Re: Medicalising unhappiness: new classification of depression risks more patients being put on drug treatment from which they will not benefit
I agree with the authors that we are medicalising unhappiness and over-prescribing anti-depressants.(1)
I would be very happy to withhold pharmacotherapy if quick access to talking therapies became a reality.
However, when local mental health services are almost full to capacity managing the serious end of the case-load, what else can we as GPs offer apart from empathy, kindness and time to do the healing?
Until then I shall continue to feel helpless and guilty of prescribing antidepressants or hypnotics as options to ease my patients' distress.
1 Dowrick C, Frances A. Medicalising and medicating unhappiness. BMJ 2013; 347:f7140
Rapid Response:
Re: Medicalising unhappiness: new classification of depression risks more patients being put on drug treatment from which they will not benefit
I agree with the authors that we are medicalising unhappiness and over-prescribing anti-depressants.(1)
I would be very happy to withhold pharmacotherapy if quick access to talking therapies became a reality.
However, when local mental health services are almost full to capacity managing the serious end of the case-load, what else can we as GPs offer apart from empathy, kindness and time to do the healing?
Until then I shall continue to feel helpless and guilty of prescribing antidepressants or hypnotics as options to ease my patients' distress.
1 Dowrick C, Frances A. Medicalising and medicating unhappiness. BMJ 2013; 347:f7140
Competing interests: No competing interests