The Metro today has a ground-breaking, shocking, totally new story
about how anti-depressants can cause infertility in men. I know. I'm
just as dumbfounded as you are.
Apparently the drug Paroxetine
can damage the DNA of sperm, and it was found that just after four
weeks of taking the drug, the porportion of sperm damaged doubled from
13.8% to 30.3%. Then, the sperm recovered after the patient stopped
using Paroxetine.
While more than one in every ten people in the
UK suffers from depression and Paroxetine and Prozac, selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), account for over half of the
34million prescriptions written out to treat these patients - both
reproductive experts and even the mental health charity Mind are
twiddling their thumbs over this.
Dr Allan Pacey, a
reproduction expert , called the "apparent" increase in sperm DNA
damage "alarming" and Mind simply said that they know that SSRIs "can
have serious sexual side effects" and that they would like the drug companies to
conduct "more research".
Yes, I'm sure that the drug companies
are more than willing to research the sexual side affects of their own
medications that are making them billions and billions of dollars so
that they can warn men and women against taking them. My ass.
As to be expected, GlaxoSmithKline, the company that makes Paroxetine, only said that it will "review the findings".
Will no one take fucking responsibility for this?
Doctors
and GPs all around the world hand andi-depressants out like they're
fucking candy. Feeling depressed? Here's a prescription for Prozac.
That'll fix ya.
The problem is, especially in the UK, that counseling and "talking therapies" are not exactly taken seriously by the NHS.
If you're feeling depressed and you go to your GP, you will more than likely be offered a prescription for anti-depressants - which, unfortunately, most people will gladly accept. Why go through all the
effort of actually discovering and working through what's making you depressed
when you can simply pop a pill?
For the people who do not wish to simply pop a pill, good luck.
The
NHS explains that it's policy on counseling is that you must first
start "with your GP surgery or NHS trust", but warns that only "roughly
half of all surgeries in England and Wales employ counselors" .
Roughly half, huh?
If your GP surgery does not employ a counselor, the NHS say that "you may need to suggest counseling as a
treatment option to your GP yourself". Get that? You will have to
suggest to your doctor that you need counseling, because, apparently, the
thought will not have occurred to them.
Then, say you do suggest to your GP that you would like to see a therapist or a counseller - chances are, you're still shit out of luck as:
"Many talking treatments are not available on the NHS. Some types of
therapy are only available from appropriate professionals, such as psychotherapy from psychotherapists."
And, we all know how cheap and affordable seeking out an independent psychiatrist is, right? Only over £100 an hour or so, and in these superb financial times, that should be totally affordable.
Can't afford to see an independent psychiatrist? Not to worry, as the NHS want you to know that you always have Jesus to turn to:
"You may also be able to access some support groups through your church, social services or local community."
The idea that a depressed person, who is possible on the verge of
suicide or self harm, will come out of their shell and turn to their
LOCAL COMMUNITY or even a CHURCH is ridiculous. What if you're not
religious? And how many people these days are so in touch with their
"local community" that they're willing to be like, "Oh hey, Mrs Green? I can't get
out of bed in the morning and I feel completely and totally hopeless.
Can you help me with that?"
Since when is your local community even qualified to treat depression?
As
a person who suffers from depression and has greatly benefited from
therapy with a psychologist, it astounds me that the NHS expects a
depressed person to go through all of this trouble just to find help
for themselves.
It's embarrassing and difficult enough to admit that
you need help, and expecting these people who are in such a dark and
lonely place to call all around town or to have to pay hundreds of
pounds just to get a bit of counseling is pathetic and disgusting.
Image via Wikimedia Commons