Antidepressants impair driving ability

People taking prescription antidepressants appear to drive worse than people who aren’t taking such drugs, and depressed people on antidepressants have even more trouble concentrating and reacting behind the wheel.

These were the conclusions of a study recently released at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

The group taking antidepressants who reported a high number of symptoms of depression performed significantly worse than the control group on several of the driving performance tasks.

Participants in the study had to make a series of common driving decisions, such as reacting to brake lights, stop signs or traffic signals while being distracted by speed limit signs, pylons, animals, other cars, helicopters or bicyclists. The simulation tested steering, concentration and scanning.

This is, of course, further evidence that antidepressants create rather than cure abnormal brain states.

And one more reason, of many, not to take them.

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