That is the amount of money that drug makers make from anti-depresents every single day. The sad thing is that it's money wasted and poorly spent. Ironically, the more drugs someone takes the more depressed and dependent they become on drugs that don't solve their problems. People don't get depressed just because. They get depressed because they don't have a strong network of family and friends to catch them when they fall. If only family and friends were more aware of the seriousness of depression, they could end the terrible downward cycle when someone they care about becomes depressed. This can come in the form of offering them a free place to live if they have lost their job and cannot afford to pay their rent. It's very sad that people think they are helping someone by giving them "tough love" and not offering real support for their real physical needs. Americans are feed lies through all too popular TV programs like Dr. Phil, where the the downtrodden are humiliated all for the sake of entertainment and higher TV ratings. That's what most people like to do to our mentally ill, make fun of them and get a good laugh out of them. The sad thing is that these people have never truly suffered from depression or unfortunate events that lead them into a hole that they feel they can't get out of.

The unfortunate thing is that there are several publically traded drug companies that feel that they have a duty to produce results for their share holders. Money is the number one priority rather than helping the sick, lame, and poor. The drugs that these companies make are very cheap to make and ineffective. You would think that drug companies wouldn't be able to sell a drug that is ineffective. But, think again. If drug companies produce drugs that are cheap and effective, and it cures people from illnesses like depression instantly they loose customers. It's much more profitable for drug companies to produce cheap drugs that they claim need to be taken over several months time before they take effect. This is just enough time for the drug to render the innocent sick person incompasitated, poor, and more desperate to try an alternative drug with the false hope that it might work after several more months of use. The other thing that makes it easy for drug companies to sell ineffective drugs is the massive advertising campaigns that they spend their money on. Who can turn on the TV for any length of time and not be bombarded by commercials from drug companies and their false hope?

If you truly care as I do about the well being of anyone you know who is suffering from depression, help them. Please help them. It can be the most rewarding experience to help someone who is truly in need with true help. Don't simply turn away and tell them they need to take a pill. That's not helping them, that's pro-longing their problems and just making them worse. It's a fact that the rate of suicide increases dramatically once someone starts taking anti-depression drugs. Help your family and friends with a place to live while they get back on their feet. One thing that is proven to help depressed people is for them to go to bed early and get a long nights sleep. Many people who suffer from depression also suffer from insomnia. Unfortunately, you don't see advice like this on TV commercials because noone can profit from telling you to go to bed early and get a long nights sleep. Now, please don't expect your sick friend to get well right away. It can take time - weeks, months, even years. Do whatever it takes to get your friend better, but don't do what the media wants you to do. Be patient, loving, and caring. Don't give them poison pills, don't give them "tough love", and don't refer them to a doctor who has stock in drug companies.

Troy Smith is a natural health care advocate. Please visit his website at http://www.LowPriceHealthCare.com Troy's favorite verses from the bible are:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.