Saturday, May 23, 2009

Anti Depressants

I just saw a commercial for another depression drug. The commercial talks about how some people are still depressed after taking an anti depressant. I have a crazy idea. How about figuring out why you are depressed from an emotional standpoint instead of popping another pill. In some cases it seems people want the end of depression without the work needed to figure out their problems. Facing my depression head on hasn't cured me, but it has helped me understand what is going on in my head. Not to say that works for everybody, but give it a try.

3 comments:

  1. I agree there is a tendancy to over medicate - for everything actually. On the other hand, a lot of people have depression that is caused by an very real chemical imbalance and it is sometimes genetic which is why it often tends to run in families.

    I never took pills for depression, but now I do have to take one pill each day to replace my thyroid function after it was taken out. Interestingly, until it came out the pill didn't really seem to do anything. A poorly functioning thyroid causes all sorts of issues including depression and I had a goiter that was constricting my windpipe. My depression magically and inexplicably disappeared after my surgery. Sure, I still occasionally have extended periods of unhappiness, but they don't last as long and don't "feel" as intense and hopeless.

    My biggest issue these days is letting go of all the futile depression-related coping mechanisms that I learned over years and years of being genuinely depressed. These things that I do don't really help anymore - at this point they are just old unfortunate habits. Now I can pretty much talk myself out of whatever is making me miserable and I feel really lucky because I know some people can't do that and they really never beat it.

    I think some doctors might be a little too eager to dispense those antidepressant pills because it might make their job easier or more profitable or something, but a lot of people really need them. Depression is a highly individual matter.

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  2. The pill I take is to replace thyroid function. I didn't write that very clearly.

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  3. Thanks for the comment and info. I did not know that a thyroid problem could be a cause of some depression. I was lucky enough to go to a therapist that was hesitant to prescribe medication. I too have down days but I am able to talk myself up out of it most of the time. I have also accepted that I will have sad days. I learn a lot about myself on some of those days. The coping mechanism I have used was smoking weed . I know marijuana is a depressant but it helped for a long time and then it started making it worse. I am not totally over smoking but I do recognize it for the crutch that it is. I also totally agree with the idea that some doctors prescribe it because it is easy.Thanks for sharing your personal experiences.

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Please only debate posted topics and others opinions of those topics. Do not post petty comments about spelling, punctuation, or the way someone else expresses themselves. All CIVILIZED debate is welcome. By the way I already am aware that I am an idiot so no need to repeat it. Thanks