Are We Overmedicated?

Photographer : Sparktography

If you have a headache, you reach for the Paracetamol. If you have a cold you find comfort in cold and flu tablets. Why is it that whenever we feel a little out of the ordinary, pharmaceutical companies rake in the bucks? What happened to alternative therapies or talk therapy?

According to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, 8,254,164 prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued in 1999–2000. That’s one script for every second person in Australia. Could half the Australian population have depression or are GPs creating a generation of medication dependents?

In my opinion, GPs should not be given the right to prescribe anti-depressants (Zoloft, Prozac, and Aropax) or ADHD medication (Ritalin). Why? Because they simply don’t have the time to treat the cause of the problem. And that’s not a bad thing either. What I’m trying to say is that GPs should be distributing more referrals to psychologists or psychiatrists before committing their patients to long-term medications.

Each year we spend more and more on medication. I’d argue this is because of the large availability of drugs. It’s no wonder that federal government expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme is the fastest growing. Simple life experiences have become medicated like menopause, PMS, even baldness! I don’t believe that happiness can be found in a pill…but I could stand corrected.

Medicine today is seen to solve problems—but does it really? Yes, it helps relieve pain. Yes, it treats symptoms. But does it treat the cause? No—to get to the root of problems you have to dig deep! That’s why talk therapies in conjunction with anti-depressants, for example, can provide the best form of treatment. Relapse is more likely to occur if anti-depressants are the sole treatment for depression—chemicals alone cannot treat the underlying cause.

What about ADHD? Well in my opinion, too many young kids are spoon fed buckets of sugar—I know I would be very hyperactive if that were the case! A simple dietary change could make a world of difference. That’s not to say that Ritalin is ineffective in treating ADHD, but how about taking alternative routes first? A young child’s brain is still growing and medication (if unnecessary and not controlled), could be dangerous. Medication in this case will also not help ‘solve’ the cause of the problem. Family dynamics or adapting different parenting styles could be quite effective in controlling hyperactivity, along with monitoring a child’s intake of preservatives and sugar.

Medication can be a quick fix…but a quick fix doesn’t always ‘fix’ the roots of the problem.

How do I know this:
Gurvich, V and Gorman J (2004), The Age: A pill-popping party July5th http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/04/10888...

Connley, G (2005), Today Tonight on Seven: Kids controlled with drugs May 4th http://www.seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=20480

Dehesdin, S and Shirazi, R (2001), Cheap therapy: depressed teenagers prescribed anti-depressants October 4th http://www.reportage.uts.edu.au/stories/2001/04can...