An Alternative to Antidepressants?

Pharmaceutical companies are coming under scrutiny for misleading statements about the effectiveness and the safety of the most prescribed antidepressants, SSRIs. While psychotherapy and even hospital treatment programs are expensive and have mixed results, a new program is showing very promising results. The Uplift Program is reporting a 94% success rate as long as two years afterwards.

(PRWEB) January 15, 2005 -- Everyone will be significantly affected by depression (their own or that of someone close to them) at some time in their life, according to government statistics. More and more are turning to antidepressants, increasing their prescriptions 350% between 1990 and 2000. Yet, as a recent News Corp. (Dec. 16 '04) showed,

pharmaceutical companies are increasingly coming under scrutiny for misleading statements both about the effectiveness and the safety of the most prescribed antidepressants, SSRIs, calling them a class of drug of dubious benefit that, through savvy marketing, has become a multi-million dollar cash cow.

Studies show that antidepressants only really help 30% at best. And, most frightening of all, the greatest growth market for SSRIs is in pre-school age children, an age group for whom Britain has mostly banned these drugs.

So, what's the alternative?

While psychotherapy and even hospital treatment programs are expensive and have mixed results (one study showed that the most popular mode of treatment for depression, cognitive behavior therapy, had an 80% relapse rate after two years), a new program is showing very promising results.

The Uplift Program, which offers a wide range of tools for overcoming depression based on creating lasting, supportive relationships at home and work, is reporting a 94% success rate as long as two years after taking the two-and-a half day workshop (according to follow-up questionnaires). Private sessions with qualified therapists and free support groups are available as follow-up. Sponsored by the University of South Florida and California Institute of Integral Studies, the program has been growing by leaps and bounds both in the US and Australia, partly due to the soaring sales of the book by the program's founders, Dr. Bob Murray and Alicia Fortinberry, Creating Optimism: A Proven, Seven-Step Program for Overcoming Depression (McGraw-Hill, 2004).

Dr. Murray, a clinical psychologist who attended New York State University and the University of Sydney and Ms. Fortinberry, a health writer, psychotherapist and executive coach, divide their time between San Francisco, Tampa and Sydney. Together they have trained health professionals at major universities and teaching hospitals, including Duke University Medical Center, Tufts University Medical Center, JFK University and the Royal North Shore Hospital and the Australian College of Applied Psychology in Sydney.

Their next Uplift Programs for the public are March 11-13 (Tampa) and April 16-17 (San Francisco).

More information about the Uplift Program and the founders can be found on their websites www.upliftprogram.com, an extensive depression resource, and www.creatingoptimism.com, including:

* The latest depression statistics and startling new facts about depression causes-http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_facts.html

* Press room, including media clips and press releases http://www.upliftprogram.com/pressroom.html

* Biographical details of Dr. Murray and Ms. Fortinberry- http://www.upliftprogram.com/presenters.html

* An overview about the Uplift Program- http://www.upliftprogram.com/about.html

* A recent article by Dr. Murray and Ms. Fortinberry, highlighting their depression solution (published in AHP Perspective, the journal of the Assn. of Humanistic Psychology)- http://www.ahpweb.org/pub/perspective/june2004/june04cover.html

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