6 ms·

I've dealt with depression and anxiety for many years. I just want to tell anyone who happens to read this: it's ok to ask for help, it's ok to go to therapy, i

I've dealt with depression and anxiety for many years. I just want to tell anyone who happens to read this: it's ok to ask for help, it's ok to go to therapy, it's ok to use antidepressants. Find the tools that work for you and keep asking for help when you need it. (Believe me, I know how hard it is.)

spicyramen 6y ago
Isn't antidepressants in America one of the reasons of the opioid crisis...?
- akiselev 6y ago
  No, that would largely be Purdue Pharmaceuticals misleading doctors regarding dosage and timing along with an unhealthy dose of fentanyl from China.
- CaptainZapp 6y ago
  I assume that's a genuine question and that you're not trolling. Opioids are a very different class of drugs than anti depressants (including medication to treat anxiety). While people with mental issues may use opioids for self medication, no reasonable psychiatrist would ever prescribe such medication for psychological issues. Oxy and their ilk were massively pushed by Purdue and their "colleagues" as a non-addictive pain relief if applied correctly. They lied, of course, and that's where the US is now with the opioid crisis, since those drugs were massively over-prescribed. It can't be mentioned enough that if you have serious mental issues then appropriate medication may be one of the pillars to help you out of the deepest circles of hell. While it maybe a crutch (sometimes temporary, sometimes long term) it can be immensely helpful if properly prescribed and monitored and seriously be the difference between life and death. edit: slight clarification
  - MrBeansForReal 6y ago
    I think he is right. Many depressed, long-term unemployed folk must have had pains of various kind as depression symptoms. I think most folk have used opioids to "treat" their depression, nothing else. Something like Ruskies with vodka when their empire was collapsing. The difference is at least their elites weren't in denial about it.
- DanBC 6y ago
  Some medications used for mental health can be addictive, and some can have "discontinuation effects" (these are important and unpleasant but are not really addiction). The addictive medications are the benzodiazepines and the "z drugs" (zopiclone, zolpidem, etc (sleeping meds)). I think mental health medication is good and useful, and I think SSRI / SNRI / NASA type meds are very good, but useful questions (for any medication) are "What happens if we do nothing?" and "what are the side effects of taking it, or stopping taking it?" These medications are not linked to the opioid crisis. The causes for that are complex, but they include over-prescribing of strong opioids for mild pain over many years.
- ponker 6y ago
  I’ve read extensively on the opioid crisis and antidepressants don’t even make the top 10 in causes.
- himinlomax 6y ago
  Antidepressants have nothing to do with opioids. Almost none of those who are still on the market even have the slightest addictive potential. In fact, even products which only had very minor such potential have been withdrawn, even though they were much milder than drugs on the market such as benzos or opioids. Also note that opioids are depressants, though that is not an antonym for antidepressant.
luckylion 6y ago
I want to emphasize especially that it's okay to take medication. It's not "cheating", you're not going to get graded at the end on how you beat the depressive episode. They're far from perfect and you may have to try multiple times to find one that's working for you. I know how uncomfortable it can be to get off of SSRIs (brain zaps aren't fun at all!), but imho even considering them as part of the package, it still beats being down at the bottom by far. If you don't want to take medication, that's okay too. But make sure it's not just your depression making you not want to. And the usual advice applies to depression as well: don't worry about telling your doctor. They won't judge you, they've heard it before, they can help you. It can feel like a personal failure and as if "it's not like other people's depression, they have real problems, I don't, I just can't figure out what's wrong with me", but that's part of it. And also don't beat yourself up if you're self-medicating. That's pretty normal. Get help, get more effective medication. You're not a lazy alcoholic, you're depressed and you're looking for any straw that can offer some support. And if your doctor tells you to stop self-medicating before they will help you, talk to another doctor, they have it backwards. Don't give up.
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  But keep in mind antidepressants aren't a panacea and can even make things worse. My girlfriend has tried medication like antidepressants and anti conception, but basically anything that changes her brain chemistry sent her spiraling down even more. Turns out she has ADHD and that class of medication is much better at stabilizing her mood.
  - pjc50 6y ago
    The prescription system for these things is very .. unscientific? Because there's no good diagnostics other than asking the patient questions about how they feel. So it ends up like the optician's "can you see better with this or this?" except the minimum timetable for most of the medications is several months to "try".
- crocodiletears 6y ago
  I would be very hesitant to recommend someone experiencing depression or anxiety as a result of our current state of affairs to seek pharmaceutical medications. Certainly, there is no shame in it. Indeed, I'd actively support the pursuit of medication for anyone experiencing persistent suicidal ideations, have become psychologically incapable of performing day-to-day activities still required of them, or have begun abusing more harmful substances in their stead. That said, some time ago, I was listening to the BBC's today show, and I recall being profoundly disturbed when they aired a piece about the NHS either recommending or considering a recommendation for the prescription of antidepressants to people having trouble coping with the trajectory of their society (I wish I could provide a citation, but it was a live broadcast). For many, COVID has sapped what little vitality and opportunities they had for joy left in their lives from their lives. Their purpose, perhaps defined by a job they can no longer perform, or their hobbies contingent upon meeting with others. Maybe they're just terrified they won't be able to feed or house their families in a month or even a year's time. This is a shitty situation, and people quite rightfully should feel shitty about it. Indeed, many of in the lower classes should be outright livid that they have to bear the brunt of not only the disease but the externalities of society's response to it. We seem to have collectively forgotten that negative feeling have value. Anger, sadness, and loneliness are as equally valid and important signalling mechanisms as joy, content, and love. If you're living through hard times, it's natural to exhibit symptoms of depression for a week, a month, or two. It's a not just natural, it's desirable, because it tells you that something's in the world's gone profoundly wrong. It's not easy, and as anyone who's lived a hard live, or found ways deal with moderate or intermittent depression (without drugs) will tell you, it takes time to develop resiliency and coping mechanisms to deal with that. I'll reiterate: There's no shame in seeking out medical help if you truly can't cope with how things are, or are losing yourself and your desire to live. But I think it's important to think deeply on it before you take that step.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
dgzl 6y ago
I'm always ignored when I ask for help. Being a person who "takes it like a man" in a sense, as in absorbs these problems for greater overall execution, I'm always ignored when I bring up my problems. "Tough shit" is the general attitude. Unless I'm highly expressive or emotional nobody takes it seriously. But if I'm being that emotional it's already too late.
- ck425 6y ago
  It's worth looking into make support groups. There's various movements starting up support groups for men run by men, who are trying to break that stigma. I don't know where you are based but have a Google and you may find a local one.
  - dgzl 6y ago
    Funny enough, I looked at my local meetups and the biggest one is run by a woman. It's probably a good idea anyway.
    - mercer 6y ago
      And if possible/available, talking to a therapist can be a huge help. For various reasons I don't talk about various serious issues to my nearest and dearest, and it's been really helpful to have someone to talk to every two weeks who is 1) not entangled with the various issues, 2) paid to listen, and 3) professionally trained to do so. While, anything is probably better than nothing, I've found that it's crucial to find a therapist that one 'clicks' with. I wasted quite a bit of time sticking with a therapist who didn't help (and possibly made things worse, much as she meant well). If a therapist is not an option, I also recommend support groups. In some ways those have been even /more/ of a help than a therapist, because the fact that they're not paid does matter, and the fact that it's a solution without an end-date comforted me. As a thirty-something, 1) I wish that I looked for help earlier, and 2) I would do everything in my power to move to a different place if I couldn't find the support wherever I was. It's been /that/ helpful.
- hrktb 6y ago
qqj 6y ago
I would caution against using any sort of chemicals, try to exhaust all other options first. You don't want the sort of problem where you feel unlike your own self without some substance, not to mention that most of them basically reduce you to a zombie. Sleepwalking through life isn't my idea of living.
- henriquez 6y ago
  I think this is an unfair characterization and borderline misinformation. Medication can be net positive given severe symptoms. Every person is different, and medication for psychological issues should not be a first line of defense, but it can be helpful and potentially life saving. When you make a blanket statement like “medication will turn you into a zombie”, not only are you wrong, but you could be turning people away from a potentially life saving treatment.
  - qqj 6y ago
    I qualified that statement with "most of", and if anything comments like yours promote laissez faire attitude towards pharmaceuticals, the consequences of which are disastrous - as can be seen by the opioid epidemic etc. Look, drugs work. They work incredibly well for some people. You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. Makes sense, no?
    - henriquez 6y ago
      Your qualifier “most of” makes little difference. It’s wrong and you couldn’t possibly know that anyway. I don’t care to share my own personal anecdotes about my experiences with various psychotropic medications but I will say that being a “zombie” has seldom been a side effect of them. Bringing up opiates in a thread about psychiatric medication is either a deliberate red herring or a clear indicator of your ignorance on this subject. Either way you should not be putting out misinformation in a topic about potentially life-threatening medical disorders. > Look, drugs work. They work incredibly well for some people. You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. Makes sense, no? I agree with this, but it’s a different statement that what I was reacting to. Your previous statement was wrong, and it’s still wrong after you tried to dig in further.

spicyramen 6y ago

Isn't antidepressants in America one of the reasons of the opioid crisis...?

akiselev 6y ago
No, that would largely be Purdue Pharmaceuticals misleading doctors regarding dosage and timing along with an unhealthy dose of fentanyl from China.
CaptainZapp 6y ago
I assume that's a genuine question and that you're not trolling. Opioids are a very different class of drugs than anti depressants (including medication to treat anxiety). While people with mental issues may use opioids for self medication, no reasonable psychiatrist would ever prescribe such medication for psychological issues. Oxy and their ilk were massively pushed by Purdue and their "colleagues" as a non-addictive pain relief if applied correctly. They lied, of course, and that's where the US is now with the opioid crisis, since those drugs were massively over-prescribed. It can't be mentioned enough that if you have serious mental issues then appropriate medication may be one of the pillars to help you out of the deepest circles of hell. While it maybe a crutch (sometimes temporary, sometimes long term) it can be immensely helpful if properly prescribed and monitored and seriously be the difference between life and death. edit: slight clarification
- MrBeansForReal 6y ago
  I think he is right. Many depressed, long-term unemployed folk must have had pains of various kind as depression symptoms. I think most folk have used opioids to "treat" their depression, nothing else. Something like Ruskies with vodka when their empire was collapsing. The difference is at least their elites weren't in denial about it.
DanBC 6y ago
Some medications used for mental health can be addictive, and some can have "discontinuation effects" (these are important and unpleasant but are not really addiction). The addictive medications are the benzodiazepines and the "z drugs" (zopiclone, zolpidem, etc (sleeping meds)). I think mental health medication is good and useful, and I think SSRI / SNRI / NASA type meds are very good, but useful questions (for any medication) are "What happens if we do nothing?" and "what are the side effects of taking it, or stopping taking it?" These medications are not linked to the opioid crisis. The causes for that are complex, but they include over-prescribing of strong opioids for mild pain over many years.
ponker 6y ago
I’ve read extensively on the opioid crisis and antidepressants don’t even make the top 10 in causes.
himinlomax 6y ago
Antidepressants have nothing to do with opioids. Almost none of those who are still on the market even have the slightest addictive potential. In fact, even products which only had very minor such potential have been withdrawn, even though they were much milder than drugs on the market such as benzos or opioids. Also note that opioids are depressants, though that is not an antonym for antidepressant.

luckylion 6y ago

I want to emphasize especially that it's okay to take medication. It's not "cheating", you're not going to get graded at the end on how you beat the depressive episode. They're far from perfect and you may have to try multiple times to find one that's working for you. I know how uncomfortable it can be to get off of SSRIs (brain zaps aren't fun at all!), but imho even considering them as part of the package, it still beats being down at the bottom by far. If you don't want to take medication, that's okay too. But make sure it's not just your depression making you not want to. And the usual advice applies to depression as well: don't worry about telling your doctor. They won't judge you, they've heard it before, they can help you. It can feel like a personal failure and as if "it's not like other people's depression, they have real problems, I don't, I just can't figure out what's wrong with me", but that's part of it. And also don't beat yourself up if you're self-medicating. That's pretty normal. Get help, get more effective medication. You're not a lazy alcoholic, you're depressed and you're looking for any straw that can offer some support. And if your doctor tells you to stop self-medicating before they will help you, talk to another doctor, they have it backwards. Don't give up.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago
But keep in mind antidepressants aren't a panacea and can even make things worse. My girlfriend has tried medication like antidepressants and anti conception, but basically anything that changes her brain chemistry sent her spiraling down even more. Turns out she has ADHD and that class of medication is much better at stabilizing her mood.
- pjc50 6y ago
  The prescription system for these things is very .. unscientific? Because there's no good diagnostics other than asking the patient questions about how they feel. So it ends up like the optician's "can you see better with this or this?" except the minimum timetable for most of the medications is several months to "try".
crocodiletears 6y ago
I would be very hesitant to recommend someone experiencing depression or anxiety as a result of our current state of affairs to seek pharmaceutical medications. Certainly, there is no shame in it. Indeed, I'd actively support the pursuit of medication for anyone experiencing persistent suicidal ideations, have become psychologically incapable of performing day-to-day activities still required of them, or have begun abusing more harmful substances in their stead. That said, some time ago, I was listening to the BBC's today show, and I recall being profoundly disturbed when they aired a piece about the NHS either recommending or considering a recommendation for the prescription of antidepressants to people having trouble coping with the trajectory of their society (I wish I could provide a citation, but it was a live broadcast). For many, COVID has sapped what little vitality and opportunities they had for joy left in their lives from their lives. Their purpose, perhaps defined by a job they can no longer perform, or their hobbies contingent upon meeting with others. Maybe they're just terrified they won't be able to feed or house their families in a month or even a year's time. This is a shitty situation, and people quite rightfully should feel shitty about it. Indeed, many of in the lower classes should be outright livid that they have to bear the brunt of not only the disease but the externalities of society's response to it. We seem to have collectively forgotten that negative feeling have value. Anger, sadness, and loneliness are as equally valid and important signalling mechanisms as joy, content, and love. If you're living through hard times, it's natural to exhibit symptoms of depression for a week, a month, or two. It's a not just natural, it's desirable, because it tells you that something's in the world's gone profoundly wrong. It's not easy, and as anyone who's lived a hard live, or found ways deal with moderate or intermittent depression (without drugs) will tell you, it takes time to develop resiliency and coping mechanisms to deal with that. I'll reiterate: There's no shame in seeking out medical help if you truly can't cope with how things are, or are losing yourself and your desire to live. But I think it's important to think deeply on it before you take that step.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

dgzl 6y ago

I'm always ignored when I ask for help. Being a person who "takes it like a man" in a sense, as in absorbs these problems for greater overall execution, I'm always ignored when I bring up my problems. "Tough shit" is the general attitude. Unless I'm highly expressive or emotional nobody takes it seriously. But if I'm being that emotional it's already too late.

ck425 6y ago
It's worth looking into make support groups. There's various movements starting up support groups for men run by men, who are trying to break that stigma. I don't know where you are based but have a Google and you may find a local one.
- dgzl 6y ago
  Funny enough, I looked at my local meetups and the biggest one is run by a woman. It's probably a good idea anyway.
  - mercer 6y ago
    And if possible/available, talking to a therapist can be a huge help. For various reasons I don't talk about various serious issues to my nearest and dearest, and it's been really helpful to have someone to talk to every two weeks who is 1) not entangled with the various issues, 2) paid to listen, and 3) professionally trained to do so. While, anything is probably better than nothing, I've found that it's crucial to find a therapist that one 'clicks' with. I wasted quite a bit of time sticking with a therapist who didn't help (and possibly made things worse, much as she meant well). If a therapist is not an option, I also recommend support groups. In some ways those have been even /more/ of a help than a therapist, because the fact that they're not paid does matter, and the fact that it's a solution without an end-date comforted me. As a thirty-something, 1) I wish that I looked for help earlier, and 2) I would do everything in my power to move to a different place if I couldn't find the support wherever I was. It's been /that/ helpful.
hrktb 6y ago

qqj 6y ago

I would caution against using any sort of chemicals, try to exhaust all other options first. You don't want the sort of problem where you feel unlike your own self without some substance, not to mention that most of them basically reduce you to a zombie. Sleepwalking through life isn't my idea of living.

henriquez 6y ago
I think this is an unfair characterization and borderline misinformation. Medication can be net positive given severe symptoms. Every person is different, and medication for psychological issues should not be a first line of defense, but it can be helpful and potentially life saving. When you make a blanket statement like “medication will turn you into a zombie”, not only are you wrong, but you could be turning people away from a potentially life saving treatment.
- qqj 6y ago
  I qualified that statement with "most of", and if anything comments like yours promote laissez faire attitude towards pharmaceuticals, the consequences of which are disastrous - as can be seen by the opioid epidemic etc. Look, drugs work. They work incredibly well for some people. You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. Makes sense, no?
  - henriquez 6y ago
    Your qualifier “most of” makes little difference. It’s wrong and you couldn’t possibly know that anyway. I don’t care to share my own personal anecdotes about my experiences with various psychotropic medications but I will say that being a “zombie” has seldom been a side effect of them. Bringing up opiates in a thread about psychiatric medication is either a deliberate red herring or a clear indicator of your ignorance on this subject. Either way you should not be putting out misinformation in a topic about potentially life-threatening medical disorders. > Look, drugs work. They work incredibly well for some people. You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. Makes sense, no? I agree with this, but it’s a different statement that what I was reacting to. Your previous statement was wrong, and it’s still wrong after you tried to dig in further.