Depression In America

In 1991, amidst sharp conflict and controversy on the subject, an ad hoc committee consisting of ten medical experts from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously to approve the use of Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) within the United States for the treatment of various forms of depression amongst both adults and children. In the fifteen years that have followed, tens of millions of people have been prescribed these SSRIs, which today include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Serzone, and Remeron. These medications have been hailed as "wonder drugs" by many members of the medical community and are now the most common treatment for almost every form of depression.

Everybody seemed to be capitalizing on the continued economic growth and it looked like the good times would never end. Gradually, however, some dark clouds appeared on the horizon. Oh, sure, it was easy enough to ignore the signs that something bad might be on its way since the nation's fundamental economic frame remained secure. Construction was booming and new inventions were quickly transforming from luxury items to essentials. Yes, there were problems in such sectors as textiles, steel and iron, but overall things looked pretty gosh darn swell. It wasn't until farmers began to feel the pinch that the experts really sat up and took notice. Over the course of just a few years, farming income halved and hundreds of thousands were forced to give up their farms, property and equipment. In short order, construction began to take a toll. Over the course of three years, new construction starts fell from 11 million to 9 million units. With people no longer building houses or offices, there was little need for furniture to decorate those non-existence entities and so furniture inventories exploded. Companies responded to the drop in profits by cutting their workforce. Besides furniture, appliances for the household also suffered and those companies soon began cutting their labor force as well. The year was 1929, not 2008, but the similarities are striking. What most people fail to understand is that the Roaring 20's was not a time of great wealth for all Americans. The upper classes enjoyed a prosperous lifestyle like never before and even the upper middle class were treated to a ride. The sad truth, however, is that the overwhelming majority of American citizens saw no equitable increase in their own wages or savings. It is estimated that as much as 70% of America lived through the 1920s on an income of less than $2500 a year. What that figure means in real terms is that 70% of Americans lived from paycheck