Mind over matter

I guess that old mind over matter saying has some merit. In a recent and somewhat controversial study, Irving Kirsh of the University of Connecticut and Guy Sapirstein of Westwood Lodge Hospital in Massachusetts assert that the wonder drug Prozac, a popular anti-depressant, basically works because patients believe it will work, and not because of its chemical matter. In scientific terms, this is called a placebo-effect. The men assert that placebos are 75 percent as effective as active drugs. The other 25 percent, they say, may work as an "active placebo", where the medicine given really does have actual side effects (Prevention & Treatment, http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume1/toc-jun26-98.html).\nOf course this theory is raising all kinds of objections in the science and medical world, but the hypothesis does provoke significant questions regarding the way we govern our own mentalities. \nEssentially, we can control our emotions and frame of mind by the power of thought. It sounds so simple. But as we all know, when you are miserably depressed -- situationally or clinically -- just getting happy can seem impossible. \nTherefore, in our society of instant gratification, we blindly put faith into the concept that popping a pill will relieve our woes. Please note however, that in some cases, prescription drugs are absolutely necessary because of severe chemical imbalances of the brain. But, with such a widely prescribed (and relatively safe) anti-depressant as Prozac, questions should be made concerning why exactly it has evolved into such a reliable medication. We all want that quick fix for our problems, and in our day and age, medication had become that quick fix. If someone is unhappy, rather than first examining those underlying issues, it is much easier to believe that by doing x or y, problems will all magically be solved. \nBasically, we can psyche ourselves into believing anything. \nI'm reminded of an episode of Freaks and Geeks, a show that aired a few years ago about high-school life in the 1980s. In this particular storyline, the parents leave the two teenagers home alone for a weekend. Of course, that equals a big party. The older sister, much to the worry and disapproval of the younger, more innocent brother, buys a keg. Hoping to save the day, and avoid extreme parental punishment, the younger brother and his friends empty out the keg and refill it with non-alcoholic beer without anyone else's knowledge. But, nonetheless, all the party-goers believe they are intoxicated, exclaiming, "I'm sooooo wasted," and carrying on as outrageous, drunken kids.\nPeople do have the capability to change their situations. \nBeer is alcohol,and if you drink enough, you will get drunk. That is what we know as fact; if you believe you are drinking beer, you can believe you are drunk, even if reality tells a different story. Prozac is a medication and doctors tell us it helps, so therefore our mind lets us believe that it will, and our mentality improves. Is this to say Prozac, or other medications, shouldn't be used? No, not necessarily. Some people refuse or are incapable of redirecting their thinking patterns, so if they need medication and that placebo effect to lend a hand, there's nothing shameful in that. \nAccording to a segment on "Good Morning America" earlier this month, over-prescribing is a very scary thing in our society today -- often producing negative and unwanted consequences (For example, elementary school cases of Ritalin prescriptions are exceptionally high, and in many cases, the drug is not the correct answer to the child's problems, and actually can hinder behavior). \nThe mind is a powerful tool, and at times a powerful weapon.