How many people do you know on anti depressants?

[NotFeelingRight]

I've been on them on and off for 10 years. I know many people won't tell you they're on them and I don't tell anyone but apparently it's so common?

Me
My mum
My best friend
A few other friends

Really common

I'm very open about it with everyone bar my mum. I haven't told her.

I'll be taking something for life, and I'm fine with that. I take things for thyroid etc and this is no different. I'd like a libido, but can't have it all. 😂

My mum, she's been on and off them for about 25 years.

One of my friends has recently started them.

That's all I know for sure although of course there may be more family or friends who just haven't told me.

Personally I have never been on them and never struggled with my mental health and I feel that my situation is probably more uncommon.

Why are mental health issues so common though?

DH is and I know that my best friend was on and off when she was younger but not sure now. I started taking them recently for PND and had the most awful reaction so had to stop...I've never felt so awful. Very frustrating as it took me ages to ask for help and I was really hoping they would make things a bit easier as I'm only just coping atm. I definitely know people who should be on them...my DSis for one, but unfortunately she is still v influenced by DM who has seriously ignorant views on antidepressants (amongst other things!)

A number of factors to my mind.

1. Expectations. We expect to be happy, fulfilled etc but life does not work like that sometimes. We cannot tolerate anything less than happiness, being grumpy and melancholy isn't done.
2. Pressure. To be better, to keep up, to do/have it all.
3. A break down in many societal links. We are all islands now. Less community, this was something that mass religion did do well...bound people together and provided a bigger support system and a faith in something more than ourselves.
4. Busy-ness. The 'dis-ease' if being busy...no time to work on ourselves.

I would say it would be easier to count who isn't on any than who is. I used to work in the mental health sector, a lot of my colleagues were past/present mh service users although we were functioning.

I have a lot of other friends who have chronic pain as do I and have been prescribed them to help with that.

Other friends who have been on and off them over time, the way we all think about it is, like a pp mentioned if it was insulin and we were diabetics there would be no problem and it is the same with antidepressants.

I took part in a stigma related MH campaign when I was a volunteer with the organisation I went on to work for. For record's sake, I have been on them since I turned 13, with the first mh hospitalisation when I was 15 and have been on them and many other mh meds since, so 30 years.

It's my equivalent of insulin and while there have been low patches where I want to die, I would be long dead only for them.

I have had every other therapy that was available in the first 15 years, ECT brought me back from the brink and antidepressants did the rest of the help. So if it means I have to take 2 types of antidepressant along with other mh meds for the rest of my life, so be it.

I'm very open about being on them (citalopram) and know 1 other person. I'm sure I must know others but they don't talk about it.

Two colleagues have told me without me bringing it up first.

I'm wondering what people did in the olden days? Did people just struggle on?

Me and more recently my two DC.

Depression runs in the family. I was diagnosed at 16, treated with ADs at 22. My DD was diagnosed at 15 after a major depressive episode and DS at 14 after two years of suffering.

I hope my DS escapes it from my side as his dad doesn't suffer

5 who are on them long term, umpteen who have had the at some point in the past