Warning: This Is Depressing

Sad Keanu

Well, this is depressing. According to a new study, 1 in 10 American adults is on antidepressant meds. For women in their 40s and 50s, the ratio goes to 1 in 4. It’s not hard to understand why: The job market is still still rough; relationships can be roller-coasters; and Breaking Bad is in its final season. But the problem, according to a recent study published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, is that too many people are being misdiagnosed and shouldn’t be on medication.

Research showed that in the past year, two-thirds of the more than 5,000 patients who were diagnosed with depression did not meet the criteria outlined for a major depressive episode by The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — but those people were put on meds anyway. That’s great news for the insurance and pharmaceutical companies, but terrible news for the thousands of people who are suffering from side effects after taking medications they don’t really need.