I get quite angry at people who say “You don’t need drugs, you just need to cheer up” to someone with depression.. :) This is why some people refuse to take any anti-depressants at all, instead choosing to pretend nothing is wrong and falling deeper and deeper into that dark depression hole.
Would they say to a diabetic “You don’t need insulin. Just tell your pancreas to harden up and behave properly.”
Would they say to someone who received an organ transplant “You don’t need to take those anti-rejection drugs. Just tell your body that you accept the organ and everything will be just fine.”
Would they say to someone with high blood pressure “Just do some yoga, remove yourself from stressful situations, eat less salt. You don’t need to take drugs for this.”
Do they refuse to take paracetamol when they have a headache, too? Are they living a totally drug free life? When I ask these know-it-alls these questions, the answer to *all* of these questions above is NO.
With depression, sometimes the chemicals in your brain are out of whack, and no amount of pushing, hoping, thinking positive, praying to deities, cheering up, or pulling ones socks up and hardening up is going to fix that.
It is important for people with depression to know that it is ok to take the drugs their doctor prescribes. If their doctor feels those drugs are required, then THEY ARE REQUIRED. All busybodies and armchair doctors, step off, and drink a nice big cup of shut up. It is not your place to say anything.
Needing to take antidepressants is not a sign of weakness!
It is a fact of chemistry.
We are really lucky in Australia that people can see their doctor and ask to be put on a mental health plan, which allows them up to 10 sessions with a psychologist bulk billed on medicare.
I left most of this as a comment on this post recently – How to help the depressed person – but I felt it was important to post it here on my blog as well.
I’ve been seeing more and more bloggers speaking up about depression lately which is a wonderful thing because it is so important that people who are suffering from depression know that they are not alone in feeling that way. One that stood out in my mind is this one from Leslie Beslie – I’m functioning so I must not be depressed.
I have a friend who has a son with a kidney transplant. She’s talked to me about how terrified she is that at some point during his teenage years, her son will want to “rebel” and stop taking the drugs that are keeping him alive. She grew up as a diabetic, and she did go through a phase where she felt like that about her insulin injections.
She’s done everything she can to teach her son those drugs are not an optional extra, that the anti-rejection drugs are essential to his very survival here on this earth.
The sooner people can think the same of antidepressants – that they are not an optional extra for many depressed people. That taking those drugs when prescribed by a doctor is essential for their survival here on the planet – the better for everyone.
That’s my opinion, anyway. :)
This is so very true and very well said. Thank you for sharing xx
Sarah – thanks for posting your post which inspired me to finally post it here, I’ve written it out a few times across the web.. :)
Quite so. You are talking about a medical condition for which there are often good treatments, including drugs.
It does take some time for the drugs to start working and that can be tough for someone taking them, been there done that a couple of times. ;) But once the drugs kick in, things seem to get better relatively quickly, at least for me it does.
There is a problem with the few people for whom antidepressants don’t work. my ex has tried many different brands and dosages and most of them make him violent at worst or angry at best, anti psychotics mostly have the same effect, so he’s in limbo a lot of the time. But he has several coping strategies which see him through, one of which is phoning me at odd hours and talking my ear off. Another involves getting so drunk he can’t remember the last few days, but thankfully he doesn’t do that too often.
I have a friend who swears by St Johns Wort which has proven to be a natural option for depression. They are doing some studies on light therapy recently, in particular for SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) lighting in the shower via those colour changing led shower heads and I have one myself, it does make me feel happier in the morning. They are also studying LED lights VS other lighting forms as they tend to be a little bit brighter.
I have to say that when we replaced all the house globes with LED lights I had a better winter than I usually do, even though winter last year involved me having a big blowup with work.. :)
Great post. Strong writing and appreciate the objectivity.
Hey SSG!:) Thanks. I’m so glad your feed is back in my feed reader.. :) I was missing you and Toddler SSG! ;)
Yes the stigma needs to go, but so it’s not the only battle. I have clients who are on medication who suddenly deem themselves well enough to cope without drugs. A week later they’re sectioned and in a psych ward after doing something stupid. It’s a constant battle unfortunately.
Well said. Another thing which boils my piss is the supposition that meds for depression are a quick fix. I have a chemical imbalance in my brain and that’s not going away. No one would expect a heart patient to stop taking tablets for their heart because ‘it should have fixed itself by now.’ Pet peeve. ;)
Constant struggle. I take anti depressants and now the added stress of the medication putting on weight. Ugh. When I do exercise (A different malaise) I stay static. To lose weight I have to stop taking the drugs, then I spiral then argh we start again. My pet hate is whe I get irritated due to being tired from night shift and my mother instantly says I need my drugs to be happy. No no no. It doesn’t work like that.