Feeling Down? Read This! Mental health: Pills mask not fix the cause of our problems – Dr Punam Krishan

I see on average 100 to 120 patients every week. The root causes of 80 to 90 per cent of the problems people present with are secondary to stress and anxiety. Mental health problems are on the rise and this is no coincidence when we consider that time is now viewed as a commodity, writes Dr Punam Krishan.

The crux of many of our issues is that we are pushing ourselves faster than ever before, expecting to do more in shorter amounts of time. The younger generations are addicted to technology and success with a buzz to be the next big influencer. The older generations are struggling to keep up as they straddle the ever-widening social gaps. We are all stressed and this is manifesting in chronic and complex diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, several cancers, strokes and mental health problems, costing people their lives way ahead of time.

The number of prescriptions for antidepressants has doubled over the past 10 years. We are so busy we are choosing to cure ourselves with pills instead of understanding the root causes of our mood imbalances. When we review the evidence from pharmaceutical companies, we can clearly see there is a very small number of benefits in improving low mood using antidepressants compared to people who are treated with a placebo pill. Why are we willing to take a leap of faith for the pharmaceutical companies but not take a leap of faith about our inner pharmacology which would have far more sustainable long-term effects if we put in the time and effort to heal ourselves.

The long list of side-effects of antidepressants is enough to make anyone feel sick yet we trust and surrender to the thought that there is a pill for every ill.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/mental-health-pills-mask-not-fix-the-cause-of-our-problems-dr-punam-krishan-1-4905367

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