It’s a fast-paced world. Everything is done faster and better.

Even depression is helped by a faster method – pills.

Antidepressants have become the most prescribed drug in the U.S., with 118 million prescriptions, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control.

Judy Rabinowitz, supervisor of the behavioral health unit at Mary Greeley Medical Center, said there are positive and negative sides to this fact.

The positive is that help for depression is becoming normal, Rabinowitz said.

“People tend to find it much more acceptable to use medications for depression,” Rabinowitz said.

The negative is that people may see medication as a much faster way of recovering without actually fixing the root of the problem.

“I think sometimes people turn to antidepressants as the ‘quick fix,'” Rabinowitz said, “instead of other avenues that might also provide them relief from their depression, such as therapies and different, alternative treatments.”

She said combining antidepressants with therapy could have a much better effect than using one or the other exclusively.

One of the factors that also contributes to the larger number of antidepressant prescriptions is that family practice doctors feel more comfortable prescribing them, Rabinowitz said. She said she sees this, also, as a good and bad thing.

“I think there’s a lot more people with depression that would get treated,” Rabinowitz said. “However, psychiatrists tend to be the experts.”

People may not have the benefit of the psychiatrist’s knowledge if they would go to a general practice physician, Rabinowitz said.

Rising numbers of prescriptions may also be caused by societal changes, Rabinowitz said.

“Fifty years ago, there were a lot more extended family members close by,” Rabinowitz said. “People tend to not have support systems where they are.”

Depression is now being seen as an ailment that can be fixed, Rabinowitz said.

Greg Yeakel, chief staff pharmacist at Thielen Student Health Center, also said prescribing antidepressants has pros and cons.

“I think it’s because the medicines are better for treating depression,” Yeakel said.

Reliability, availability and safety have also played roles, he said.

“It’s easier for physicians to make a diagnosis with better medication,” Yeakel said.

The large number of drug advertisements could also be a cause of the rise in prescriptions, he said. Doctors don’t want people hurting themselves and ultimately ending their own lives, Yeakel said.

Yeakel said as a sole treatment, antidepressants have been known to not be effective. They should only be used in the short term. Therapy should be used as a long-term solution, not antidepressants, he said.