A Prozac future? Maybe, but human touch figures large

 

A cartoon in The Gazette and numerous other newspapers nationwide featured a picture of a lot of people smiling while one bystander said to another that everyone must be on Prozac. Prozac is an antidepressant.

A chemical revolution is under way in the realm of psychiatric medications. Since the advent of Imipramine, An antidepressant of the 1960s, to Prozac, Xoloft and Effexor, each new generation of antidepressants offers hope for improved mental health.

Hope? It is the belief that someday, perhaps in three or four decades, there will be a

vast array of medications that can be suited for each individual in terms of their own personal    psychobiological chemistry. Thus, each individual can more easily deal with their personal pathology, and the chemicals will self correct their mental illness.

It is probably safe to say that of all the people in The Gazette's circulation area, there are thousands who think the same thoughts all day long. Or perhaps, compulsively do the same routine. Others have mood swings. Some feel constant low-grade despair. Many have cravings. A few hear voices that do not exist

To complicate matters, even very healthy people have some difficult days and some doubtful moments.

So along comes Prozac. This medication, or a cousin or perhaps a distant relative of this drug, is going to help us all. For some, it will release them from a personal hell. For others, it will provide a "brightener" to get them through the day.

Incidentally, these "meds" also appear to work for animals. In other words, within many living creatures there is a special dance that goes on in the synapse between the axons and dendrites of the nervous system. If the spark is just a micro-second too slow or fast. depression can emerge like a beast in the night. Or, in reverse fashion, one can begin to soar as if the sky is touchable.

I dearly hope this happens . . . that there is medication to help us an feel more at peace with ourselves and, importantly, with others.

However, this scenario brings an element both hopeful and yet troubling. It seems that regardless of what is in us, the human condition means there is a time to weep.

Unfortunately, a number of people have been told they are cured chemically and they may not be. You'll see them on the street or in other public areas. Their eyes are dilated, eye lids puffy, stomach is bloated and their behavior is really inappropriate. They believe they are "cured" and the have been told they are “well”. That, however, may be debatable.

I believe that at least for the foreseeable future, chemicals that can help depression must also be accompanied by pastoral counseling, psychotherapy, psychological counseling, or support groups. It may mean an individual must stand before others at 12-step meetings and say. "I need help." People also must say they have hurt or wronged others and they want forgiveness from the greater good of society or a "higher" power. They must also atone or make amends for the harm they have done to others.

A Prozac future is one we must listen to. After some false starts, a gene for depression has been discovered. A part of the frontal lobe may be the psychobiological center for our personal morality.

However, we still live in a social realm. We are social creatures. I believe me chemicals will help, but without the help of others, chemistry alone will not do the job. Chemistry may change relationships, but relations also change chemistry. They go together.

There will be some who will tell you genes and chemistry are all that are needed in the explanation for the relief of mental illness. I strongly suggest that when you are around them, reach deeply into your pocket and hang on to your wallet.

 

Joel Snell of Cedar Rapids is a professor of social science at Kirkwood Community College.