3 ms·

As a contra-point to this (I feel like these sorts of threads bring out everybody who ever had negative experiences with xyz drug and that can be very harmful t

As a contra-point to this (I feel like these sorts of threads bring out everybody who ever had negative experiences with xyz drug and that can be very harmful to those with mood disorders): The only reason I'm still alive is due to SSRIs, they have definitely taken away some of the highs of life but they also took away the incessant thoughts of suicide. They have side effects. They suck and the idea of being physically and mentally addicted to a mood stabilizer is a huge bummer. But I know that the people around me (and you) want us around, even if it's not 100 percent of who we really are. If your meds are working for you, messing around with them because you want to "hack" your brain isn't necessarily the best course of action. Be smart.

loceng 5y ago
Did you try or were offered anything else before trying medications?
- selectodude 5y ago
  Yes, >1yr of talk therapy.
  - loceng 5y ago
    Thanks. Was it same person who also prescribed the medication?
    - selectodude 5y ago
      No, I continued to decline and created a plan to end my life. I told my psychologist and she referred me to a psychiatrist to begin a concurrent pharmaceutical treatment to go along with talk therapy.
      - xkbarkar 5y ago
        Good to hear the meds are working for you. Clinical depression is life threatening and no joke to walk around with untreated. Whatever that treatment might be.
  - xaleb 5y ago
    Since calling it "talk therapy" might be off-putting to some people, here's my perspective. I've been participating in cognitive-behavioural therapy sessions for 4 months now, and the results have been genuinely astounding - I'm speaking as someone that would previously dismiss such things as nonsense. I've had trouble with sleep for the past 2 years, as in: I can't really recall a week where I slept well, without waking up. I had panic attacks. I had (anxiety-like) difficulties when talking with others that would qualify as a disability. I've had incredible trouble with stress. By now, all of that is nearly gone, just thanks to talking about my problems and figuring out the emotional patterns that are behind them. Side comment: doing a PhD in a foreign country is no joke. First rule of doing a PhD is: don't do a PhD.

loceng 5y ago

Did you try or were offered anything else before trying medications?

selectodude 5y ago
Yes, >1yr of talk therapy.
- loceng 5y ago
  Thanks. Was it same person who also prescribed the medication?
  - selectodude 5y ago
    No, I continued to decline and created a plan to end my life. I told my psychologist and she referred me to a psychiatrist to begin a concurrent pharmaceutical treatment to go along with talk therapy.
    - xkbarkar 5y ago
      Good to hear the meds are working for you. Clinical depression is life threatening and no joke to walk around with untreated. Whatever that treatment might be.
- xaleb 5y ago
  Since calling it "talk therapy" might be off-putting to some people, here's my perspective. I've been participating in cognitive-behavioural therapy sessions for 4 months now, and the results have been genuinely astounding - I'm speaking as someone that would previously dismiss such things as nonsense. I've had trouble with sleep for the past 2 years, as in: I can't really recall a week where I slept well, without waking up. I had panic attacks. I had (anxiety-like) difficulties when talking with others that would qualify as a disability. I've had incredible trouble with stress. By now, all of that is nearly gone, just thanks to talking about my problems and figuring out the emotional patterns that are behind them. Side comment: doing a PhD in a foreign country is no joke. First rule of doing a PhD is: don't do a PhD.