(Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash)

1.5 minute read

It was recently brought to my attention that Portugal is one of the highest consumers of antidepressant drugs in OECD countries globally.  As a holistic mental health practitioner, I found that quite alarming, particularly as numerous research studies report insignificant differences between groups given test drugs versus placebos, therefore suggesting that antidepressants are not as effective as the pharmaceutical industry claims.  At best, they aim to treat symptoms of depression by altering brain chemistry, sometimes with undesirable side effects; they do little to address underlying causes.  In the same way that we might take pain killers to dull the sensation of physical pain, antidepressants may give the experience of emotional pain being alleviated - at least temporarily – but unless the underlying cause of emotional distress is investigated and treated, the pain will keep returning without repeated drug use.  That is why anti-depressants should NEVER be seen as a long-term solution to mental health problems, and certainly not an effective solution without some form of therapeutic work.

When we try to dull emotional pain through medicating (including self-medicating using alcohol or recreational drugs), we are literally shutting down our feelings.  As a result, it is common for people to not truly know or understand the source of their unhappiness.  My approach to therapy uses various different techniques to invite those feelings back in.  It can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar at first, but I can guide you through the discomfort so that it does not have to feel so lonely or confusing.  Healing occurs by rewiring our brain’s response to undesirable experiences.  Over time, the way that you “feel” can be altered quite dramatically.