Letter: Many don't need anti-depressants

I disagree with the psychiatrist's condescending attack on columnist Daniel Akst's view of the psychiatric industry ["Therapists aim to heal, not harm," Letters, Feb. 1].

I am a registered nurse. Very often my patients have told me they have no idea why an anti-depressant was ordered for them. "They told me I was depressed after my hip surgery," has been a frequent reply among elderly women who denied feeling depressed but did not want to contradict the doctor.

Commonly, people who state they are, in fact, depressed, claim little or no relief but lots of side effects from anti-depressants, such as weight gain, sudden increase in alcohol consumption and an inability to get off the meds because of difficult withdrawal symptoms.

Inventing diseases such as "social anxiety" seems an excuse to prescribe more drugs to people. Notably, a common side effect of anti-depressants is depression!

The psychiatric industry is very closely tied to the pharmaceutical corporations, and with a nation drugged up to its livers in legal and illegal drugs, this partnership needs constant scrutiny and constructive criticism. Thanks to Akst for providing it.

Ann Rita Darcy, Huntington Station