I was having dinner with a friend when she told me she was taking antidepressants. That surprised me, because my friend had never seemed to be lacking in self-esteem or social support. In fact, she had always seemed rather cheerful and I was quite sure it wasn’t the mediocre ravioli that lifted her out of existential crisis. My friend is among the millions of people around the world who take antidepressants, a number that in the U.S. alone has doubled within the past 15 years and is expected to continue to rise.
In a recent contribution to The Huffington Post, physician Andrew Weil hinted at the correlation between the forces of capitalism and the “fact” that depression is now widespread. Among other factors, Weil blames the TV commercials which spread the message that “all sadness is depression, depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, this pill will make you happy, your doctor will get it for you.” Weil suggested that because of overdiagnosis many people who are occasionally—and quite normally—a bit sad or insecure are labeled as depressed and in need of a pill to quickly solve their problems.
Weil’s perspective doesn’t surprise me. I interviewed him in 1998, when he wasn’t a household name yet. Back then his Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine had just trained its first bunch of physicians and nurse practitioners in a program that emphasizes prevention and alternative therapies. This month’s cover story features one of the first graduates: Roberta Lee, now a primary care physician at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Lee belongs to a growing group of physicians who stress the importance of lifestyle management and healthy food. That’s an important prescription as America debates the future of its health care system.
It’s a comforting thought that Lee is now teaching other doctors. After all, despite the growing acknowledgement of integrative medicine’s relevance, there’s still a long way to go. When I told my friend about Weil’s ideas to alleviate depression—lifestyle changes including less caffeine, more exercise and a diet high in fruits and vegetables, supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids—she didn’t seem particularly convinced. In fact, she seemed almost depressed. Apparently, taking responsibility for your own health can be a tough pill to swallow. But I think the fact that we can do so much to improve our mental and physical health is a reason to be cheerful. Weil, Lee and the other people featured in our cover story show that our health is not just our doctor’s responsibility; it’s our responsibility, too. Now, if we could only get that message across to politicians…
