Antidepressants and psychotropics are now the most prescribed drugs in the United States.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antidepressants topped the chart with 118 million prescriptions in 2005, followed by high blood pressure medications with 113 million prescriptions written.

Between the periods of 1988-1994 and 1999-2000, adult use of antidepressants almost tripled. And the most recent statistics show a 48 percent increase between 1995-2002.

What's going on in the lives of Americans? Are we really--en masse--that hopelessly depressed?

According to some psychiatrists, yes, we are. They see it as a good sign that Americans are finally facing up to their problems and asking for the appropriate treatment.

In fact, some, like Dr. Kelly Posner, an assistant professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in NYC, believe antidepressants are still being under-prescribed, stating "50 percent of African-Americans who have depression don't seek treatment for it."

But others are not so sure. Dr. Robert Goodman, an internist in New York, believes the real force behind the skyrocketing sales are due to pharmaceutical marketing, and has little to do with the real state of our emotional health. "It's hard to believe that number of people are depressed, or that antidepressants are the answer," he says.

In his book "Artificial Unhappiness--The Dark Side of the New Happy Class," Dr. Dworkin states that doctors are now medicating unhappiness, and that "Too many people take drugs when they really need to be making changes in their lives."

Well said! Feelings of "emptiness," sadness and pessimism are often a sign that something is wrong in your life. It can actually be a good thing--an intuitive red flag that you are not living your life in a way that is appropriate for you, which is a completely individual thing. There is no one way to live that is "right" for everyone.

If anything, perhaps Americans do suffer greatly, but not so much from chemical imbalances in the brain as from emotional and spiritual imbalances, created by lack of personal purpose and a disconnect from your life's mission. We all have one. Are you seeking out and following yours?

CNN.com July 9, 2007