If side effects like sleeplessness, nausea, weight gain, lack of libido, headaches, even suicide weren’t enough to get someone off of antidepressants, perhaps this latest side effect will – they can lead to car accidents.

According to researchers from North Dakota University, people on high doses of anti-depressants exhibit poor driving behavior. They discovered this after putting approximately 60 people through a driving skills course that tested their reaction time, their recognition of signals and other driver’s ed-related drills.

The test wasn’t simply putting those on anti-depressants and those not on anti-depressants through the various courses. To test what level of impact anti-depressants had, researchers did a scale-type test, where a third were not taking any anti-depressants, another third were on a low dose and the final third were on a high dose.

Determining the participants’ skill level was not unlike what a driver’s ed teacher does when he or she takes a student out for a test drive; rewarding points to the driver for correct moves and correct recognition of street signs while on the road. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but there was an inverse relationship between the participants’ scores and the amount of anti-depressant the participants were taking. For example, those that averaged the highest score were those that didn’t have an anti-depressant in their system at all (69 average); the next best were those on the low level anti-depressant (65 average) and those scoring the worst were those on the highest dose of anti-depressant (54 average).

The researchers aren’t sure whether it’s the anti-depressant itself that’s causing the poor driving or if it’s the person, the chain of thinking being that those who are on the highest doses of anti-depressants are those who have the most difficult time concentrating. And when it comes to driving, concentration is essential. More research is in the offing for these researchers; they hope to have a more broad-based test with more participants (this one had 60); the larger the sample size is, the more reliable its results tend to be and the more it can be applied to the greater population.

For me, this study’s finding is just more grist for the mill. More and more research is coming out indicating that if anti-depressants have any effect at all on depression, they’re minimal. Meanwhile, the side effects continue to mount. Perhaps the most damning and serious of side-effects are the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children that take anti-depressants; so serious, in fact, that the FDA – an agency that isn’t exactly a thorn in the side of pharmaceutical companies – has mandated that black box warnings be issued on every bottle containing anti-depressant medication.

Though the pharmaceutical industry would have you believe natural treatment for depression is hokum – they ought to take a look in the mirror. They’re saying what they’re saying because they’re out for a profit. I and other natural health professionals have no ulterior motive. After all, the root of “natural” is nature – things you can do on your own with minimal to no expense. For more information on how to overcome your battle with depression, please look over the articles in the “Depression” section – you’ll be glad you did (pun intended).