It is widely believed that antidepressant drugs are the best treatment for stress, depression and anxiety. After consulting with their health professional, many sufferers will be put on a course of antidepressants, but how effective are these drugs? Not very, in fact they cannot provide a permanent cure and here are the reasons why.

If you're taking an antidepressant and it isn't working, you will be told that:

"some drugs are more effective than others. What works on one person may not be as effective with another. That's why doctors repeatedly change the type of drug. It's simply a matter of finding the drug that is right for you." This simply isn't true. There are other factors - tolerance to a drug, dosage of a drug and the simple fact that chemical imbalances aren't the root cause of your anxiety or depression. Tellingly, Yale University has published results showing that for 70% of people, antidepressant drugs are totally ineffective. Other treatments, especially cognitive therapy, are proven to be far more effective.

The main reason why antidepressant drugs are prescribed to people who suffer from stress, depression and anxiety is because a chemical imbalance in the brain is believed to be the root cause. But this is just a theory, there is no evidence to support it whatsoever. A chemical imbalance is just one of the many symptoms involved. All antidepressant drugs do is to treat one symptom. What's astonishing is that there is no test to determine the levels of the imbalance. Treating the symptoms will not provide a cure, the only way to cure stress, depression and anxiety is to treat the root cause, harmful and flawed modes of thinking.

When it comes to treating anxiety and depression, the common belief held by sufferers and health professionals is that antidepressant drugs such as Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa for example - are the most effective treatment. The problem with using drugs to treat anxiety and depression is that they only treat one of the symptoms - reduced levels of serotonin, a "happy chemical" in the brain. As soon as a person stops taking the drug, the root cause will surface and another episode of suffering results. Drugs may help you feel better in the short term, but they cannot offer you a cure.

It is so important to treat the root cause as this is by far the most effective way to permanently cure stress, depression and anxiety. You now know why drugs cannot cure you and I urge you to use this information to ensure you receive the best treatment.

Please Note: If you are taking a course of antidepressant medication, please do not stop taking your medication until you have consulted with your health professional. They will be able to advise you on how best to withdraw from the medication in a fully controlled, safe way.