2024-02-02 18:58:46
Waiting lists are getting longer and mental complaints are increasing. The young generation in particular is struggling with their mental health today. Well-intentioned advice from the environment – ‘get some fresh air’ or ‘take an ice bath’ – often does not offer a sustainable solution, but people are also not always eager to use antidepressants. How can you best solve mental complaints?
More and more mental complaints
Figures from Statistics Netherlands show that one in four young people suffered from mental problems in 2021. Compared to 2020, this was an increase of 10 percentage points. This was mainly related to the corona pandemic; closed restaurants, lockdowns and little human contact. With this increase in mental complaints, the use of antidepressants also increases. EenVandaag reported in February 2023 that around 1.2 million Dutch people take this medication. Antidepressants have a balancing effect and are mainly taken when someone suffers from anxiety and/or depression. Chemicals in the brain that can make you anxious or depressed decrease and become balanced with other chemicals in the brain. There may be side effects with this medication, such as nausea and fatigue, and it may differ per person whether the medication is satisfactory.
Remove the sharp edges
An episode of the NPO program Nadia focuses on depression and taking antidepressants. Various guests take the floor to discuss the use of antidepressants. Peter Oostelbos, one of the guests in the audience, says that antidepressants were a way for him to ‘take the edge off’. In other words: the medication made life a little more bearable for him. Antidepressants have also done a lot of good for Vera Camilla, a guest on the program and also known from Instagram and YouTube. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ll continue to take this medication for the rest of my life,” she explains. ‘I am now a lot less in my head and my mental complaints have almost disappeared.’
Antidepressants are not a miracle cure
However, not everyone is very pleased with this medication. Floortje Scheepers, psychiatrist and guest of Nadia, believes that antidepressants are overprescribed. ‘It can certainly help to get out when someone is very stuck in his or her complaints, but it is not the solution to the actual problems. It suppresses symptoms. It is therefore important to understand what the causes are and tackle the problem,” she explains. Carmen (also a guest) agrees. ‘I was sad for a reason, and it was never properly looked into. I was prescribed antidepressants as an emergency medication. If the underlying problem had been addressed at that moment, I don’t think that medication would ever have been necessary,” says Carmen. Eric Ruhé, psychiatrist and also Nadia’s guest, explains the importance of combination treatment. ‘Antidepressants can be life-saving in some cases, but pills alone won’t cut it. A new guideline for depression will soon be launched, in which we try to give all depressed patients a combination treatment: medication and psychotherapy.’
‘Take an ice bath’
Whether medication is an appropriate choice is therefore a matter for discussion. For some, antidepressants are what works well, for others this is not the solution. What doesn’t help, according to Vera, is unsolicited advice. ‘People often say ‘Hey, go outside for a bit’, ‘take an ice bath’, or ‘take a walk’. If that works for you, have fun. But for me it is not sustainable,” she explains. For people who are in a depression and cannot get out of it, this can be quite a killer. A healthy lifestyle – healthy eating, sufficient exercise, a walk in nature – is of course extremely important, but does not necessarily have to be the solution for depressive complaints. All in all, what works and what doesn’t is different for each person.
Canaries in the coal mine
According to Scheepers, the increasing number of people with mental complaints is a case of canaries in the coal mine. ‘People are not getting weaker, something is going on. It is difficult for many people in today’s society to deal with contemporary issues such as the climate crisis and the effect of social media,” she explains. Due to long waiting times, people often cannot be helped in the short term, which can make these complaints worse. “I’m ashamed when I hear that patients sometimes have to wait six months before they receive psychological help,” says Ruhé. ‘If you have a broken leg, you will be helped immediately. This must also be the case with psychological complaints.’
Difficult to solve
Medication works for some people, others prefer to take a different route. In any case, it is not recommended for young people to take antidepressants, because, according to Ruhé and Scheepers, there is insufficient evidence for a positive effect and because they are still very much in development. According to the experts, depression and mental complaints remain problems that require a lot of customization. In addition to medication, according to Scheepers, treatments such as system therapy and psychotherapy are also possible. Ruhé adds that preventing depression and mental complaints, for example through information about bullying at school, is particularly important. A step in the right direction is to open up the discussion about mental problems and open the conversation about antidepressants. Let’s talk about it!
Are you struggling with mental problems yourself? We recommend that you visit your GP. You can also contact the MIND foundation if you want to talk about mental complaints.
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