The Washington Post today had an interesting article, with regards to anti-depressants and grief.(http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/antidepressants-to-treat-grief-psychiatry-panelists-with-ties-to-drug-industry-say-yes/2012/12/26/ca09cde6-3d60-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html) While the gist of it was about certain ties, between pharmaceutical companies, paid advisers, doctors, etc, it brings about a compelling question. That is of course the anti-depressants for dealing with the death of a loved one. While the study focused on spouses, many of us not only in the US, but around the world have buried our children. It is a parents worst nightmare, and said to be the most harsh punishment to the soul, that anyone can go through. I don't know who wrote that, so no plagiarism is intended, and if I can find that source I will be more than happy to credit them for it.
Psychiatry is a medical field that has a mixed record. To be upfront, do I believe a lot of the disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are real? You bet. The DSM is a source for all doctors, not just psychiatrists. It has relevant information for the lay person as well, and can be found at libraries, police stations, and fire houses. As for psychiatrists, I often make fun of Dr. Leo Marvin from "What About Bob," but there are some that are truly compassionate. It is a shame that there is a stigma about mental health and medications, and that is troubling. Anti-depressants have a variety of uses, and can even be used as seizure medicines. Yes there are side effects, but of course, the same could be said with any prescription drug.
This article went into grief a bit, and termed a loss of a spouse as "distress" rather than depression. Both stink, so for getting into semantics, there's really no point. My wife and I could have used anti-depressants after our son's death, but for us, we wanted to feel the pain. Sound nuts? Perhaps it is, but we felt that we had to have the compounding pain, to help us get through not over our loss. To each their own, and I know of others who have had great success with anti-depressants after such a trauma. No matter what road you pick, its what is best for you and your family. Looking back, perhaps they could have helped us, or at least lessened some of the raw emotions felt to go through the grieving process. Yet as we never wished physical harm to ourselves or others, which I consider the threshold to go the medicine/psychiatrist route and then some, I don't think they would have made much of a difference.
I am concerned about the link between paid advisers, and now anti-depressants being recommended more for those grieving. While I'm not an expert on medicine, the fact that there does seem to be a conflict of interest, is one that is a concern. The first priority should be, what is right for those in grief? Especially with regards to a tragic loss of a child, or an unexpected loss of a spouse. I just don't know the answer, but I do think more needs to be researched, in lieu of this article's findings. It might just be scratching the surface, because not only does this affect people who are depressed/grieving, there are a host of other conditions these particular medicines treat. Safety is paramount, as are ethics, and if they are breached that brings in a plethora of concerns to the table.
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