Cheltenham Science Festival - do anti-depressants really work?

A blog by Jim Paine (pictured meeting R2-D2 at the festival)

"So it's been another year since I went to the Cheltenham Science Festival. This year along with Gary Hughes (Head of Marketing, Communication and Customer Engagement at Advance) I attended another talk - Do anti-depressants really work?

After a delightful cup of tea, we arrived at the venue to listen to a lecture about anti-depressants working or not. Dr Dean Burnett, author of The Happy Brain, opened with possibly one of the greatest statements I have ever heard "if you break a leg it's fixable, the mind is far more complex; to mask it we often dull it". He feels that Prozac, Valium and others just block the receptors in the mind.

Professor Ann John then said, in the softest possible voice – "11-30yr old human beings are 30% more likely to get depression - so could cognitive care be the answer? She mentioned 'talking therapy'. Next Clare Garada M.B.E, said "after 40 years, working as a G.P, talking to my patients, I have come to the conclusion, there  isn't a magic fix all". There isn't a 'Big White Pill' cure.

As an Advance Customer, who suffers with mental health issues, I really wish there was a magic pill cure for all. But as my G.P. says, one step at a time and it does take time. Are anti-depressants the answer? Well they work for me but they may never be a cure for all. My personal advice would be to talk to people if you have a problem - communicating is far better than staying silent.

So communication is the key - I can chat the back legs off a donkey when I get going and it really does help to have an interesting discussion! I would recommend other customers seek out these sorts of discussions and debates if they have an interest in the subject."

[Jim Paine is an Advance customer in Oxfordshire and also sits on the Operations Board]