage for psychotherapy,

says [Dr. Robert] Birnbaum of Boston’s Beth Israel, psychiatrists feel pressure

simply to Œmedicate and then monitor side effects¹² (Cowley

42). General practitioners, however, write the majority of Prozac prescriptions.

Both of these scenarios raise concerns, as some psychiatrists state that

it can be dangerous for antidepressants to be used without concurrent

psychotherapy sessions (Chisholm and Nichols 38). When I discontinued my

therapy sessions after two years, yet still continued to take my antidepressants,

I felt as if something was missing from my life. Therapy has been a very

important part of my treatment, and I would not have recovered as well if

I had not attended regular psychotherapy sessions.

With the common use of Prozac and other antidepressants,

another consideration arises: are these drugs becoming a substitute for really

coping with problems? Prozac and the related antidepressants, such as Paxil

and Zoloft, are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

They prevent brain cells from re-absorbing used serotonin, which can elevate

the moods and thoughts of people suffering from depression (37). But ³no

disease can be blamed solely on a serotonin imbalance² (Watson 86).

External factors and genetics often affect depression. As a two-year recipient

of Zoloft, I discovered that, during the course of my treatment, my interludes

of depression would return at stressful times, despite the medication. Mental

illness also runs in my family. On my father¹s side of the family, my

great-grandmother suffered from dementia, and on the maternal branch of the

family tree, my mother shows signs of dysthymia.

This, of course, does not mean that clinical depression

is not caused by a serotonin imbalance. The truth is, researchers are still

looking for the causes of emotional illnesses in order to design more specific

solutions (86).

In the meantime, many people are receiving Prozac and

related medications for trivial personality disorders, and a stigma remains

firmly attached to people with genuine mental illness. ³Mental illness

is still often thought of as something you or your parents did wrong,²

which is another reason why many patients are simply taking the medication

instead of also seeing a therapist (Marrou). I will readily admit that I

am on Zoloft, but I usually keep my ³shrink² appointments a secret

from all but my closest friends.

Of course, the pop culture references only serve to heighten

the overall contempt toward younger people on antidepressants, and the glamour

of taking them. In the recent Kids in the Hall movie, ³we [were] offered

a wacky dystopian vision of a world Prozaced out of its wits² (Ansen).

This refers to the wide usage of antidepressants to treat trivial disorders.

³Happy pills for every occasion² ‹doctors are still looking

for the perfect way to treat minor personality disorders (Chisholm and Nichols

40). It seems that taking Prozac is ³cool,² especially among young

people, who can prove that they, too, are angst-ridden and rich enough to

take these seemingly designer drugs.

Yet, where would Sylvia Plath be if she had taken an

antidepressant? True, she would be alive, but her work would not have been

so introspective or moving. She would also have been easily forgettable.

Prozac is said to reduce insight and emotions (Cowley 42). As a recipient

of Zoloft, I can attest to that statement. My moods have been dulled. I once

possessed a great deal of emotions, and now only feel two: ³bummed

out² (slightly depressed and highly irritable) and hyperactive. I have

also noticed that my poetry is not as moving as it was when I was

medication-free.

Lately, I have thought of discontinuing my medication.

The social stigma does irritate me; after the first five Prozac jokes, I

stopped laughing. That is not my reason for desiring an end to the medication,

however. I want to quit because I do not feel like, well, me. I do not cry

or laugh normally; it all seems as if I am watching someone else cry or laugh

for me.

Technically, I am not even clinically depressed. I have

been diagnosed with dysthymia, a mild yet chronic form of depression, which

I know was caused by extreme stress several years ago. I continue to experience

a great deal of stress in my life, but I would like to learn how to cope

with it instead of merely popping a little yellow pill. What happens if I

lose my health insurance? I would not be able to afford medication, and would

have to learn anyway. As it is, my most recent therapist decided that I no

longer need psychotherapy, so why am I still taking this medication? It has

become a crutch for me. I agree with Kurt Cobain when he sings, ³I¹m

so happy/ Œcause today I¹ve found my friends/ in my head.²

My own emotions are always better than drug-induced feelings.

Even the lyrics by Cobain prove just how mainstream

antidepressants have become, even though Cobain sings about Lithium, which

is used to treat manic-depressive patients. An entire computer bulletin board

is devoted to Prozac alone, and endless resources exist on the World Wide

Web (Cowley 41). As we joke about Prozac and recommend it to our friends,

though, it is becoming too widespread to be ignored.

In ten years, we might all be taking some form of medication

to stabilize our moods and ³fine-tune the behavior of a given person.

We may be able to almost modulate personality² (Chisholm and Nichols

40). There is something truly creepy about an entire nation walking around

with what my friend Joy calls ³perma-smiles,² the alleged happiness

found in antidepressants. Is it even ethical to create a society where nobody

feels their own emotions? ³The ultimate question, assuming that the

new antidepressants can safely banish unpleasant feelings, is whether we

really want to be rid of them² (Cowley 42). And do we all want to be

happy all the time? If you cease to feel pain, then your happiness seems

dulled.

More alarming is the amount of people I know that have

been on some antidepressant or another by the age of eighteen. It seems that

normal teenage mood swings are being diagnosed as depression, and medication

is readily prescribed. While some experts say that ³treatable psychiatric

problems are far more common than most people realize,² why has medication

become so popular as a treatment? (42). Another friend of mine likes to cling

to the ³conspiracy² theory: the medication is being used to lull

us into complacency. I sometimes wonder about this myself. Annually,

Prozac¹s worldwide sales reach nearly $1.2 billion (41). Millions of

people take some form of an antidepressant (Marrou). It is sick, in a way.

Still, doctors and patients alike have nothing but praise

for these drugs that make treating a debilitating illness so much easier

(Chisholm and Nichols 36). The side effects are fewer than the older

antidepressants, and they do not last that long. I experienced only three

days of nausea, gastrointestinal problems, and a dry mouth when I first started

taking Zoloft. Now I experience no side effects. The absence of these side

effects seems to contribute to the popularity of the drugs. After all, who

would want to take a pill that makes them sick, especially if the person

is only experiencing anxiety or slight depression?

This all contributes to the entire culture behind Prozac

and other antidepressants. The culture that I have observed extends from

successful students to clove-smoking, sour-faced poets sitting in offbeat

coffeehouses. Antidepressants have become drugs for everyone, the

³feel-good² drugs of the nineties, it seems.

Yet the liberal usage of Prozac raises another, more important

concern. Prozac may have many unforeseen consequences, and is being compared

to Valium, which was on the market for ten years before doctors discovered

just how addictive it was in the mid-1970s. Some say that Prozac has become

the Valium of the nineties (38). Since its release in 1988 by Eli Lilly and

Co. of Indianapolis, it has been prescribed to numerous patients. But what

side effects and dangers will we discover in the future? Ostensibly, individuals

taking Prozac are guinea pigs.

The glamour of antidepressants fades when factors such

as possible side or after-effects, dulled emotions, and the necessity of

therapy is taken into consideration. However, the use of Prozac will continue

just as strongly as ever. Doctors will continue to medicate patients for

as long as health plans cut back psychotherapy benefits. The pop culture

references will remain firmly in place as more people begin to take Prozac,

including the unfunny jokes. And where will we be in ten years? Hopefully,

we will not be diagnosed with cancer or some other antidepressant-induced

illness. For some reason, I doubt we will be joking about that as liberally

as we do our antidepressants.

Works CitedAnsen, David. ³Kids in the Hall Send Up Our Prozac Culture.²

Newsweek: America Online (keyword: newsweek) 22

April 1996.

Chisholm, Patricia and Nichols, Mark. ³Questioning Prozac.²

Maclean¹s 23 May 1994: 36-40.

Cobain, Kurt. ³Lithium.² Nevermind. Nirvana.

Virgin Songs, Inc. and The David Geffen Company,

Track 5, 1991.

Cowley, Geoffrey. ³The Culture of Prozac.² Newsweek: America

Online (keyword: newsweek) 7 February 1994: 41-42.

Marrou, Chris. ³I hope that one day mental illness will

be as openly accepted as any physical

disability.² Newsweek Online 24

June 1996.

Watson, Traci. ³Ode to a mellifluous brain molecule.²

U.S. News & World Report 25 November 1996: 86.