Antidepressants are not addictive: explanation by a psychologist
22 January 15:39
Antidepressants are not addictive, but there is still a fear of taking these drugs in society. The reason for this is a lack of understanding of how they work and confusion with psychoactive substances, which can indeed be addictive. Psychologist and cognitive-behavioral therapist Vadim Melnik spoke about this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
The psychologist emphasizes that antidepressants are not psychoactive substances, which means they do not have the mechanism of action that triggers addiction.
“Only substances whose psychoactive power is capable of disrupting the areas of the brain responsible for the reward system and behavior control cause addiction,” he explains.
That is why, Melnik explains, it is a fundamental mistake to compare antidepressants with alcohol or drugs. However, unlike drugs or alcohol, which are directly aimed at obtaining pleasure, antidepressants do not trigger the reward mechanism — they reduce the intensity of internal tension, the specialist notes.
“Drugs, depending on the group of substances, usually lead to euphoric states. That is, the goal of consuming drugs or alcohol is always to obtain pleasure.
Antidepressants, on the other hand, slightly reduce tension, but they do not lead to euphoria,” he adds.
That is why, concludes Vadim Melnik, these drugs do not cause addiction, unlike alcohol or narcotic substances.
