Anti-Depressant Drugs: An Imprecise Solution

Anti-Depressant Drugs: An Imprecise Solution

Posted by Deepak Chopra, M.D.
on Mon, Apr 02, 2007, 6:00 pm PDT

Question for Deepak:
I believe I have a chemical imbalance which causes symptoms of depression. I have also been taking medication the past few weeks for that. In your opinion should I try to heal this imbalance naturally or continue the anti-depressants?

Answer:
The experience of depression leads to a whole constellation of physiological effects, including alteration of the delicate biochemistry in brain functioning.
Though in some cases anti-depressant drugs can play a helpful role in recovery, they are not the real answer to depression because imbalanced brain chemistry is the effect of depression, not the cause.
If an antidepressant drug must be used, in the opinion of your doctor, then it should not be used alone in the expectation that it will magically solve the problem that led to depression.
Our bodies are the most sophisticated pharmacy in the world, and ideally medicine only needs to support the intelligence within our cells to generate the necessary anti-depressant drugs we need in exactly the correct dose.
It is essential that we address the root cause of depression, as well. The depletion of conscious energy used to withhold the expression of anger is what causes depression. The energy required to keep this backlog of anger from being released can be so great that we have almost no energy left for love, creative endeavors, problem solving, and even motivation for living.
So it is important to have a practice which can help to safely release the old anger and free ourselves from this emotional debt. This process of emotional release also allows the body to restore its natural neurochemical balance. Relying on drugs to solve depression is at best a temporary and imprecise solution.Love,