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?

theharlot That is one theory. There is no proof. Another theory is that women are expected to put up with too many shit situations which leads to them being depressed.

@surferjet you’re completely right. It’s not a competition. What a grim race to the bottom that would be. And it’s absolutely all relative. Also agree with you that it wasn’t that long ago that we were prescribed tranquillisers to solve our problems and that’s a hard association to shake. It certainly was for my parents. It wasn’t even that long ago that most of the people on this thread with their range of MH problems would have been put in institutions and forgotten about.

surferjet

your counsellor is right, comparing stuff like this doesn't help anyone, and I would not for one second question what you have/are going through.

What I was trying to say was for some there is no control though, I was brought up to believe you push on, get out of bed, pull yourself together, and yes AD equal a zombie and were for weak people. I wanted to get out of bed, I wanted to be able to put a mask on and only release it when I could. But I literally had no choice, I only managed to end up in the loos because tears were pouring down my face and I couldn't stop them and didn't want anyone to see me. I didn't know why I was crying I couldn't bottle it as I really just didn't know what was happening to me.

The AD helped me function enough so I could start other therapies. I am a big believer in talk therapies and mindfulness. But AD can play just as an important role for many people.

I only hope that if you came to a point were your behaviour became out of your control that you would allow yourself to try AD. Just because you do have some control doesn't mean what you suffer is any less then others who use AD.

My husband takes diazepam occasionally, when his anxiety is particularly bad. He has also tried CBT and other forms of therapy, but while he has found they help somewhat, they don't stop the occasional panic attack from happening. Taking ADs clears his head enough that he can then apply some of his other coping techniques, e.g. going for a walk, meeting friends, etc. I doubt anyone but me or his parents know he takes ADs though.

You turned it into that Mango.

Re sticking plaster I wax referring to myself as I am at liberty to do having experienced both and extremes. Ads were indeed akin to a sticking plaster and did nothing whereas other measures did.

And sorry as poor mental health covers a broad spectrum yes you can indeed use and try other measures successfully first. It isn’t ignorant to suggest that.

DaedricLordSlayer

Thank you.
And ( and ) to everyone dealing with MH issues.
I hope the sun shines on all of us again xx

Well I admit maybe I took your ‘sticking plaster’ comment the wrong way. I apologise for that. If you look back through the thread though, it is a recurring narrative that it appeared you were adding to. I wasn’t the only one to believe this was what you were doing.

Nowhere have I said that you should go straight to ADs without trying anything else first (what makes you think I haven’t?!). No one has. I’m not going to argue with you anymore because you’re picking fights for the sake of it and it’s not helpful to anyone.

I think this thread makes it very clear that some people still don't, or don't want to, understand that mental health issues can be completely debilitating. They refuse to comprehend it because they have not experienced it, so they are lacking in empathy.

It's not always about situations or struggles - how many of us have heard someone say 'I don't know what they've got to be depressed about'? Some really do not understand that a chemical imbalance in the brain is not something you can help.

I feel very fortunate not to suffer from MH issues, a lot of people are not so lucky.

There still seems to be such ignorance about MH. This worry that anti depressants will turn you into a zombie or that only weak people need them is just so ignorant and destructive. The chemical imbalance caused by medication created my sudden depression. The depression stripped away my personality and turned me into a helpless zombie type person. It made me weak and helpless so that I couldn't be left alone, or drive or even prepare a meal for my family. A course of anti depressants gave me back my personality and gave me back my strength and made me independent again.

If you think that taking anti depressants means you are weak and so would never take them, then look very carefully at how much you are leaning on others in your life.

I don't think most women or men take antidepressants but I do think more people take them than we think because it's not spoken about enough.

I know some people need to take them fairly regularly (every few years) and I know one lady who is in them permanently. I know a lot more people who have (to the best if my knowledge) never taken them.

I do think it's important to talk about more so that if people do need them they don't feel any stigma is taking them.

There is no solid evidence whatsoever for the 'chemical imbalance' theory and it has been debunked many times.

We need to stop viewing mental ill health as a medical disorder, it isn't. It's a life experience and environmental issue.

I don't blame GPs as they're stretched and the help they can offer is limited, but they're often too quick to prescribe ADs for things like bereavement and divorce, things that are obviously going to make you feel shit. We need to stop medicalising and pathologising any and all types of distress.

Anti depressants are not meant to be used long term, they can be used to help people engage with things like therapy and CBT which should be a lot more readily available than they are.

I have worked in mental health for 10 years by the way, along side psychologists, GPs and Psychiatrists. So I know opinions vary in the medical vs therapeutic communities. But I see with my own eyes what has really helped my clients get well and cope with life and it ain't meds.

Sorry I that offends people and I don't mean to criticise people decisions and if they help then great but I believe with all my heart that there is a better way for most.

I don’t think every woman is.
But I also think it’s narrow minded to say you never would.
I used to be like that until my anxiety became so horrendous nothing else made any difference.

The implication that they are always necessary and you just aren’t struggling enough if you don’t use them is pretty dangerous and shit.

Who has said that? Seriously - there is not one post that implies that. It's been acknowledged time and time again that yes, they are far from the only treatment. For many, self coping mechanisms/ good diet/ exercise/ counselling may well get people through a mild to moderate transient depression. Yes, I would agree they can be way overprescribed (because it's cheaper and easier than many alternatives).

However, for SOME cases, especially in non specific major depressive disorder they CAN be the ONLY thing that will work. None of us have any real idea whether we could or will develop such an illness in the future (though yes, some may be more susceptible than others for several reasons). Or what treatment may work if they do. No one. So the 'I would never need to take them' argument is not only insulting to some who have to, it's absurd.

Also - regarding there being no evidence anti D's work - that's not true. There is very strong evidence that most work much better than a placebo.

psychedelicsheep mental illnesses absolutely are medical illnesses. But not all mental disorders are mental illnesses, sure. And some people do need to take antidepressants long term. What you say simply is not true.

Wouldn’t have thought most.

As I have said up thread, it's in the region of 5 to 10 percent in Western countries.

If you look back a few hundred years people worked to survive, depended on each other , often believed In some powerful being influencing their lives. Now our lives are very controlled, working fixed times and places with not a huge amount of flexibility, everyone's on their own but with little autonomy if they are to follow societal norms. There's more to life than just adequate food and heating, maybe the modern life doesn't suit much of the pop.

We need to stop viewing mental ill health as a medical disorder, it isn't. It's a life experience and environmental issue.

That just is not true. Yes, life experience and environmental factors play a part, but so do genetics and biological factors. Are you seriously suggesting that psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and puerperal psychosis don't involve biology, as that is ridiculous.

I've skipped a few pages but just to answer the OP, I know a lot of people on antidepressants and the vast majority are male. Almost all of them very long term users.

psychedelicsheep mental illnesses absolutely are medical illnesses. But not all mental disorders are mental illnesses, sure.What you say simply is not true.

Exactly. So. much mis-information on here, even from so called 'experts'. To say there is no biological element in mental illness is ludicrous, yet people read it and believe it.

Exactly, Prickwhittington . Mental illnesses are illnesses, and like all types of illnesses, they may have various causative factors. But also, just because a condition has an environmental or "life experience" cause, why would that stop it from being clasified as an illness anyway? Is lung cancer as a result of smoking not an illness?

Put it this way - I have arthritis in my back. In the past and present I can usually manage it with heat treatment and exercise as I'm not keen on taking pain-killers.

If I came on here and said, 'I will never take pain killers for my arthritis, ever. I have found a way to ensure I will never need them, who would agree with me? Not many, I bet. And I'd probably also be be called out/ told to fuck off by people with the same condition who did need to take pain relief, many of whom would also remember a time heat treatment etc worked for them too.

And those who had never suffered arthritis? Well, they simply would not be able to say what would work for them if they developed arthritis as they wouldn't know.