Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 6/11/2011

Question
Why isn't it a good idea to give people without a depression medicine for depression when it makes you much happier?

Answer
Dear Kristian,

Anti-depressants have various mechanisms of action, and there are also idiosyncratic reactions to these drugs in individuals that can be unpredictable.  What works to reduce depression in one person can actually make things worse in another person.  In a completely healthy person, there may be no effect, or there may be an adverse effect.  It is quite difficult to predict.

This is why it is extremely important for a person being prescribed anti-depressants to work closely with a physician/psychiatrist who can monitor the effects of the drug and change things as necessary.  Psychological counseling is also important as ancillary therapy, since the drugs often do not work completely all by themselves.

In short, the workings of the brain and mind are complex, individual, and not yet well understood.  So any drugs that alter the mood should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a competent, experienced physician.

Dana