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Stabilising objects: Antidepressants work as a connective resource
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 ForumDepartment/School
School of Social SciencesEvent title
Victorian Substance Use Research ForumDate of Event (Start Date)
2013-04-19Date of Event (End Date)
2013-04-19Repository Status
- Restricted