Honors College Art & Science of Emotions Fall 2017 (1:20 p.m.) Sadness Journal | Page 25

With a slogan that can’t be forgotten, patients often request Cymbalta to treat their depressive
symptoms and feelings of isolation. Cymbalta is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) that
is used to treat depression. Cymbalta is the prototype in the SNRI drug class and acts by blocking the reab-
sorption (reuptake) of neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine in the brain. This leaves
increased serotonin and norepinephrine in the synapse (Goodman and Gilman, p. 622). Increased levels of
such neurotransmitters elicit feelings of happiness, and thus relieve depressive symptoms. If a patient’s
symptoms are the result of deficient in serotonin or norepinephrine, this drug would be beneficial. SSRIs
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) can also be used.
The United States currently allows drug advertisements that have been screened by the FDA
(Food and Drug Administration). One promising solution to reducing overprescription is to eliminate
drug advertisements as a whole. However, pharmaceutical companies are corporations themselves, and
are largely against the abolition of ads since they increase their profits. A more practical solution to in-
crease societal happiness overall would be to develop more coping strategies for experiencing negatively
viewed emotions like sadness or hatred. Society tells us that we should always feel happy, we are indoctri-
nated to suppress feelings of sadness when they arise. Children are not taught constructive ways to cope
with anger, but are often subject to ‘time outs,’ or negative reinforcement. Implementing more forms of
art expression, introducing meditation, and encouraging physical activity at young ages are all possibilities
for education systems and households. Such coping strategies will allow people to fully experience emo-
tions like sadness, but also hatred, love and fear. Such forms of expression may effectively combat the rise
in pharmaceuticals, the societal issue depicted in Beejoir’s, A Pill A Day (Beejoir, 2017).
25.