Work Stress, Depression and Anxiety Aren't Caused By A Lack Of Prozac In Your Bloodstream

Many businesses and workers are being put under even greater strain as they try to cope with the ever-increasing rate of worker absenteeism or poor work performance due to "work-related stress". It is interesting to observe that the discovery of the drug Ritalin prompted a sudden epidemic in children diagnosed with ADHD. Has the development of anti-depressant drugs and anti-anxiety medication triggered the rise in cases of work related stress?

When you think about it, does it make sense that I am stressed due to a lack of Prozac in my bloodstream?

I have been confused why the mental health experts and support groups are at pains to try and convince us that anxiety and depression are diseases. They say that anxiety and depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain giving us an inability to feel happy. Of course, the suppliers and distributors of chemicals are going to say that the problem is chemical.

Many doctors continue to blindly hand out these so-called happy pills despite a major recent study that demonstrates that anti-depressant medications have no significant effect. Professor Irving Kirsch and his team came to this conclusion following an analysis of 47 major clinical trials (1) (both published and unpublished) involving the use of anti-depressants. It is also interesting to discover that only the trials with the most favorable results for the drugs were published. (Subsequently, the regulatory authorities only saw the published studies!)

The truth is that anxiety and depression are emotions. They are emotions that we do. I put it to you that we do not suffer depression and anxiety. We do depression and anxiety. People that say that they are suffering from stress, depression or anxiety have simply got into the habit of doing those emotions. Just like any skill that you haven't done for a long time, how to do emotions like happiness can be forgotten over time.

Many of you that are doing a mental illness or have a friend or relative doing a mental illness may be offended by my suggestions, thinking that I am trivializing mental health issues or re-casting a stigma around mental health. To those people I say that I am speaking from experience. I am very familiar with the impact of mental health challenges. My own stepbrother committed suicide and two other stepsiblings have attempted suicide and ten years ago I myself had mastered the skill of doing panic attacks and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown (although I now describe it as a nervous breakthrough).

During an immensely challenging 12-month period and with the help from a lot of people and without any medication I successfully retrained my patterns of thinking. I knew I was back on track when Barry, my resident skeptic client described me as "pathologically happy". I am not saying this to impress you. I am saying this to impress upon you that everyone has the ability and capacity to exert control over their emotions. Yes, some people find it harder than others. I find it hard to swim well so I just have to practice more.

Remember that  we DO work stress anxiety and depresion. They don't just happen to us. It requires a certain recipe to create these emotional states so the cure is not necessarily a pill. It lies in the way you habitually use your brain. If you have been successfully creating work stress, anxiety and depression in your life then try a new recipe by using your mind in a different way.

References

1) Kirsch I, Deacon BJ, Huedo-Medina TB, Scoboria A, Moore TJ, et al. (2008) Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis of Data Submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. PLoS Med 5(2): e45 doi:10.1371 / journal. pmed. 0050045