In the U.S. alone one hundred thousand in every million people are suffering from depression. Depression is a term that is thrown around in the American society whenever some one is feeling down. The actual signs of depression are more than simply feeling down. Classic symptoms of depression include loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, worthlessness, anxiety and a longing for death (O"Meara 1). The criteria needed to be met in order to be diagnosed with depression are so vague and changing that people are often misdiagnosed with depression (O"Meara 1). Currently 3.4 million Americans under the age of eighteen are diagnosed with depression (Epstein 2). The main weapon in the fight against depression is Prozac. Sadly, Prozac is not as much of a miracle drug as Eli Lilly would like people to believe. It is shown to work in a clinician-based disease specific rating scale(how the doctor feels the drug works by looking at charts and data), but when patient-based(how the patient feels the drug works by experience) it does not work (O"Meara 2).
Steven Bryson was a happy, well-adjusted functional man until a good friend of his died. Due to his onset of depression doctors put Bryson on Prozac in hope of curing him; unfortunatly the drug had an adverse effect. After taking the Prozac for a while Bryson became a completely different person, he acquired excessive debts, lost his job, and committed many acts of deviance. He once threatened the life of one of his close friends with a knife (Epstein 2).
In the past year, school shootings have become more prevalent in the United States. One factor that linked many of these incidents is Psychotropic drugs. Almost all of the assailants were taking Ritalin, Prozac or one of their likeness. Other juvenile delinquents that reside in the halls of juvenile detainment centers are also taking these "miracle drugs" that are supposed to be curing their problems but may very well be causing them (Cloud 1-2).
