Pills do not always fix it

There is no denying the world we live in today is a stressful one. Forget about wars, threats of terrorism and the like, it is the things much closer to home that give us grief: work; family; relationships; moving home.

The more we are told we are advancing with our quality of life, the worse, it would seem, our state of mind is becoming.

Bearing the brunt of this is the family doctor. Thousands more of us are seeking release in a course of anti-depressants. We believe life's ills, and by this we don't necessarily mean those of the medical kind, can be cured by popping a few pills.

But it is here that the vicious circle begins. We take the pills to give us a lift, it doesn't work. We take more to try to have the effect the initial course of tablets was prescribed to have. When that doesn't work we get more depressed, and so on.

In the past 12 months more than half a million prescriptions were handed out for anti-depressants in the North-East. That's an awful lot of pills.

Now doctors are being criticised for being too free and easy in their signing of prescriptions for tablets such as Prozac. Other avenues of help need to be explored more, we are told.

Shirley Trinkett has been campaigning against the use of drugs for the past 10 years and she is of the belief that anti-depressants are being handed out for minor symptoms when other alternatives would work just as well.

It seems very much like the criticism that is levelled at doctors in winter when antibiotics are prescribed to fight coughs and wheezes. So regular was the prescription that many people have now become immune to their effect.

Patients too must share blame for this culture of anti-depressant prescription. Depression is a serious illness and must not be confused with being `down in the dumps'. A pill is not necessarily the answer. Until we learn that important lesson, the problem can only get worse.

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Labour face their seven-year test

There are now just over two weeks to the biggest test of public opinion for Labour since the last General Election three years ago.

As well as the local elections, it's our five-yearly chance to vote for those we wish to represent us in Europe.

The European elections are usually a very good tool to show dissatisfaction with the party holding the reins of power. The Tories, after a nightmare General Election in 1997, bounced back to claim victory in Europe in 1999.

However, they were unable to build on that success and another Labour landslide ensued on the home front in 2001.

But it seems there are a few people at Labour HQ looking over their shoulders this time around.

Leader of the House Peter Hain has warned his party that the message from the voters must be heeded. Nothing new there, you might think. Since when have politicians listened to the public?

But these elections may take on a greater significance given the now battle-scarred reputation of Tony Blair.

More than seven years in office have left their mark on the Prime Minister and many believe his days in the top job are numbered. We have a feeling the results of this election, when announced on June 13, will make for interesting debate in the days and weeks that follow.

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