Four Corners on ABC TV – Around one in seven Australians now take some sort of antidepressant. Globally they have made the pharmaceutical industry billions of dollars.
When modern antidepressants like Prozac were launched in the late 1980s, they were quickly heralded as wonder drugs for treating anxiety and depression with few side effects.
While many people say they have benefited from taking them, this week’s Four Corners from the BBC’s Panorama reveals the physical and mental side effects of the drugs can be wide-ranging and are often downplayed.
From headaches and brain fog to more severe impacts like loss of sexual function and suicidal thoughts – The BBC spoke to more than 100 patients grappling with effects of some kind.
The documentary asks – are they really helping?
The Antidepressant Story goes to air on Monday 28th August at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
Media Release – ABC
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