How to Detect Antidepressant Abuse

Antidepressants are prescription drugs that are often instrumental in the treatment of depression and other anxiety disorders. People who have used them for long periods often report severe withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, dizziness or body pains, during dosage reduction. The adversity of the symptoms and not the depression often cause those people to develop an addiction to the drug.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Find out whether the person exceeds antidepressant intake in terms of quantity, frequency or treatment period.
2. Look for secretive behavior. This can include unexpected absences from the room much like a heavy smoker who feels a sudden nicotine urge. Consider that pills can be kept in mislabeled jars and stored in unlikely places.
3. Watch for changes in disposition that aren't a normal part of the person's personality. A naturally pleasant person might become unexpectedly angry. Or a habitually serious person might turn euphoric without an external stimulus.
4. Check for anomalies in visits to the doctor. A drug dependent may change doctors serially to get additional prescriptions. He might also procrastinate visits indefinitely or cancel them altogether.
5. Listen for rationalizations about taking antidepressants. The abuser may construct elaborate arguments to validate her addiction to the medicine. She might also use desperate expressions such as, "I can't live without it." These are telltale signs of antidepressant addiction.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to insomnia, dizziness and body pains, withdrawal symptoms can take the form of hallucinations, paranoia, digestive problems, extreme apathy or emotional disturbance.
• Counsel the person to gradually replace drugs with therapy for risk-free and permanent changes.