<p>@DCHurricane: the only problem with that solution is that good therapy can be next to impossible to find.</p>
<p>I guess so. I’ve seen my psychiatrist on/off for many years. He’s excellent.</p>
<p>Man-up???..</p>
<p>"As someone who has been on practically every anti-depressant there is, I’m pretty sure that there isn’t anything that can really truly help. If this is serious, that is. If it’s a minor depression (which it doesn’t seem to be) then they may very well turn things around for you. "</p>
<p>Just because anti-depressants didn’t work for you doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else. There’s no reason to think your depression has the same biological, psychological, or social causes as the OP. And there’s no reason to assume your body responds to medication the same way as anyone else.</p>
<p>Discouraging other people from taking medications that didn’t work for you is unfair to them. From what I’ve been reading, SSRI’s (obviously this is only one option/example) are effective about 2/3 of the time. Unfortunately for you, you weren’t one of those that were helped–I’m sorry for that. That doesn’t mean you should hurt other people’s prognosis who could be helped by medication.</p>
<p>Do any of you find it odd, that so many people are on SSRI’s?</p>
<p>repost -------------</p>
<p>I would find it more odd if there were tons and tons of people on them LONG TERM, which to me means a year or more. On a more short term basis I am uninterested, everybody is going to experience some kind of a bout of depression in their lives and we seem to just be treating that differently than we used to. I am not of the school of thought that thinks psychiatric medications are evil when used properly and when properly monitored (and, in my opinion, they should always be accompanied by therapy of some kind). If you really have a chemical imbalance and you’re on the right dosage of the right med it’s not going to make you doped up to take them or even happy, it just makes you feel NORMAL so you can have a normal range of emotions-- which may still be on the negative side of the spectrum, but at least there is a range.</p>
<p>You also have to consider the sample that CC gives us to work with. I think a lot of us are the kind of people that put ourselves under immense pressure academically and are into a lot of things, and a LOT of people here have mentioned families that are dysfunctional in some way. I have dysthymia and a severe anxiety disorder- and when you consider that I am a semi-stereotypical CCer and all that entails, that is not entirely surprising!</p>
<p>Considering I have a family history of mental illness, I’m pretty sure I’m warranted to be taking SSRIs for my depression.</p>
<p>Ema is right. They aren’t “happy pills.” I mean, maybe they act like that if your doctor’s a moron and prescribes you a much higher dosage than what you need, but under normal usage they don’t make you happy. They just make the ‘downs’ not as severe. For me, that’s a big help. When I’m in a depressive mood, I make poor decisions. I don’t think things through, it’s not good. On my antidepressants, however, I don’t get into a depressive mood like that. I can still be sad, but I don’t make poor decisions etc. That’s a major help.</p>
<p>My boyfriend has major depression, and while it does make his baseline mood much lower than I think is average, he has these depressive modes that he slips into occasionally, I’m not even sure how to describe them. He’ll just cry and keep on repeating that he’s bad over and over again and it’s like he can’t even hear me talking to him anymore. The hope isn’t that therapy or meds would make him HAPPY, they’d just sort of level him out so that he can feel happy naturally. His moods are so imbalanced. Most peoples emotional range goes from 1-10, my poor boy’s only go 1-5. The meds aren’t to make him be a 10, but to open the range back up to 1-10.</p>
<p>Yeah, that kind of sounds like me if I don’t take care of my depression. Always looking at things pessimistically, no motivation to do anything besides lie in bed all day, it’s awful.</p>
<p>The antidepressants definitely make therapy more effective for me. I can think through things more clearly, and see positive sides to things.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation as a lot of people. I’m OCD, depressed, anxious… you name it.
I went to the university’s education and resource counseling for more than a year. I don’t think my particular psychologist helped, so I stopped going altogether. He recommended me to a psychiatrist, who gave me celexa. I was anxious about taking the generic verison, citalopram, blah blah blah</p>
<p>I have asked my psychiatrist, psychologist, and friends all the question of whether they’d take it if they needed it. Most said yes, but I received one no from a good friend.</p>
<p>I don’t think they’re necessary, but I think exercise can help a lot.</p>
<p>Now if only my lazy bum would exercise… anxiety is a horrible, horrible thing…</p>
<p>I’ve never really understood why people are more afraid of antidepressants than other medicine.</p>
<p>Antidepressants can have significant psychological effects that just don’t happen with antibiotics and such. They certainly helped me when I took them, but I really was not myself during that time.</p>
<p>I believe Dr. Horse has confused anti-depressants with anti-psychotics. It’s my understanding that there’s zero risk of dyskinesia with anti-depressants, a symptom that he explicitly stated.</p>
<p>Take his advice with a grain of salt. If a trained medical professional feels anti-depressants are warranted in your situation, I’d definitely heed their advice. It might take some time to find the right drug/dose; you shouldn’t assume that because one didn’t work, none will work.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>When I took SSRIs I felt “myself” for the first time in years.</p>
<p>IDK, I’ve never had a problem with anti-depressants. I was more scared of starting Accutane or going under IV sedation than starting Lexapro.</p>
<p>As well you should have, in my opinion. lol People are this way about ADHD meds, too. I think a lot of people freak out about the idea of a drug that alters the way your brain works… even if it is FIXING something.</p>
<p>I don’t think you took my point the right way. And 2/3 of the time is just a selling point. Read further into it and you’ll find that 2/3 on the FIRST medication find results (I don’t think that is entirely accurate anyhow). With each new type of med, your chances of success go down exponentially. I am not only speaking for myself, but countless numbers of “treatment-resistant” patients.</p>
<p>If OP is having serious difficulties, I would not recommend turning to medication as a solution, only as a slight push in the right direction. I’d say (and all the professionals I’ve talked to have said the same thing) that 95% of it is hard work on cognitive patterns and lifestyle changes. </p>
<p>I may have severe mental issues for the rest of my life, but I can push it in both directions.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t have an issue with SSRIs or any other type of medication. Just keep in mind that they all effect your body in different ways. Sometimes the side effects can rub you the wrong way. But bottom line: trust your gut instinct. If the med changes things for the better, then by all means, take the meds. I don’t understand why people have this “ethical” issue against medication. It can really help certain people.</p>
<p>“If OP is having serious difficulties, I would not recommend turning to medication as a solution, only as a slight push in the right direction. I’d say (and all the professionals I’ve talked to have said the same thing) that 95% of it is hard work on cognitive patterns and lifestyle changes.”</p>
<p>I have a doctorate in clinical psychology and worked for 5 years as a psychotherapist. I’ve never heard any mental health practitioner say the above. I certainly wouldn’t make such a statement.</p>