Is Prozac a Magic Pill?
By
David C. Mathis, Ed.D.
Prozac has gained a great deal of notoriety since entering the market several years ago. Prozac was marketed as a new type of anti-depressant medication and was on its way to being the most popular. It still is frequently prescribed by physicians although other medications in its class have since been introduced. Some people have heralded Prozac as a magic medication. Others have betrayed it as something sinister that has caused people to "go crazy." In reality, it is neither. So what should we think of the use of Prozac and other similar medications?
First, some background is necessary. Prozac ushered in a new class of anti-depressant medications, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). Despite its selective nature it has been found to have very broad effects. Depression is often associated with decreased levels of a naturally occurring neurotransmitter in our brain called serotonin. Decreased serotonin levels have been found related to depression and its symptoms but also with behaviors such as aggression. Therefore, by increasing serotonin levels, people have often found relief from their symptoms. Older anti-depressants have also been found helpful but their negative side-effects made them more difficult for people to take. Prozac has very few negative side-effects. Another reason for its popularity is that it has been found helpful with anxiety, PMS, smoking cessation, eating disorders, and several other areas that it was not necessarily approved for. Indeed, decreased serotonin levels has been implicated in several areas. This has only increased the opinion of some that Prozac and similar medications are the answer to many of life's ailments.
I also believe in and support the application of medication in the reduction and management of symptoms and disorders. I do not, however, subscribe to a simplistic view that our functioning is necessarily related to a "chemical imbalance." Just consider the question of why a chemical imbalance exists. Can you catch a "chemical imbalance" like a cold? We interact with our environment - influencing it and being influenced by it. This is especially true with those significant relationships in our lives. If we are having difficulty with our spouse, or children, or co-workers, or employers, etc. - our body will be affected. That stress can cause a chemical imbalance such as decreased serotonin.
Medication will not repair strained relationships. Prozac nor any other medication can undo consequences from poor choices made either out of inexperience, impulse or self-centeredness. The effects of those consequences can have dramatic impact on our functioning and produce very profound symptoms associated with anxiety or depression. In fact, medication may be very appropriate in managing those symptoms. My concern is that we not lose sight of the larger arena. We will not grow as individuals if our only focus is the biochemical arena.
Lets consider the whole person. The whole person involves processes from the molecular to the molar; from the smallest electrical signal to interacting with the environment.
The whole person involves numerous physiological systems as well as interpersonal relationships with others.
The whole person involves using internal cognitive processes to solve simple tasks as well as reflecting on ones relationship with God. Medication is often part of the process in dealing with physical and emotional disruption but is not the whole picture.
The whole person is much too complex and complicated to think that medication is a cure all. Prozac has its place but its place is best considered in light of the whole person.