But, the only reason why we had a breakthrough was because did it by mistake trying to treat for schizophrenia (Fitzpatrick). People thought of this as the, magic pill but soon realized the harsh effects of the drug. To make this pill by mistake work for another condition is beyond a coincidence. So what about the percentage of the people who felt relieved and happier? The percentage ranged from 60-80% (Fitzpatrick). But the real question is what about those 20-40% percent of people who had no change in feelings? This is where suicide increased and heavier episodes of depression occured called an paradoxical response.
The psychological effects while on Anti-Depressants are very uncomfortable on the mental part of the brain because of what it makes a persons body do. I believe it can make people feel even more depressed while on Anti-depressants than without them. Sluggishness, weight gain and occasionally death from overdose were the side effects (Fitzpatrick). I have gained 10 pounds while I was on Lexapro so at the moment I am not taking any pills. Sometimes the drugs can have a negative effect on a persons well being and have someone feeling worse than a person was before on the drug. Its called a paradoxical response to the Anti-Depressants (Schreiber). So from the occasional deaths and increased weight gain from the sluggishness, the world looked for an improvement. They focused on just one neuro-chemical called serotonin instead of a broad range of chemicals in the brain (Fitzpatrick). Apparently it was better to focus on one chemical to still have the effect on depression but with less symptoms of taking the drug. The breakout of Zoloft and Paxil began in the early 90s (Fitzpatrick). Prozac began in the late 80s but was the most profitable out of the anti-depressants (Fitzpatrick).
Depression is usually linked to suicide and most depressive disorders go untreated. Over 39,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year( Facts About Suicide and Depression).