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Stabilising objects: Antidepressants work as a connective resource

conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-24, 23:37 authored by Kim McLeodKim McLeod
The pharmacological efficacy of antidepressants is widely contested by neuroscientists and social scientists. However, the mass consumption of antidepressants in industrialised western countries indicates people find antidepressant treatment a useful tool and that there are other kinds of efficacy or work at play. This presentation show how the antidepressant object works as a connective resource, drawing on an empirical research project where depressed people who take antidepressants shared their experiences of wellbeing using charts and photos. The antidepressant object has a distinctive capacity to be part of the formation of secure and organised relations between different aspects of life. In turn, stabilised and functional states of existence are produced – experiences that are greatly valued after times of despair. Escalating antidepressant consumption is often interpreted as indicating increasing rates of individual pathology. The account of antidepressant efficacy developed here provides a contrasting explanation – that the antidepressant object brings a desired stabilising force to people’s lives.

History

Publication title

Victorian Substance Use Research Forum

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Event title

Victorian Substance Use Research Forum

Date of Event (Start Date)

2013-04-19

Date of Event (End Date)

2013-04-19

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Social structure and health; Expanding knowledge in human society

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