It's Gone Too Far

I remember I would walk into Barnes and Noble (years and years I was this way) and be in a massive funk... always and think... all of these books are lies. All of them are wrong. This is true. But depression gives deeply distorted thinking such as this as just because the books may contain 99 percent wrong info (theoretically speaking) in truth does not mean they have no value. Society has advanced and my depressed mind would only allow one way of seeing this i.e. what a lie we live in constantly. Ironically I was paying attention to what most non depressed people never think about. A lot of happiness is distraction I hate to say.

I actually went online as I remembered a t shirt someone had on that was against antidepressants and other drugs such as those. Reasoning about depression when you are not depressed is to be in error I feel. I remember having double vision due to my depression. You cannot think your way out of a depression I have found. Nothing seems possible. But perhaps you can and must live your way out of it. I personally believe that stress and worry are the main factors for my depression - feeling out of control. I resorted to drugs for and they have done wonders. I was lashing out. I was up all night. I also had PTSD from an event and it was for that that got me going on Effexor and it has worked well.
I think they are great for resetting the brain. But at the same time I realize now that YOU CANNOT THINK ANY THOUGHT. I used to ruminate in any direction and I now realize that a person has to get himself under control and try to be happy and look on the bright side of life and not start a mental train ride thinking you are in control because... you will soon not be. Depression is not sadness. I think this is often a mistake. It is more along the lines I think of a mental flu. The complete elimination of possibility. I had for what it is worth the wavering mild chronic depression with bouts of double vision severe depression. Primarily caused by feeling out of control and poor life skills. I don't know what keeping a schedule is and never have. Its not in my DNA. I work but hell I don't even brush my teeth with a schedule. I wish I were different. I think people who have schedules they keep keep their sanity better.

I wish people would take responsibility for their own health! "It's in my genes to be fat or have diabetes or have heart disease or high blood pressure.". Crap! Really? And the four pounds of fat and carbs you eat every day along with that two pack a day habit while you sit on your *** has nothing to do with your health?! You are just as responsible for your physical health as your mental health. Doctors are not there to make you healthy they are your partner in getting and staying healthy, physically, mentally and emotionally.

That is very true. I believe depression and sadness is caused by events or things that happen in your life and its is natural to feel that way when bad things happen.



But some like to believe its not their fault and some imbalance and listen to their gp and take pills.



they make more money if you take pills then if you analized your life and tried to change it or get better.

i see your point I do. You make since, but don't always think it's the case. Your right physical pain serves as a purpose. You cut yourself with a knife, it hurts, you learn not to do that....but I think mental pain is different. Sometimes you can see what's causing it...other times you can't. You can't learn not to cut yourself if you don't know what will cut you and what won't.



I hate pills and drugs, and I absolutely hate the idea of needing medication to make it so I can funtion during the day, but I know what I'm like when I'm not on my medication and I can't live like that. That wasn't living. I've done the couseling thing, I've also talking to a lot of other people. One woman I talk to used to be my English teacher, now she's also my friend. I've talked to people in my church as well. I've also tried talking to family and other friends. I can't figure out what the knife is. So I take the pills until I can.

I was suffering from depression for years I painted a few rooms lavender used citrus scents and told my MIL to kiss my *** and I'm fine now .And I forgot to mention I take GOGI juice .

Umm, so its ok to use alcohol and illicit drugs to deal with 'the ordinary stesses of life'. That's what most folks seem to be on.

My grandmother had ECT. You think that's ok? Scares the hell out of me.

Unless you had a brutal experience like child abuse versus a public system that ignores you and hopes you go away, you wouldn't really understand the limited choices real people have.

I was left on Prozac for ten years but it would have been ok for one.

I don't know if you can get psychologists free in the US but its only new in Australia.

I agree that anti depressants are over prescribed in some cases. I do feel that they are necessary to many that take them. The one thing I hate about anti depressants is that most of them make you gain weight. I mean I have been on them before myself. Theres nothing like getting a prescription filled for happy pills and then gaining a ton of weight in the process of trying to feel better. Some people will disagree that they make you gain weight but just read the side effects weight gain is almost always one of them.

I believe that sometimes, honest and truly, meds are "neccessary" to save a life. They've "saved" mine, on more than one occassion! However, I def. have to disagree with Atmore about the majority of folks who are on them. There have been times when I went to the meds because I believed I needed them, thereby making my reasons for taking them (technically) the "right" ones. BUT (and, this is an ENORMOUS "but"): every, single doctor or psychiatrist who prescribed me a med NEVER talked to me for more than fifteen minutes before the decision was made which meds they would be prescribing. Never. Not once. And, i've been to TONS of diff. docs. "Mental illness" is real. But, I definitely DO believe that it's all just another part of the human experience. If you or someone you love believes that they need a med to survive, then they def. need a med to survive. I always think of it like Dumbo's feather. The mind is an EXTREMELY powerful thing! Just study experiments that are done with placebos!!! In the end, it's a matter of personal choice. And, if I have to be more "disturbed" or "depressed" than the average person, I'm a more satisfied depressed person if I feel like I can take responsibility for myself, as well as realize and accept the mysterious workings of the human brain and all of it's biological firings!

I completely agree. It is not just the antidepressants either. It is so much more. The drug companies are naming common afflictions diseases and disorders and advertising them so that they can sell high priced drugs, when in reality in a lot of cases people are just lacking something in their diet or could be cured easily with herbal remedies. But if you cure a simple problem you don't have to buy drugs your whole life and that is just bad for business. And the drug companies have politicians in their pockets as well. Did you know that it is illegal to grow certain herbs in America without the expressed permission of the government? You can actually go to jail for it. Marijuana is of course illegal, but sassafrass is illegal too. And many more.

I think they are best used in conjunction with therapy, versus instead of therapy. However, I do believe depression and mental illnesses are diseases, and I would never tell someone that I don't believe in their diabetes medication, or their meds to lower their blood pressure.

i think they are just not researched enough. the side effects can be awful for some people, such as increasing or starting suicidal/self harming feelings to an extreme degree.

if curious about this, find the stuff Panarama and the BBC researched on Seroxat.

So true!, but I'm not convinced that the MAJORITY of those on meds are there for wrong reasons or misdiagnosis. Are you aware of any medical studies about over- or mis-medication? I agree with the asserions of Newman and his Catholic POV, as well as M.H. Cooper and our broken heathcare system. I only wonder about quantifying your statement. I would hate to discourage people in need from benefitting from PROPER medication. Thank you for your insight, I value your opinion.