Depression expert: Finns should use more medications
Stuart A. Montgomery does not believe antidepressants increase violence
|
|
|
By Jussi Pullinen
Although the number of people taking medicines to treat depression has increased in Finland in recent years, one expert says that antidepressant drugs are not dispensed nearly enough in this country.
British Professor Stuart A. Montgomery attended a seminar in Helsinki on Thursday held in connection with the annual Educational Meeting of Finnish Psychiatric Association.
In 2007, about 330,000 people in Finland received compensation from the Social Insurance Institution to offset costs of medicines prescribed for depression.
Consumption of the drugs has increased ninefold in the past 20 years.
Professor Montgomery has studied antidepressants for decades. In the late 1970s he was involved in the development of a scale for rating the degree of depression.
Montgomery, who visited Finland as the guest of a pharmaceutical company, said that there is no reason to worry about the increased use of the medications.
In his view, people do not take the medicines enough.
Professor Montgomery feels that many patients derive more benefit from medications than from therapy. However, he feels that the best treatment would be a combination of the two.
“Therapy is beneficial especially for people who are open and who know how to analyse their condition. I feel that most of those who are depressed are not like this.”
There have been warnings given about prescribing the most common SSRI types of antidepressants to young people. It has been feared that they might increase self-destructive behaviour, especially among young people. The issue was raised in connection with the Jokela school shootings, for instance.
Professor Montgomery feels that medications on their own do not increase the danger; as he sees it, the risk of self-destructive behaviour increases at the beginning of any treatment. he also feels that treatment of depression prevents violence.
“Most homicides take place within a family. One of the main reasons for such murders is depression.”
While in Helsinki, Montgomery spoke of new types of antidepressants that are being developed, possibly with fewer side-effects than the present ones. However, he says that it will probably take several years before the most common SSRI drugs are replaced.
Montgomery says that depression is still not taken seriously enough.
“And when a disease is stigmatised, the same is felt about treatment.”
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 24.10.2008
JUSSI PULLINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
jussi.pullinen@hs.fi
|
| 28.10.2008 - THIS WEEK |
 Depression expert: Finns should use more medications |
|
