Mary (not her real name) is a 58-year-old divorced woman with two adult children. She visited me for help with low mood. She said that she had felt “sad a lot of the time,” ever since she ended her marriage several months before. She didn’t describe any other symptoms of major depression, though. Her sleep wasn’t impaired. She didn’t have thoughts of hurting herself. She didn’t feel guilty about things. She continued to be involved in activities. She was holding down her job and could not concentrate. She just didn’t feel happy.
Mary had been to her family physician, who had offered her a prescription antidepressant but had admitted that it might not work because she didn’t actually have major depression—just persistent low mood. The doctor also had advised her that she might experience side effects from the medication, including loss of appetite, sleeplessness, loss of interest in sex, and even suicidal thinking.
That’s when Mary reached out to me. In addition to talking with her about the loss of her marriage and a few other issues that caused her distress, I suggested she try 4BetterMood (www.4bettermood.com), the all-natural combination of adaptogens, amino acids, and herbs that I offer through www.4vitahealth.com, the company I co-founded with Kathryn Munoz, MPH, PhD.
Like many individuals, Mary was pleased that there was a supplement to try, instead of a medication—especially because prescription antidepressants aren’t actually FDA-indicated for sadness. They’re indicated for the multi-symptom mental disorder known as major depression.
After just a week, Mary reported that her mood had begun to lift. She was feeling more positive about life. She wasn’t dwelling on the past. Another two weeks later, the sadness was gone—without side effects.
Mary’s case reminds us that “not everyone needs a prescription” or repeated doctor’s visits to overcome sadness or worry or sleeplessness. And too many people get prescriptions automatically written for them when they don’t even have the illnesses for which the FDA approved those prescription medications.
Sure, prescription antidepressants have their place. They can relieve suffering for those with major depression or bipolar disorder. But they should be reserved for those conditions—and maybe other illnesses—not for sadness alone.
