To be staggered at how many people are prescribed Anti-depressants.

[TheoriginalLEM]

People who seem to be pretty much on the ball with ok lives.

At my place of work there are four of us, that i know of, on the same medication (There are only about 20 employees in total)

Another mother at Dd's school, my friend who i met at dd's playgroup.

My friend from a previous job and both of her children.

So these are people who i know are on meds. People who have been happy to disclose this information to me. I don't have a large circle of friends or aquaintances so the sample group, if you like, is small.

Both my mother and my eldest Dd have both been offered Ad's.

I suffer from long term anxiety and depression and feel like the ADs help me. My Dr has expressed the view that this is something I will need for life.

Thats a lot of people who i KNOW are medicated. Why is this ? is it because life and expectations are such that people are suffering from mental illness or are people being given drugs when they are dealing with life events and should be offered strategies to cope. My personal experience is long waiting lists for counselling that wasn't that effective and given drugs to help in the absence of therapy.

I can't help but wonder why this is, what the statistics are.

[JamesStPatrick]

I don't get what your AIBU is? Are you saying that fewer people should be on ADs?

[throwingpebbles]

I have asked myself that question a lot of times too. I have no doubt ADs saved my life, literally. But I still wonder whether they are relied upon too much, what the solution is. And whether a big part of the issue isn't modern life - eg my family are all far away etc

[throwingpebbles]

I have found this book amazing at helping me teach myself strategies that help:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/009193558X/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Better than therapy (or at least better than the therapy I can get for free!)

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I think it is a sign that the stigma surrounding mental illness is lessening, so more people feel able to talk to their GP and seek treatment, and to talk to their friends, family and colleagues about it too.

[megletthesecond]

It's cheaper than decent talking therapy.

[TheoriginalLEM]

James - i don't know. Maybe that IS what i think. Maybe i think that despite what Dave Gorman says, Modern life really isn't very goodish at all and that we have list our way somehow. I don't know.

[PlayOnWurtz]

A lot of people are on them for pain management too. They're a quick fix from the pov of a gp who doesn't have the time (or inclination) to deal with chronic mental health issues that aren't severe enough for mental health services to pick up. A lot of people on them ime are just chronically lonely.

[TheoriginalLEM]

Yes, i do think that there is less stigma surrounding mh. There shouldn't be any really.

[SmilingButClueless]

I think people are increasingly comfortable admitting when they need help with their mental health, although there is still a long way to go to completely get rid of the stigma around some mental health issues.

I'm lucky that I didn't have a long wait for counselling, and I find it very good and very effective. But the ADs keep me stable enough to engage with the counselling and continue coping with the rest of my life. Without them, I honestly don't believe I would have been able to carry on working. I know a few people on different ADs who say similar things; I don't know anyone who says that they feel that they were offered pills as a substitute for counselling or coping strategies - but I also have a fairly small sample size, so not saying it doesn't happen!

[KindDogsTail]

Its because GPs don't know what else to do. Alternatives do not involve prescription drugs, and therefore do not make money for pharmaceutical drug companies and many are therefore not tested.

Other alternatives do not rely on drugs at all including yoga, mindfulness, exercise, daylight, owning a pet, doing voluntary work & diet to improve mental health (which Gps are not trained in).

[annandale]

It's difficult to know, isn't it.

Life is full of so many completely unfixable problems. ADs may be a sticking plaster, but tbh I wouldn't want to be without sticking plasters.

I used to get a big sense of achievement from going to church, confessing and being absolved, and taking communion. I don't go to church any more so that weekly structure and sense of peace and rightness is missing. I do wonder if the decline of religious participation is part of it. I know plenty of depressed religious people, but I think religion is one of the healthier ways of self-medicating.

[PlayOnWurtz]

Also to resolve chronic mental health issues like depression involves the patient actively participating in getting better and overhauling their lifestyles alongside medication. Something many people aren't willing to do in a day where quick fixes are king.

[BakeOffBiscuits]

I think it's a combination of the things mentioned- modern life can be very, very stressful plus people are more willing to seek help.

I do remember people from my past (I'm 51) who really struggled with life, they were often known as "having bad nerves" and they never had help.

At least today people can be helped. I'm just coming off Ads, a lot of my friends have been on them for shortish periods. They've all found them very helpful.

[Anononoo]

Less stigma and cash in by pharmaceutical companies in the absence of more expensive talking cure or abolition of root causes through social revolution.

[pklme]

I think we live in quite a sick society, and also that a lot of people take them because they are impacted by people who should be taking them...

[harderandharder2breathe]

I agree with PP who said the ADs may be part of why they seem together

I have had depression and anxiety for years, will probably be on ADs for life, currently on long term sick. But there are plenty of times when I appear to have my shit together, even times when I do, but without medication that wouldn't happen.

[LeopardPrintSocks1]

I think it's because women are expected to take on so much. The triple burden.

[RebootYourEngine]

I think that it is because the mental health help and support in this country is diabolical so the gps throw pills at people hoping that will do the job.

[PlayOnWurtz]

No more than the average woman has had to take on throughout history. In fact I'd say we have less to do thanks to inventions like the washing machine, hoover and steam mop (plus the fact men are more willing to take on the household chores too).

Maybe that's the nub of the problem. We have so much but do so little and are bored.

[MorrisZapp]

I don't hold with the orthodoxy here that taking therapy is the Right Cure for anxiety and depression. I'm sure it helps some, but ADs cured my horrid illness and gave my family back a mum, partner and daughter.

I feel so fucking grateful every day for modern medicine and our NHS. My great aunt had recurrent pnd (called 'nerves' at the time) and was called a nutter and expected to bash on.

If people need medication, they need medication. Thank god doctors listen and can prescribe something that actually helps.

[MrGrumpy01]

For me, I needed that 'quick fix' In the grand scheme access to talking therapies and such would probably be as effective if not more, especially with access to learning coping strategies. But the anti-d's stopped me feeling suicidal so were really important in my road to recovery.

Mind very few people know.

[whyohwhy000]

Maybe it doesn't look like they need mental help because they are on anti-depressants?

[steff13]

I take an antidepressant for anxiety and PMDD. It's a low dose, just enough to take the edge off. It's made a tremendous difference in my life, though.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

"Also to resolve chronic mental health issues like depression involves the patient actively participating in getting better and overhauling their lifestyles alongside medication."

I think that is pretty harsh, PlayOnWurtz - mental illness can, and often does rob you of motivation, energy, any ability to plan your way out of a problem. We can't just pull ourselves together and sort ourselves out - if it was that easy, we'd have done it by now - it just isn't.