To be shocked the amount of people on antidepressants?

[Hotfuninthesummertime]

I know I'm unreasonable as I've been on them for years. However i work in a very close team and am aware of 10 out of 15 of us being on anti depressants for various reasons or life stressor. I was shocked so many people are being treated but it's so common! Is it more recognised now ? Or overtreated ?

This exactly. They seem to be prescribed without a thought for the seriousness and long term consequences. Like a quick fix.

I've never said it was over diagnosed and don't think my issues are worse than anyone else's. Thanks

I'm the same. I might need diazepam once every few years. But GPs won't prescribe them - instead there are probably thousands of anxiety sufferers on anti depressants - putting on weight, having night sweats, losing libido, having their brain altered in a way we don't understand, etc. The withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants can be so bad that many people accept they will be on them forever. But that's not addiction, oh no, and it's preferable to the occasional diazepam apparently!

Can I be a CF and use this thread to get some encouragement.
Been on low dose ADs for a long time (very well for last 12 years.) Previous episodes of anxiety / depression.
Horrible relapse 3 months ago and with Drs advice increased AD to full therapeutic dose.
Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be working this time and may need to switch. Just shamelessly looking for 'I've had to switch before and you can still get better' encouragement.

OP - you would never imagine that I take ADs and I'm sure there are many many others like me. No hidden trauma - after pregnancy my brain just didn't seem to work in same way.

They certainly don’t always though - they don’t numb mine, and I don’t think that’s unusual

I think they're oversubscribed but not many people keep fit these days so exercise (shown to be as effective as SSRIs) isn't an option for many.

I don't know if they're over prescribed but life is definitely more stressful than previous generations in some ways. I'd be interested to know the ratios if male:females on them and how this has or hasn't increased

I also found office work much worse for my mental health. Sitting at a desk all day looking out at the nice weather, knowing the best will be gone by the time you finish.

And I never wanted to exercise despite barely having burned any calories all day. Mental fatigue was much worse for motivation than physical tiredness. Like today I've worked 12 hours, driven almost two hours back home, and I'm now in the gym despite knowing I've got an early start tomoz and will literally need to go to bed after dinner.

In my office days I'd have made an excuse about being tired. I felt like I was walking through treacle a lot of days.

They don't numb me either, I feel all emotions they've just stopped my invasive thoughts and immense sadness.
Unless they meant a physical numbness, sexually speaking especially as I know that can happen.

After a series of personal tragedies, I've ended on on the highest dose of Sertraline. It's essential for me. I still feel happiness, excitement and joy but I don't get so many of the crushing lows or obsessive dark thoughts. I do feel that antidepressants work best in conjunction with talking therapies. Sertraline helps me to properly engage with counselling, in a way that I couldn't when I was stuck in a dark place. The problem is that accessing mental health help via the NHS is near impossible. I have to pay privately for my counselling and I discovered that, despite agreeing I probably had PTSD, the GP never bothered to make a referral to the Trauma specialists.

My counsellor recently told me that the type of tragedies I have experienced will likely mean that I need a low dose of antidepressants for life. I've made peace with that.

Why?

It's because we live such an unnatural way of life, if a huge amount of society have to be drugged in order to manage, something has gone very wrong.

I don't know anyone on them.....but reading this, why would I? Unless someone told me, I would never know.

Yea I'm amazed too.
I once had a regular check up (I'm type 1 diabetic) and the nurse asked how I was, and I casually said 'oh well, this time of year is a bit sad as it's the anniversary of my father's and my husband's deaths and my anniversary'. That's all. She immediately said 'do you think you need antidepressants'!!! I did not say I was struggling, I did not say I couldn't cope, I never said it was affecting my ability to function at all. I looked at her in shock (and refused of course).
No wonder people go on them if they hand them out that regularly!

Finding this thread really interesting. I have had very low periods this year after losing my DM and various other issues. I am sure the doc would have prescribed me medication after signing me off but I decided against it, for the moment anyway.?

Agreed, well, mostly.

When I didn't need SSRIs, I felt giddy on them. Random bursts of inappropriate joy.

When I did need them (and they were a valuable tool in buying me time to master my anxiety), once I was recovered, I was the most annoyed about losing my anger than anything else. My passion. Appropriate sadness.

I think it depends - I know a lot of my colleagues either are on or have been on antidepressants at some point (and I do agree that working in a small team in health care we are all very open about what conditions and treatments we've had or have, probably more than any other career I've been in, and know each other's contraception choices etc)

I did go on them for a short period and I don't think as a short term thing it's bad, it allowed me to 'reset' get back on an even keel (in all honesty though I suspect some strong sleeping tablets and being knocked out for 48 hours would have done the same thing)

I used to think it's over prescribed till I had to go on it myself and then I realised I needed it all my life but didn't know. Now I understand why many people need it. Life can be a giant stressball, even if you're generally happy. Now I have a dc who may need it and not because of any life stressor (their life is pretty cushy and supported) but from their own admission, they have no idea because they don't see why they'd feel deeply sad and there are no obvious triggers they could think of. It just comes. So it must be genetic as it runs in the family.

GP told DH that 1:3 people are in them where I live

@pollykitty and @adviceseeker22 I agree.
I have had a lot of stress over the past few months with my husbands health, he's had a few seizures when asleep so I've been scared to sleep and also diagnosis of a benign brain tumour.
I have lost count on how many times I've been offered them.

I work in a small team of mostly women. Not that close to any of them but even I know that 2 or 3 of them are on ADs. I know I could benefit from being on them myself, but I've always said no thank you when it has been mentioned. Came close to asking for them recently, but feel on a slightly more even keel now. I think modern life is too stressful for many people and for humanity as a whole, so it is not really that surprising.

@GCalltheway that is the approach I have taken the past few months.
They looked at me like I was bonkers when I said... what I'm feeling is a normal reaction to this situation (husband in hospital, young child, flashbacks from him having a seizure going navy blue).
I'm currently awaiting some counselling.
They then agreed with me when I said I just needed some time to process and deal with it.
Now it's a few months down the line and things are still unknown and stressful. I'm scared to go back to my GP and waiting for counselling as I know they'll just go down the medication route

Yes, I've been on them most of my adult life, including the last 12 years. There are huge, structural problems in society that cause something between PTSD and depressive/anxiety symptoms for millions of people.

I am in therapy and have been for years. Do plenty of exercise. Get plenty of natural light. My life is generally good - I am very grateful after years of shit.

Yet I need antidepressants plus supplements plus HRT to keep on an even keel.

I wish I didn't need them, and maybe post menopause I'll have another go at getting off them, but it honestly doesn't surprise me that so many people take them.

I’m on them. I’m very ill with cancer and the medications I take for that put me in an extreme version of menopause, and of course I can’t take HRT. I’m not on an even keel without them. I’ve had 16 sessions of therapy on the NHS, but it’s not available for ever and it has now stopped.

I went to my GP a few years ago as I was feeling constantly tired with pretty low mood most of the time. The GP listened and immediately suggested antidepressants. I looked at her in shock and said “ shouldn’t you at least check my bloods as I have very heavy periods (you can see it in my records) so perhaps my iron is low”. Oh, she said yes let’s check it.
One day later I had a call from her to say that I was so severely anaemic due to low iron that it basically triggered the same symptoms as clinical depression.
if I hadn’t asked her to check my bloods I would not only have kept going with severely dangerous condition but I also would’ve probably ended up on antidepressants for life:(
I often wonder how many other people are medicated when they shouldn’t be…