To think that most women are taking anti depressants?

[Jambalaya76]

Hi

I have been on and off these for most of my adult life. Life is easier with them and I find I am more able to cope with life stresses. I feel normal and tend to let upsets go over my head. Life is better with them. However, I have had a lot to deal with in my little life so feel like a need a little help.

Over the years, I have met so many people who say they also take them. Not that I ever bring it up. It made me wonder if I was to ask people, I wonder how many are taking anti depressants? This seems the perfect forum to ask.

So, how many of us woman here take, or have taken, antidepressants?

I’ve never taken them, despite suffering from depression at different times, seeing therapists and analysts etc. I’ve always been wary of antidepressants because I feel they don’t really solve the underlying problem and at some point one would need to stop taking them, which sounds potentially fraught

I'm not aware of anyone in my immediate circle of friends who takes anti depressants but aware that there may be some. Interestingly, the one person I know who is very open about their mental health struggles and has taken them in the past is the one who'd advise any of the others not to take them.

I think it's a self selecting sample - the people who tell you are the ones who, quite rightly, aren't ashamed of having help with their mental health and probably can see in you something that resonates with them.

I have conflicting thoughts about them - they can be wonderful when prescribed appropriately in conjunction with proper therapy and not counselling provided by somebody who did a 12 week course at the local college, but the difficulties arise where doctors attribute any symptoms (particularly in women and 'less macho' men) as being a MH issue, when they could have an underlying illness or are quite reasonably unhappy because of their living/work/relationship situation and actually need the illness diagnosed and treated or help to recognise, get out of and come to terms with the impact of their experiences.

I think in the latter examples, it's very common to find people who have been prescribed them long before they've ever had something resembling proper help.

Tensixtysix for some they can be used short-term, of course. But that sounds like a judgemtn on people who need to take them long-term/forever, which some do. Would you describe the need for lifelong use of drugs like insulin, thyroxine or antihypertensives as "a crutch"?

they should always be for short term use.
They become a crutch otherwise.
Unless you have mental health issues that won't clear in a short time.
I've been on them years, I am fit as fuck great muscle tone and I eat a great diet which helps but doesn't heal my MH issues.
I do keep my issues to myself in RL as I don't want people to think I'm using a crutch.
Some very ignorant views on MH illness and issues.

soulrider Someone who is not qualified to do so "advising" people whether or not to take medication is really problematic.

No, and nobody I know has (that I know of)
It may be a case of, if you are the type to need them you may be in a social group of similar background so you are all subject to the same issues and problems.

I don't take them and never have, though goodness knows I've had a lot to cope with over the last few years. If I listed all the crap you'd wonder why I wasn't on them. I'm a bit down at the moment and I let myself feel this way rather than mask it with drugs.

My twin sister takes them and can't imagine life without them. Has my life been worse? Who can say? We just have our different ways of dealing with it.

Whether they are needed short-term, long-term or indefinitely depends on the person and their condition. As for any form of treatment. Stigmatising a need for chronic medication as "a crutch" is deeply unhelpful.

Nope I’ve never taken them but I have 2 friends that I know take them one for anxiety and one for bi polar
I do think sometimes I may suffer from some form of mild depression occasionally but i prefer to to more natural stuff like excercise eating well and trying to more sleep to combat anything and that works for me but I’m quite anti tablets for most stuff

I also point blank refuse to have anyone in my life who has a negative attitude and that really helps in dealing with shit 😂
I also think that the pill causes a lot of problems for women especially depression especially if they have taken If for a young age i and so won’t take the pill
The few times I did take the pill I felt crazy unbalanced and depressed within a few days but it stopped as soon as I stopped taking the pill

I have never taken them, but I know quite a few friends both male and female that do.

I've never taken them and only know 1 woman who has. I suspect my boss is also on them but he's male.

Most of my friends don’t take them a small number do. For those who are on and off them, it’s pretty easy tomtell when they are on them. One of my friends in particular is massively more calm, enthusiastic and engaged with life when he’s on them. He’s a nice guy anyway but absolutely lovely when on his meds. However he reckons they make him feel emotionally numb so they are a last resort for him. No issues in his life, loving family and friends. However there are generations of mental health issues in his family, so probably some genetic issue.

I would be interested to see the AD figures broken down by age: very many of my kids friends (early 20s) take them.

Never taken them, have had CBT and psychotherapy. Have often stopped drinking just because it brings me down (currently fine but just can't see a good reason to start again).

I am fairly anti-medication for me personally as the thought of it triggers control issues but I know people it has helped.

I would be very unlikely to take them. I'm sure many people feel they help, and if people benefit from them, that's great.

I remain unconvinced that they do much more than placebo, and that they are a handy quick option for doctors to use rather than finding the real issue - which can be diverse.

This book has an interesting viewpoint www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected-ebook/dp/B075RTJV67/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?psc=1&encoding=UTF8&ref=ya_aw_dod_pi&tag=mumsnetforum-21

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/10/four-million-people-in-england-are-long-term-users-of-antidepressants

4mill is a lot, but not "most" - ONS has data on how many adult women are in uk and I have only bothered to look at the summaries - but overall population is 66mill, so even if antidepressants were prescribed exclusively to women, it would not be most women. At least a quarter of the population is under 18, if we assume that half of the adult population is female, you'd get 22mill are adult women. If 4 mill are taking pills at any one time, that would be 18%

Of course if the issue then is whether people have ever taken AD in their lifetime, you might get a very different figure and cba to look for that myself but if you want to know the answer, I'm sure the data is out there . - many Uni libraries allow the public to use their services for a small fee

To those who are proudly proclaiming 'I'd never take them', I'm glad to hear you've never needed to, but also... wow, hello sanctimony. Like taking them is tantamount to doing heroin or something. I suffer from depression, I take anti-depressants, and they help me. That's how medicating a health issue tends to work.

I can't think of any other circumstances where people would virtue-signal over the fact that they wouldn't medicate a condition even if it was causing them to suffer, which suggests to me that the stigma around MH is still very much alive and kicking.

Been on them several times. Not in now. Most of my friends are either on them or have been in the past. Mainly for anxiety. The few friends who have not been on them tell me not to go on them again. Some people are judgemental. Stigma persists.

That isn’t my experience, either. I know a handful of people of both sexes who take them.

I currently take them

No, most women aren't taking them currently but the rates are surprisingly high.
For use at some point over a lifetime, the rates are obviously higher, maybe 1 in 3 but this would vary depending on the population and I'm afraid I don't have a statistic to quote.

I personally have never taken them nor needed to take them but I know a number of friends/ family who do or have done at some point.

Those posters who don't know anyone taking them are very likely to be unaware because most people don't tend to discuss AD use.

Those who say they would never take them probably haven't suffered with very significant mental illness and felt desperate and are unable to imagine feeling like that. Just as those who say they would never take pain killers have probably never suffered with very severe pain that made them desperate. They are fortunate but if they found themselves severely depressed/ in severe pain they would probably feel differently and want to try anything that might help.

Do you personally know all the women in the world then??? Don’t make sweeping generalisations because it makes you sound a bit silly. Personally I don’t know anyone on these. I’m glad that they are available for those who need it though.

Bringingincrazy - perhaps you're right, there still is a stigma attached to mh issues but doing exercise to keep myself mentally fit hardly makes me sanctimonious -

Personally I think a society where most women are taking antidepressants would be awful. It's healthy to question medication and not just take it blindly.

For lots of people, lifestyle changes & talking therapies can help. I know someone wanting to put her 3 year old son on ADHD medication-I think it's awful!

My sister has them and I have a friend of anti-anxieties.... I don't know anyone else on them and don't think anyone I know has depression. Depression is awful but most people do not have it.

I have issues with my OCD and sometimes alcohol but have never taken A-Ds and don't need them.