"How many of your patients are on antidepressants or Ozempic...

Do you think medications are overprescribed in the US?"

I’m an LCSW - I don’t prescribe medication, but over the years, I've definitely had and recommended a few patients to consider antidepressants. Ozempic? I'm not too sure, to be honest.

I have mixed feelings about these pharmaceuticals - the psychotropics, particularly. On one hand I think that in many cases they can be avoided - and if they can, well, then a person is better off without them. But in other cases, I’m very happy they exist because they can be tremendously helpful. The difference between life and death sometimes.

The bigger issue is abuse and misuse. I want to blame doctors and psychiatrists for prescribing them, but they need to make money to live. I want to blame the pharmaceutical companies but we need someone to mass produce the medicine. I want to blame capitalism but we need the free market for innovation. I want to blame God but I’m grateful to Him for creating such a complex and mysterious world. So I just do the best I can and hope everyone else does too.