Page 3 | Why are people normalising antidepressants?!

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:32

Lots of things are normalised that are awful for many of us...

Alcohol
Coffee
Smoking and vaping
Sedentary lifestyles
Excess sugar
Social media use
Filtered images
Junk food

Why do antidepressants jump out at you?

Littlepuddytat · 05/01/2023 21:32

I might be dead now if not for my anti depressants.

I spent way too long worrying about the stigma of taking them and i got incredibly, incredibly close to rock bottom when finally decided i needed to try them and my life is so much better now. On the surface i looked like i was coping but i wasnt. So i think normalising anti depressants is great. If people need them then they need them. Taking medicine isn't a weakness.

Isittrueornot · 05/01/2023 21:32

Thank you @MeinKraft that makes complete sense.

XenoBitch · 05/01/2023 21:32

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:28

Anti-depressants are being dished out at an all time high rate at the moment. Not everyone on them has a chemical imbalance. Many people will be experiencing "shit life syndrome".... no pill can fix debt problems, or relationship problems. But pills are a quick fix dished out by GPs.

And?

Sometimes you need medication to help you through the shit times in life.

How will a pill help someone crippled by debt?
They need practical advice and help.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:32

procrastinator8 · 05/01/2023 21:31

Not saying there isn’t a need, but they are not benign pills and this is overlooked.
the side effects can worsen the preceding mental health issues for some. And it’s not simply a case of stopping them if they cause bad side effects, the effects can persist following cessation

Of course, but that's also the same with many other types of medication - it's hardly unique to anti-depressants 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lampshadered · 05/01/2023 21:33

Would you feel the same way about someone being thankful for their blood pressure medication?

People that judge anti-depressants are like those that tell infertile women to "just relax". Eh no, they're medical conditions and they need appropriate treatment and just maybe, the person's doctor knows more than you.

Xrays · 05/01/2023 21:33

Snarkysnarksnark · 05/01/2023 21:11

Do you realise that some people with good pay, stress free lives and bosses that treat them well can also suffer from depression?

Depression isn’t always down to life circumstances, even people with everything going for them that ‘shouldn’t be depressed’ can still suffer horribly with depression.

Absolutely normalise antidepressants. Keeping them as something to be ashamed of is what stops people seeking help and taking antidepressants when they are offered them.

This ❤️

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:33

XenoBitch · 05/01/2023 21:32

How will a pill help someone crippled by debt?
They need practical advice and help.

Show quote history

This person doesn't need to take antidepressants then. There are services to help people with debt. I dont really understand your argument.

You don't walk into a doctor and have antidepressants thrown at you by the receptionist.

serenghetti2011 · 05/01/2023 21:34

The anti depressants help the ability to get out into nature, gym, etc I’ve been on them a few times. Initially for post natal depression then depression a few years ago when my life imploded and I couldn’t function etc.

they helped me through that very difficult time with assistance from therapy etc

Jinglejanglesnowman · 05/01/2023 21:34

I think some posters are misunderstanding the op. It's not that taking anti depressants is bad, it's the fact it's so widespread and necessary for so many people to have to get through life.

Why are we accepting that anti depressants are the answer when we as a society should be looking to change our world so they're not needed. Never gonna happen because capitalism but I think that was the point.

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:34

Lampshadered · 05/01/2023 21:33

Would you feel the same way about someone being thankful for their blood pressure medication?

People that judge anti-depressants are like those that tell infertile women to "just relax". Eh no, they're medical conditions and they need appropriate treatment and just maybe, the person's doctor knows more than you.

Absolutely.

DigitalGhost · 05/01/2023 21:34

Tbh I wish it was more normalised, it wouldn't have taken me years to admit I needed to do something.

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:35

Jinglejanglesnowman · 05/01/2023 21:34

I think some posters are misunderstanding the op. It's not that taking anti depressants is bad, it's the fact it's so widespread and necessary for so many people to have to get through life.

Why are we accepting that anti depressants are the answer when we as a society should be looking to change our world so they're not needed. Never gonna happen because capitalism but I think that was the point.

Because as you've said that's not going to happen.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:35

@XenoBitch of course.

But some people feel unable to access other types of help without first getting help for their mental health.

If someone had a severely broken leg, you wouldn't say "oh, do some physical therapy" - they'd need painkillers, rest and lots of other help alongside the therapy.

It's the same with depression. Yes, pills won't fix the problem but they make it much easier for you to access other types of help available.

If you're too depressed to even get out of bed and shower, being told to go to therapy isn't very helpful. So you give anti-depressants and they lift the fog just enough that you can leave your home.

procrastinator8 · 05/01/2023 21:35

No it’s not unique to ADs but this thread is about ADs. My view is that medication is over prescribed.

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:36

Jinglejanglesnowman · 05/01/2023 21:34

I think some posters are misunderstanding the op. It's not that taking anti depressants is bad, it's the fact it's so widespread and necessary for so many people to have to get through life.

Why are we accepting that anti depressants are the answer when we as a society should be looking to change our world so they're not needed. Never gonna happen because capitalism but I think that was the point.

People have always had depression. It's not unique to modern society 🙈

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:36

procrastinator8 · 05/01/2023 21:35

No it’s not unique to ADs but this thread is about ADs. My view is that medication is over prescribed.

Is it overprescribed or are more people being open about their mental health?

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:36

procrastinator8 · 05/01/2023 21:35

No it’s not unique to ADs but this thread is about ADs. My view is that medication is over prescribed.

But you wouldn't tell someone with crippling physical pain to just stop taking their painkillers and get on with it.

Or maybe you would 🤷🏻‍♀️

XenoBitch · 05/01/2023 21:36

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:33

This person doesn't need to take antidepressants then. There are services to help people with debt. I dont really understand your argument.

You don't walk into a doctor and have antidepressants thrown at you by the receptionist.

Show quote history

No, but they do get the pills thrown at them by GPs.

ComtesseDeSpair · 05/01/2023 21:36

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:34

Absolutely.

Show quote history

The crux is “appropriate treatment.” Even many psychiatrists have concerns with the way depression and antidepressants are currently handled. If we believe that depression is caused by chemical imbalance in the brain, then the correct diagnostic process should be for thorough tests to be carried out to establish what that imbalance is and what it’s an imbalance of so that the correct kind of medication can be given to treat it. Whereas currently, you can have a five minute consultation with your GP, who is not a psychiatric specialist, tell them you feel sad and stressed and not your usual self, and walk away with a prescription for whatever they decide on, often based on no more knowledge of mental health than what they learned in a brief rotation years ago. It’s doing a disservice to people who have or think they have depression that the process works like this as nobody has any idea whether they’re actually getting appropriate treatment.

Hadjab · 05/01/2023 21:36

mumyes · 05/01/2023 21:04

Just watched yet another reel on Instagram about "the thugs that make me happy"...coffees with friends, downtime, fresh air...and my antidepressants.

It feels like the entire world thinks it's normal to take them.

I am in no way judging those who do, it just feels bloody tragic that life is so shit for so many people that this is now becoming what seems like the norm.

Lessen stress on people, pay them more, treat workers better.

Oh no, let's treat people like shit & shovel pills into them so they don't care.

Surely this is not a good thing.

Are you a Scientologist? As this sounds very much like something Tom Cruise would say…

Nannylp · 05/01/2023 21:37

Isittrueornot · 05/01/2023 21:22

So antidepressants don’t make you happy….they just make you have more energy so you don’t feel the need/want to stay in bed/not shower/not go for a walk/live your life, is that correct?

The best way to describe it is that, if they work, they make you feel 'normal'. Able to deal with emotions as someone without depression does. No more energy than anyone else, no limitless style abilities (though that would be a great addition!)
I personally spent years trying non-pharmaceutical methods of making myself feel better, nothing worked, finally asking for help and starting anti depressants was nothing less than life-saving. It was truly illuminating to finally be able to deal with life in the same ways that everyone else had been doing, albeit with the addition of medication.

Needhelp101 · 05/01/2023 21:37

whataboutsecondbreakfast · 05/01/2023 21:35

@XenoBitch of course.

But some people feel unable to access other types of help without first getting help for their mental health.

If someone had a severely broken leg, you wouldn't say "oh, do some physical therapy" - they'd need painkillers, rest and lots of other help alongside the therapy.

It's the same with depression. Yes, pills won't fix the problem but they make it much easier for you to access other types of help available.

If you're too depressed to even get out of bed and shower, being told to go to therapy isn't very helpful. So you give anti-depressants and they lift the fog just enough that you can leave your home.

Yes, all of this.

They don't make you happy. They take the edge off enough so you can actually do something else to improve your life and get better.

I should have started taking them years ago.

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 21:37

Even in a utopia there would be depression. I think this is what some posters without mental illness don't understand.

Notstrongenough · 05/01/2023 21:37

I find this really interesting
The general consensus is that depression is not a normal response to bad circumstances - sadness anger or frustration yes but depression no. I think research shows your childhood experiences has a big influence on how resilient you are to adversity.

I think most peoples depression is triggered by difficult life events / circumstances. I would think that people who get depressed without any reason are probably in the minority - maybe less than 20% of those who get depressed ?

I disagree that anti depressants are the same as using a plaster for a cut. Anti depressants are really strong drugs which can have major impacts / side effects - even the pharmaceutical companies who make them don’t understand how they work exactly.

For me anti depressants numb the bad feelings down and reduces catastrophising and overthinking worrying / negative thoughts.