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The Effectiveness of Fluoxetine
in Treating Unipolar Depression |
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Michael Hofkamp |
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The use of fluoxetine in treating patients who have psychological disorders has received a great deal of controversy. Proponents of the medical model would like to see drug therapy such as fluoxetine used more in the treatment of patients. The critics of drug therapy believe that the use of physiological methods to cure psychological problems can be abused.
The scientific basis of fluoxetine therapy is sound. Modern neuroscience has accurately correlated unipolar depression with a lack of serotonin in the synapse. A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor such as fluoxetine has benefits that have been verified by a multitude of pharmacological evidence. Furthermore, a physiological problem such as a neurotransmitter imbalance can only be countered by a physiological solution.
The dynamic effects of fluoxetine make it difficult to use the drug in a clinical setting. The intended effects and unwanted side effects are hard to predict. "Doctors have known for some time that raising serotonin levels can positively affect a patient's mood, but they can't always be sure that the drug will have the desired effect" (Mondi, 1994). Prozac is simply not the universal cure all for depression; the cause and cure of depression is much more complex than simply popping a pill.
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