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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.

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.

luckylion 6y ago
> If you're living through hard times, it's natural to exhibit symptoms of depression for a week, a month, or two. Absolutely! But that's also not what I'd suggest medication for (well, maybe I'd suggest recreational drugs, but not anti-depressants), because it's not depression. In my opinion, there's quite the difference between depression on the one side and feeling overpowered and broken because of external circumstances on the other, and I wouldn't suggest trying to fix the latter by pretending it's the former and medicating accordingly. It's hard to tell the two apart from your own perspective, especially because they can both be true, you can be depressed and go through shitty times at the same time. At the very least if it does persist, don't settle for "my life is just shit, this is just a normal reaction to that shit", go see a doctor. And at the absolute very least, if friends suggest that it may be depression, consider that they may have a better view of you-six-months-ago vs you-today, because they don't see you every second of every day. Depression clouds your judgement, and in my opinion, you're not gaining anything from suffering through it. It's not a great challenge that's been put in your way and when you finally beat it, you're a stronger person. In retrospect, at least for me, but some friends have shared similar opinions with me, it's just time you've lost, where you cannot remember anything from other than feeling terrible, thinking about suicide, possibly harming yourself and silently hoping that a bus will jump out from nowhere and end your suffering. There's no medal at the end, having gone through it once does not make you immune, and it can take years to get better, and maybe you never do. I don't know whether I would've listened to anyone if they had told me to go see a doctor, but I wish somebody would've tried, and I hadn't spent the better part of my twenties just suffering for no reason. I'm diagnosed as bi-polar, but with much less pronounced manias, and now when I sense that I'm sliding down, I'm very active about stopping that slide, and if it doesn't stop quickly, I've made it a habit to go see a doctor before I think I need to, because I've learned that I might not be able to make that call if I'm past a certain point.

luckylion 6y ago

> If you're living through hard times, it's natural to exhibit symptoms of depression for a week, a month, or two. Absolutely! But that's also not what I'd suggest medication for (well, maybe I'd suggest recreational drugs, but not anti-depressants), because it's not depression. In my opinion, there's quite the difference between depression on the one side and feeling overpowered and broken because of external circumstances on the other, and I wouldn't suggest trying to fix the latter by pretending it's the former and medicating accordingly. It's hard to tell the two apart from your own perspective, especially because they can both be true, you can be depressed and go through shitty times at the same time. At the very least if it does persist, don't settle for "my life is just shit, this is just a normal reaction to that shit", go see a doctor. And at the absolute very least, if friends suggest that it may be depression, consider that they may have a better view of you-six-months-ago vs you-today, because they don't see you every second of every day. Depression clouds your judgement, and in my opinion, you're not gaining anything from suffering through it. It's not a great challenge that's been put in your way and when you finally beat it, you're a stronger person. In retrospect, at least for me, but some friends have shared similar opinions with me, it's just time you've lost, where you cannot remember anything from other than feeling terrible, thinking about suicide, possibly harming yourself and silently hoping that a bus will jump out from nowhere and end your suffering. There's no medal at the end, having gone through it once does not make you immune, and it can take years to get better, and maybe you never do. I don't know whether I would've listened to anyone if they had told me to go see a doctor, but I wish somebody would've tried, and I hadn't spent the better part of my twenties just suffering for no reason. I'm diagnosed as bi-polar, but with much less pronounced manias, and now when I sense that I'm sliding down, I'm very active about stopping that slide, and if it doesn't stop quickly, I've made it a habit to go see a doctor before I think I need to, because I've learned that I might not be able to make that call if I'm past a certain point.