Here's what they are thinking: PROFIT MARGIN.

The more money it costs to live, the more we work. The more we work, the more stressed we become. The more stressed we become, the more withdrawn we all get. Enter the cure all: the feel good pill.

Antidepressants are a huge money maker. The pharma companies rake in the profits and then contribute to political campaigns, lobbying, etc.

The government stresses us out, the pharma companies give us the happy pill, and the government gets a portion of the proceeds.

Are there side effects? Yes. However, the side effects are not nearly powerful enough to decrease a population, especially not down to 500,000 as you are suggesting. Plus, side effects such as liver damage, or kidney damage, take a long time to develop in otherwise healthy people. Now, if they wanted to cause mass death, a little accidental arsenic leaking into the production line of antidepressants would yield the results you mention. Even then, not to the degree you mention however.

No plan for population reduction can include means that wouldn't be evident for many decades. Just my opinion.

i've used prosac and other antidepressivia, what it did was removing the edge of "sadness" I felt.
I've always been a quit person, with some dark thoughts I usually transform in something positive like music or art. But when I took those pills, my character changed. My mother sometimes thought I was drunk, because I was a bit too happy, and I also lost my creativity.
In my opinion my strange reaction to these meds came because I wasn't used to the emotions that they created, I didn't know how to behave when I felt happy without a reason.

Unfortunately it also dulls all emotions afther a while. so I didn't feel much of anything anymore.

In my opinion they are usefull for a short while, for people who suffer a lot from their sadness, but should be gradually replaced later with therapy. This reflects only my experience, there are different kinds of depression, and many ways how people react to the same medication.

Since I've stopped taking them I feel a little 'darker' but I prefer it to the emotional void I was in when I used them for a few years.

My sister died suddenly in 1983 and I was just a wreck , as was everyone else in the family , I went to the doctor and he put me on amitryptaline (sp?) also know as elavil)

I took one 25 mg tablet and lost my complete memory for 10 day's.
I didn't know my name , my husband , or new baby , I was Catatonic for 10 long day's. A virtual zombee.
I didn't even know where I was , I sat on the couch and looked at the wall for 10 day's.
My husband called the doctor and he said stop taking it. ( Ya Think so doctor ?)

I will never take another anti-depressant. They Steal your mind .