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Original poster

Why are people normalising antidepressants?!

283 replies

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.

OP posts:
yubgummy · 05/01/2023 22:15

Blood pressure meds are a good example.

They are great... My dad was on them... But at the end of the day quitting his very stressful job was better for him overall. Fixing it at the source.

I can be grateful for the blood pressure meds for keeping him alive until he got his affairs sorted to be able to retire. But that doesn't mean I think he should have just gone on forever using them to cover up a bigger problem.

TheWayItAllWouldGo · 05/01/2023 22:16

Why should they be normalised?

  • because mental health services are a fucking shambles in this country
-because some of us have severe trauma, sometimes stemming from childhood, that won't go away with a bit of yoga and deep breathing -because mental health has a huge stigma and we still don't talk about it enough -because counselling and therapy is too hard sometimes -because depression is a killer, and lovely suggestions of connecting with nature and eating your greens doesn't prevent suicide.
  • because nobody WANTS to be on antidepressants, but sometimes they are necessary.
-because they ARE normal, and people with depression have been stigmatised enough without people who have the good fortune of not understanding why we need medication ramming "go on walks, do some pilates, eat a balanced diet" down our throats.

Don't you think we've tried all that stuff? I still do all those things alongside taking my antidepressants anyway.

This is why so many people never seek help, because they are made to feel ashamed.

Luredbyapomegranate · 05/01/2023 22:16

Why are you writing as if this is is news?!

Edwardwilliamnancy · 05/01/2023 22:16

In my case I have ptsd the mental health service is broken (been on a waiting list since February 2019 and still 50 patients infront of me). In the mean time gp put me on antidepressants and after a few years I asked to change them because didn't think they were working effectively gp said no because I'm under mental health team, mental health team said don't mess with them till we see you (that was two years ago) most patients would have just continued to take them and it would have become normal, I did some research because I didn't want to get addicted to something that was not helping anymore so I weaned myself off them (not advisable without medical supervision I know).
So on a societal level all these people stuck without health care see it as normal, GP's can't do anything else so give out antidepressants like smarties because they know it will be years before they get seen so then that becomes normal practice and what patients expect.

Original poster
mumyes · 05/01/2023 22:17

JamSandle · 05/01/2023 22:14

I'm also not sure i like this concept of constant resilience.

Resilience is important yes. But you can't always be resilient forever.

Some people have gone through unimaginable hardships for a lifetime. Resilience isn't a limitless resource. Sometimes you get knocked down and can't get up. Or you get up but you're a shadow of your former self with no enjoyment for life.

Resilience is important but simply thinking we should just cope with everything and anything (some things which are frankly intolerable to experience) seems cruel.

I totally hear you, but the numbers of people this applies to is far far outweighed by the vast numbers of people - mainly women - on ADs.

OP posts:
Original poster
mumyes · 05/01/2023 22:18

yubgummy · 05/01/2023 22:15

Blood pressure meds are a good example.

They are great... My dad was on them... But at the end of the day quitting his very stressful job was better for him overall. Fixing it at the source.

I can be grateful for the blood pressure meds for keeping him alive until he got his affairs sorted to be able to retire. But that doesn't mean I think he should have just gone on forever using them to cover up a bigger problem.

This

OP posts:
JamSandle · 05/01/2023 22:18

yubgummy · 05/01/2023 22:15

Blood pressure meds are a good example.

They are great... My dad was on them... But at the end of the day quitting his very stressful job was better for him overall. Fixing it at the source.

I can be grateful for the blood pressure meds for keeping him alive until he got his affairs sorted to be able to retire. But that doesn't mean I think he should have just gone on forever using them to cover up a bigger problem.

Also something to consider is not everyone can easily fix the problem at the source. Although its great when they can.

Dystopiawarming · 05/01/2023 22:18

I don't think antidepressants are being intentionally normalised, they just are so normal/common place now that it seems that way.

I do worry that a lot of people are being medicated for situational depression (probably myself included, though I do have a history of and family history of clinical depression also) that social and situational treatments aren't utilised much or at all now.

Not all depression is clinical depression, and taking antidepressants for loneliness or a crap life or untreated trauma is a bad patch up job. It's a shame that opportunities are missed to treat underlying causes, and antidepressants are handed out which don't work very well for it and have other side effects, like weight gain, impotence and in some cases suicidal ideation. They can also cause allergic reactions, serotonin toxicity and trigger manic episodes, so they are not risk free.

Of course for clinical depression, medication can be to the depressive what insulin is to the diabetic, but unlike physical conditions it is harder to differentiate between a medical/chemical issue and a social/situational one. It would be a shame for antidepressants, life saving and miraculous for many people, to be the thing that stops others getting the help and support they need which is not a medication. I've found that when you have depression it's antidepressants and then if they don't work different antidepressants, and there really isn't much else. Maybe a few sessions of CBT after a long wait on a list if you're lucky. Leaving some to go private, and others to suffer in silence. Often thinking there is something wrong with them when the meds don't work for them when they do for others. It's a shame.

lifeturnsonadime · 05/01/2023 22:18

My teen is going to be taking Sertraline for the rest of his life, because he has a chemical imbalance.

it is known that people on the autism spectrum often produce less seratonin than neurotypical people.

it is not environmental or because he is less resilient, it is treating a hormone imbalance. It is life saving.

Such ignorance on this thread.

Original poster
mumyes · 05/01/2023 22:21

lifeturnsonadime · 05/01/2023 22:18

My teen is going to be taking Sertraline for the rest of his life, because he has a chemical imbalance.

it is known that people on the autism spectrum often produce less seratonin than neurotypical people.

it is not environmental or because he is less resilient, it is treating a hormone imbalance. It is life saving.

Such ignorance on this thread.

Flowers
OP posts:
JamSandle · 05/01/2023 22:22

mumyes · 05/01/2023 22:17

I totally hear you, but the numbers of people this applies to is far far outweighed by the vast numbers of people - mainly women - on ADs.

Show quote history

I dont think men are any less depressed than women. But there are social and cultural reasons men don't seek help.

OCDmama · 05/01/2023 22:24

I don't have depression, I take them for OCD. It's a lifelong chronic condition for me, and Sertraline helps when it flares up. I'm able to manage.

Don't judge.

raffegiraffe · 05/01/2023 22:28

No,this is a terrible example. Stress causes a temporary rise in systolic blood pressure. It does not cause hypertension. I'm glad this dad's BP reduced but it wasn't because he had a less stressful job. This is not how it works.
Depression is common, one in four lifetime risk, and using medication to increase neurotransmitters seems to reduce symptoms for a good number of sufferers. This is why they are commonly prescribed. No kick backs or conspiracy, just evidence based medicine.

Littlepuddytat · 05/01/2023 22:33

5YearsLeft · 05/01/2023 22:15

If this isn’t a goady comment, a very quick read of a Wikipedia entry would tell you how they work. Every antidepressant is in a category named after the chemical it affects, to tell you “what it does.” For example, the most numerous category is, I believe, the SSRIs. As I said, the key is in the name: they are selective SEROTONIN reuptake inhibitors. The article on SSRIs says right at the beginning that these drugs, such as Sertraline, limit the réabsorption, or reuptake, of the chemical serotonin, so the person will have more serotonin (it’s a little more complex than that - it forces the serotonin to stay longer in a certain cell gap). You should then be able to read how serotonin works to understand why these anti-depressants, in particular, aren’t “happy pills.”

Serotonin is NOT a happiness chemical, nor does it cause amnesia, or lack of emotions - so you won’t be floating on a cloud, or forget what made you sad, or be incapable of a full range of emotions, though the hope is that it will stop major depressive states. It just simply does not make people “happy.” Not even like fresh air does. That’s the chemical dopamine. So it is believed someone with more serotonin will experience less anxiety, possibly less psychosis, not more happiness. This is why most people on anti-depressants explain it as “keeping them even” or stopping them from reaching a deep depressive or anxious state, versus making them feel even a slight “happy” lift, like they might feel at some point from fresh air or seeing a friend (note: these things don’t erase depression; I’m just saying that for some people, sometimes, they can boost dopamine a bit).

The second most common class of anti-depressants, SNRIs, are serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, so the exact same thing but with both serotonin and norepinephrine. Again, you can just read the Wikipedia article on what norepinephrine is, or on SNRIs.

We do not have a way to introduce dopamine for neurological use. The only dopamine for medical use is by vein, has a very short period of working (half-life), doesn’t affect the brain so much as the heart, and has some bad side effects (possible kidney damage). If we had TRUE anti-depressants that could somehow raise your neurological dopamine in a manner that didn’t lead to a dangerous rebound, I imagine they would be worth trillions of pounds and save thousands of lives. As it is, SSRIs are the best we have and they DO save a lot of lives - think of it as them removing some of the depression and anxiety, not overwriting it with happiness.

Studies have shown that those with anxiety have less serotonin, which is why it makes sense that: these drugs work, and we should take them. The real question is: WHY are people anxious, or depressed? As many people have commented, they don’t have a bad life or bad job or bad treatment from others, yet still need anti-depressants. Some psychologists are beginning to posit it’s because humans have reached a point where what we expect from modern life is simply pushing ourselves too far - how many women post on here that have no time for any personal hobbies or time to themselves? It’s impossible to keep filling from an empty cup without eventually feeling anxious and depressed. The idea that a job, a family, and no one treating you badly should be enough to make up a life is perhaps the problem. And the idea that “not badly” is good enough treatment may be part of it, too - how many times have women posted on here that are married to men who are just awful, but they seem to think since they aren’t being abused or treated TOO badly, that the treatment is acceptable? And yes, some people could have an absolutely perfect life - be healthy and wealthy and with a loving family and still feel depressed, because we’re talking about chemical imbalances, and that’s what anti-depressants treat.

Show quote history

Great post.

Balloonsandroses · 05/01/2023 22:33

@5YearsLeft interestingly there is a drug which acts on dopamine reuptake - bupropion - but it’s only licensed for smoking cessation in the UK. Gets used extensively for depression in the USA, seems to work well for some.

I suspect more women than men are on antidepressants because more women than men are diagnosed with depression. I don’t know the reasons behind that - maybe more willing to seek help, maybe centuries of patriarchy mean women still have a harder time and more vulnerable to adverse events, maybe something biological, maybe a bit of all three.

I absolutely think antidepressant use should be normalised and supported - they are life saving for some and improve quality of life for many more. However, I wish CBT was available swiftly so that it was more of a realistic choice for people (as the evidence suggests it should be) rather than “sorry you feel awful and can’t function, I think you have depression, would you like to try a tablet I can prescribe today or join a waiting list that’s months long for therapy or both?”

WickedWitchOfTheEast87 · 05/01/2023 22:35

Greenshake · 05/01/2023 21:11

They are given out far too freely with little consideration for other (non-pharmaceutical) ways of dealing with things.

I have Bipolar Disorder and take anti psychotic meds when I don't take them my moods go up and down so for me yes its normal to take them every night with a cup of tea. I suffered for years before diagnosis those meds help me big time non pharmaceutical alternatives doesn't always work for some everyone handles their mental health differently.

Hadtochangeitforthis · 05/01/2023 22:40

what a sad post to read - firstly because your experience of depression was exactly that, your experience.
Secondly you listed some great factors that helped your wellbeing improve (so what happens if you don’t have that?)
thirdly because as many have said, they do work for many and you aren’t forced to suffer other conditions before getting accessible effective help.
fourthly when talking about circumstantial mental illness and not taking meds for it, it would suggest there is readily available help to assist with the problems…..there isn’t. Primary care mental health waits can be up to 1 year.
fifth point - I work in mental health and circumstantial or not people’s depression and anxiety can get so bad that resolution through therapy such as CBT sometimes can’t be achieved without the initial boost in wellbeing or reduction in symptoms that meds give. When I trained, we were advised to say that guidance suggests that a combination of medication and therapy is good practice. I.E if you need meds take them, access therapy too and then hopefully reduce your meds if possible (still….not always possible) so it saddens me to read posts like yours that could actually be discouraging. If a large number of your friends are taking meds…I’m happy they’re seeking a solution to their problems, it could be meds, it might be something else but there’s an element of shame in your post and I hope someone in a Tough spot doesn’t read this and get put off.

Eyesopenwideawake · 05/01/2023 22:40

Someone with depression - whether it be caused by their situation/environment, negative self view due to a less than ideal childhood, or genetics - looks to their GP for a solution.

Within that typical 8 minute consultation, with a doctor who hasn't specialised in mental illness, there is little time or opportunity for the doctor to do anything other than prescribe what the patient desperately wants - a pill to make them feel better. If the antidepressant does that then the patient is going consider it a success. Sometimes simply the placebo effect will be sufficient to get the patient through a shitty situation or maybe there will be a sustained positive effect. If it works, great. All you then have to deal with are the nasty side effects of withdrawal and, if your life hasn't improved while taking them, being right back to square one.

What is clear is that the antidepressant market is a massive part of the pharmaceutical industry - valued at around $16 billion in 2022 and growing fast. Therapy does not generally produce any profit for the drug companies or the people who lobby on their behalf.

This video is enlightening for those who want to know more;

Eyesopenwideawake · 05/01/2023 22:42

@Littlepuddytat

Fantastic post.

Quirkyme · 05/01/2023 22:42

procrastinator8 · 05/01/2023 21:07

No it’s not a good thing but our society is not equipped to prevent the problem but to ‘treat’ it.

Agree

Stickly · 05/01/2023 22:48

I think most of what I wanted to say had already been said...i do just want to say thank god for sertraline (in my case) I'd most likely be unable to work or be a healthy parent due to severe PTSD. I just want people to be able to reach out, and I think the less stigmatised it is the better (hence the increase in mention in social media).

Natfrances · 05/01/2023 22:57

For me taking a low dose of sertraline takes the edge off, it blocks out the depression and anxiety so I don't feel as much, I'm not happy or sad just being if that makes sense but I can cope more with things and don't worry about stuff as much. On the downside I forget things and can feel quite tired.

WetBandits · 05/01/2023 23:00

Do you feel the same about pain relief or medication for high blood pressure, for example? Or is it just the people with mental ill health that should shut up about the medications we take to improve our health? 🙄

I know that mine have helped me change my life because they have corrected a chemical imbalance in my brain that was causing me to feel very anxious and obsessive.

Eyesopenwideawake · 05/01/2023 23:03

"I know that mine have helped me change my life because they have corrected a chemical imbalance in my brain that was causing me to feel very anxious and obsessive."

May I ask, what tests did you have to confirm the chemical imbalance in your brain?

WetBandits · 05/01/2023 23:09

Eyesopenwideawake · 05/01/2023 23:03

"I know that mine have helped me change my life because they have corrected a chemical imbalance in my brain that was causing me to feel very anxious and obsessive."

May I ask, what tests did you have to confirm the chemical imbalance in your brain?

Why would you like to know?