Whether you are working as a mental health professional, or you’re simply a person with a curious mind, you’ve probably wondered at least once how it is that certain medications impact our health, as well as our society as a whole. And especially mental health medications. SSRIs, for example, are nowadays being mentioned as highly effective drugs that can do wonders for our mood, our appetites, as well as our sleep and our general emotional regulation.
And, nobody is certainly denying their effectiveness. Yet, you probably want to get a slightly more comprehensive picture of How SSRIs Impact Health and Society, meaning that simply stating that they are effective is not enough. And neither is looking at them one-dimensionally, and never considering them from any other angles. So, we have some work to do here.
To put things simply, what we have to do is talk a bit more about how SSRIs actually impact our mental health, and provide a more comprehensive overview of that. And then, we also have to take a look at their impact on the actual society. If you are ready to do some learning, thus, keep on reading to find out what you need to know about these medications and their general influence on us.
The Impact of SSRIs on Our Mental Health
Now, as you may know, SSRIs are antidepressants that work through inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, meaning that we are left with more of this neurotransmitter in our brain, which can have a positive impact on our mood, and some other processes in our brains. That is, a positive impact on our overall health. So, these drugs have definitely had a positive impact on our mental health.
For one thing, they can improve people’s quality of life. Patients report an improvement in concentration, motivation, as well as their relationships. And, they also report a renewed sense of hope in general, which is something that we often find ourselves lacking when dealing with depression, or some other mental health disorders.
Read more about them: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554406/
Furthermore, SSRIs are a safer and a more tolerable alternative to some other, older antidepressants. The fact that the side-effects are mild also means that more people will stay on these medications for long enough to actually see the benefits. And, they can help with various issues, reducing depressive symptoms, lowering chronic anxiety, enhancing emotional stability, and improving day-to-day functioning.
Now, while they do have all of those positive effects on our mental health, we cannot fail to mention one danger. That is the danger of people assuming that these are a cure-all solution, and that they don’t have to do anything else but take the medications and move on with their lives. This makes people passive and allows them not to take accountability for actually getting better and improving their lives. This is why SSRIs should be looked at as one type of help, instead of a magical solution, and they should often be paired with psychotherapeutic exploration for people to really get the help they deserve and need.
The Impact of SSRIs on the Society as a Whole
The above part has been focused on the individual. But, how is it that SSRIs impact the society as a whole? Well, for one thing, these medications are talked about so much nowadays, and people are generally not ashamed to share that they are taking them. So, they have had an impact on the reduction of mental health related stigma. More on that stigma on this page.
Furthermore, they have led people towards better accepting mental health treatments. They have contributed to a shift in public understanding of those treatments, which has led to psychological issues being seen more like, well, medical issues, and less like character flaws. That is definitely another positive impact that we can attribute to these medication and their acceptance in the society. The message that is being sent today, as opposed to in the past, is not only that mental health is important, but also that asking for help is a sign of strength, and not weakness.
Apart from all of that, we can’t fail to mention that the success of these drugs, as well as their limitations, have fueled a lot more research. So, SSRIs have opened new doors on exploring how the brain functions. And how certain conditions can be treated.
Of course, there is also something to be careful about here. The issue of over-prescription signals that our society has started relying more on medications than on other types of help they can get. That can lead to creating a society built of passive individuals who have trouble taking accountability and doing the hard mental health related work through psychotherapy and self-exploration. And, that’s not what we want, which is why SSRIs should be looked at as just one minor part of getting the help we need.
