(22-05-15) Mindfulness therapy could make antidepressant drugs obsolete

by L.J. Devon, Staff Writer 

(NaturalNews) As a society, we don't seem to understand exactly what depression is any more. So many cases of "depression" are really voids within that we are trying to fill. Perhaps this depression represents parts of us that have been taken away or left behind that we are simply seeking to get back. Maybe our depression is simply a deficiency of key nutrients like magnesium, zinc, or essential fatty acids that are needed to keep our mind strong.

Sadly, nearly all "depression" cases are herded into one category and treated with selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It doesn't matter if a person is dealing with a traumatic experience in battle, compulsive behavior, an eating disorder, panic attacks, chronic pain, or obsessions; these SSRIs are almost viewed as a cure-all. These interventions might be referred to as "anti-depressants", but all they do is suppress a symptom by altering how serotonin is transmitted in the brain. This pharmacological action doesn't deal with the root of a person's problem or investigate other potential underlying factors. These drugs do not constructively work with and empower a person's thoughts and emotions. Instead, these drugs suppress the mind and body's precious signals and metabolic processes, ultimately driving a patient further into a state of hopelessness.

Eventually, the patient's brain must fight to restore the natural balance of serotonin that the antidepressant drug altered during its pharmacological intervention. This can drive the mind to act out in uncharacteristic ways as it tries to compensate for the drug-induced changes. Those who try to discontinue antidepressants might feel the withdrawal effect, and some could lash out in violent ways.
The depression label takes away a patient's power to heal from the start
Depression labels are so flagrantly slapped onto people today that they lead them to become patients and to accept a diagnosis that restrains their emotional and mental power to heal naturally. Under the spell of these diagnoses and drugs, patients are forced to emotionally consent to a condition that is often not even a condition at all. The "depression" could simply be an emotion that hasn't been dealt with or a severed relationship that hasn't had time to heal. It could be a deficiency in nutrition or an overload of a toxic element. Refusing to accept depression as a condition does not mean we are in denial of our problems. Accepting depression and a regime of drugs as a condition is a denial of the mind and heart's powerful, energetic role in healing as we face problems.

This is why mindfulness therapy is the most important first approach for anyone who is struggling in life. There is a time for sadness, and time should be allowed for the mind to heal. When we turn emotional difficulties into depression diagnoses and drug them to death, we destroy our own ability to heal and therefore become dependent on a condition mindset that turns us into victims of pharmaceutical abuse.
Mindfulness therapy can replace antidepressant drug use
In a new study published in The Lancet medical journal, researchers proved that mindfulness therapy can make antidepressant medications obsolete. The study showed that as a society, we could abandon the drugs and instead counsel and empower the individual to consciously deal with perceived depression.

In the study, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was employed to help 212 patients stop taking their antidepressant drugs. Psychotherapists specifically helped teach patients how to recognize and respond to thoughts and feelings associated with relapse. This is important because the withdrawal effects of antidepressants can disturb impulses, sleep cycles, and thought patterns. Many people coming off of the drugs report these side effects. Some people fail to cope with these effects, spiraling into deeper psychosis that leads them to need different psychotic drugs or more doses. It's a vicious cycle, but not all hope is lost.

In two years of the study, 56 percent of participants were able to remove themselves from the drugs and the depression diagnosis. They regained control over their mind, emotions and spirit.
With more than 350 million people battling this mental illness around the world, this study provides hope that we can move past drug interventions and instead teach positive mindfulness therapy that empowers people without causing side effects.

Sources:

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