Hijacked Healing: The Rise of Antidepressants and What We Missed

Millions of Americans wake up each day and take a pill they were told would make things better. Not just easier—but better. For many, that pill is an antidepressant. What was once considered a specialized treatment for clinical depression is now routine for teens, adults, and even older populations. The promise was hope in a capsule. But somewhere along the way, the conversation around healing got hijacked.

It began in 1987, when Prozac—fluoxetine—hit the U.S. market. Unlike older medications, it was presented as modern, safe, and revolutionary. More importantly, it came with a message: if you’re feeling off, it’s probably your brain chemistry. The now-famous “chemical imbalance” theory told us that low serotonin caused depression, and SSRIs could fix it.

The problem? That theory was never fully proven. Even top psychiatrists have since admitted that the “low serotonin” narrative was oversimplified, lacking consistent scientific backing. But it made for easy marketing—and people were desperate for relief. Instead of being offered therapy, support, or holistic guidance, millions were handed a diagnosis and a prescription.

Then in 1997, the game changed again. The FDA allowed direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads. For the first time, TV commercials encouraged people to ask their doctor about specific drugs. You didn’t need a psychiatrist—just a regular check-up and a little emotional vulnerability. Suddenly, what used to be sadness, grief, exhaustion, or trauma became something to medicate.

And so it grew. Today, more than 40 million Americans take antidepressants. Many of them never received therapy or emotional education. They were handed a mental health label, then a pill. The deeper work—the messy, human part of healing—was left out of the conversation.

This isn’t to shame anyone who takes medication. Antidepressants can be life-saving for some. But what’s rarely talked about are the people who stayed on them for years without ever being told how hard it might be to come off. The emotional blunting. The mental fog and flattening of joy. The lingering numbness. The difficulty distinguishing between who you are and what the drug allows you to feel. Over time, many develop a kind of chemical dependency—not necessarily addiction in the traditional sense, but a physical and emotional reliance driven by the severity of withdrawal. For many, trying to stop leads to brain zaps, insomnia, panic, deep fatigue, or emotional crashes that mimic relapse. It’s not that they still need the drug—it’s that coming off it feels impossible. Most were never warned.

Even more disturbing is what got left behind. The root causes of mental distress—chronic stress, loneliness, burnout, gut dysfunction, trauma, grief, nutrient depletion—were never given the spotlight. Instead, they were swept under a blanket of chemical solutions. A pill for every problem, with no room to question whether the problem needed a pill in the first place.

But healing doesn’t live in silence. It doesn’t live in a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. It lives in awareness. In choosing to ask harder questions. In looking at the patterns in your life, the stressors in your body, the misalignment in your environment. It lives in nutrition, in movement, in nervous system regulation, in reconnecting with your body instead of numbing it.

That’s the conversation we need now—not just about mental health, but whole-body wellness. We’ve spent decades medicating symptoms. It’s time we started addressing the systems. The beliefs. The lifestyle patterns that keep people stuck in cycles of fatigue, disconnection, and dependence.

Not everyone will be ready for this conversation – and not everyone needs to come off their medication. But everyone deserves a fuller picture. One that honors the complexity of healing. One that reminds you that you’re not broken, your emotions aren’t flaws, and you were never meant to be defined by a diagnosis code or a prescription refill. I say this not from theory but from experience. I’ve lived through the fallout of the quick-fix model. I’ve felt the side effects, the disconnection, and the deep pull to find a better way. I didn’t just heal—I had to rebuild.

This isn’t about blame or criticism. It’s about informed choice. And it’s about reclaiming the conversation—because when healing gets hijacked by profit and oversimplification, people lose not only their voice, but their chance to truly heal.

If you’re ready to explore deeper ways to support your body and mind—through food, movement, mindset, and daily nourishment—my book The Evolutionary Plate: From Taste to Transformation and my course The Holistic Growth Reset were created for you. Healing is personal, rooted in the physical, and fully within reach.

Further Reading

To explore more about the truth behind antidepressants, the serotonin myth, and how holistic approaches are reshaping the conversation around mental health, the following resources offer deeper insight:

• Research concludes low serotonin does not cause depression. What does that mean for SSRIs? by Bonnie Petrie for Texas Public Radio. 

• A Decisive Blow to the Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression by Christopher Lane, Ph.D. for Psychology Today.

• The Role of Diet and Nutrition in Depression Treatment in Holistic Health Advanced Wellness & Ketamine Therapy Clinic

• The 5 Nutrient Deficiencies Behind Depression DrBerg.com

• Explore More Tools for Healing: Evolutionary Body System Visit the main page for programs, in-depth articles, and tools that support healing all aspects of your well-being.

About the Author: Yolanda Trevino, PLC, HHP, HWC
Founder of Evolutionary Body System | Author | Entrepreneur

Yolanda Trevino is the founder of Evolutionary Body System™. Her expertise in holistic wellness has led to the creation of transformative programs and tools, including the Holistic Growth Reset, aimed at building resilience and personal growth. Yolanda is a multi-published author, with works including her latest book, "The Evolutionary Plate: From Taste to Transformation™." She is also known for "Lessons Learned at 40,” among others. As an entrepreneur, she founded Microhair Aesthetics, focusing on hair and skin wellness. Join her on a journey to holistic well-being and discover the transformative power of integrating body, mind, and spirit.