SUCK IT EUROPE!!!!!

[rah]

Antidepressant use is not necessarily an indicator of mental illness. I bet BK doesn't take antidepressants.

[Kitschum]

In other news, 50% of Americans suffer from mental illness in their lifetime, and 25% self-report (note that the European study doesn't use those criteria) suffering from one in a single year:

The CDC researchers discovered that 25 percent of American adults reported having some type of mental illness during the survey's previous year. The health care expenses to treat those sufferers in one yeart was $300 billion.

According to the CDC researchers, in 2009, 11 million people, or 5 percent of the U.S. population, suffered from some type of mental illness that caused a complete or partial inability to function (work, socializing, hobbies, activities, etc.).

Upwards of 8.4 million contemplated suicide in the past year, and 2.2 million actually made plans to kill themselves, whole one million Americans attempted suicide in just one year, the CDC report claims.

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/half-of-u-s-population-will-experience-mental-illness-experts

Antidepressant use is not necessarily an indicator of mental illness. I bet BK doesn't take antidepressants.

You're argument is logically backward, because anti-depressants can be an indicator of mental illness even if not all the mentally ill take anti-dep. You may be aware of this already. And think about it. Why else would a person take anti-depressants? They ain't much fun, like sleeping pills (can be), and some of them diminish sexual function. The stigma of "mental illness" needs to go, however.

The study itself is a bit unconventional in that it labels alcoholism a mental illness, and "anxiety"; who can honestly say they've never experienced that? Psychiatric diagnoses are a lottery anyhow.

[Dr Strangelove]

Anti-depressants have other uses. Some of them can be used to treat Migraine headaches, obesity, attention deficit disorder, insomnia, anxiety or chronic pain. Also bear in mind that many people may be taking more than one anti-depressant at a time.

Here's some more depressing statistics: According to a recent UN survey 20% of the world suffers from chronic pain. In the US 139 million people are taking medication to releive pain - that's almost 40% of the population.

[Kitschum]

Anti-depressants have other uses. Some of them can be used to treat Migraine headaches, obesity, attention deficit disorder, insomnia, anxiety or chronic pain. Also bear in mind that many people may be taking more than one anti-depressant at a time.

The crux is all of the above would likely be classified as mental illnesses as per the very broad Euro study, and if anti-deps were prescribed for them it just might be justified.

Note: I'm not against anti-dep. Not at all. I think they prevent suicides for one, which I've argued before on this site.

[ZEE]

.

[Tuberski]

It was simply copy/paste.

ACK!

[OneFootInTheGrave]

are you trying to drive us mad?!?

[rah]

You're argument is logically backward, because anti-depressants can be an indicator of mental illness even if not all the mentally ill take anti-dep. You may be aware of this already. And think about it. Why else would a person take anti-depressants? They ain't much fun, like sleeping pills (can be), and some of them diminish sexual function. The stigma of "mental illness" needs to go, however.

Actually I was thinking differently. I'm sure if we looked at the % of those in Africa that take anti-depressants would be low due to lack of proper medical services and costs. Where in the US, doctors hand them out like candy, or as others have posted, for other uses. I don't think that proves that that Americans suffer more mental illness than those in poorer nations. I think it just means that those in the US have better access.

[Tuberski]

are you trying to drive us mad?!?

Admitting you have a problem is the first step in getting better.

ACK!

[MikeH]

Actually I was thinking differently. I'm sure if we looked at the % of those in Africa that take anti-depressants would be low due to lack of proper medical services and costs. Where in the US, doctors hand them out like candy, or as others have posted, for other uses. I don't think that proves that that Americans suffer more mental illness than those in poorer nations. I think it just means that those in the US have better access.

In fact I'd say that in America it was under-reported due to the high numbers of people who can't afford to visit doctors to get anti-depressants handed out like candy.

[rah]

Likely but I still think that the percentage doesn't necessarily prove which country has a higher percentage of mentally ill in it.

[MikeH]

Yes, I wasn't disagreeing, just saying that even in the developed nations it's likely to be underreported.

[rah]

agreed.