4 ms·
As somebody who has suffered from depression and anxiety, this is (mostly) fantastic advice. I waited so long to try an SSRI because so many insist that they do
by jmhain 12y ago
As somebody who has suffered from depression and anxiety, this is (mostly) fantastic advice. I waited so long to try an SSRI because so many insist that they don't work. Yet, when I got on 20 mg of citalopram, panic attacks disappeared leaving only occasional situational anxiety, and my major depressive episodes were reduced to just a little occasional sadness (though this is admittedly confounded with a half dozen other measures I took).
Exercise is probably the reason I survived pre-citalopram. For me, the high only lasted while I was running and probably resulted in some overkill cardio, but just having a reliable method to make myself feel better was vital.
- mlwarren 12y agoSeconded. SSRI's seem to have a stigma around them. A lot of people I know "worry it'll change their personality". For me, it did change my personality. I went from being an anxious mess to being functional. Really wish I had started them sooner.
- tormeh 12y agoI'm not on drugs, but I view the years before I went to a psychologist as 80% wasted.
- jmhain 12y agoSame here. My old personality mostly comprised avoidance of any behavior that had occurred near a panic attack, which slowly began to cover more and more of the things I once enjoyed. My new personality is dominated by intellectual curiosity. Definitely an upgrade, though it also saddens me how much better my life would be had I started sooner.
- mcguire 12y agoThirded. One of the symptoms of depression for me is anger; if I miss a few days of paroxetine, my temper starts resurfacing. With it, it's possible to notice that I actually have a personality.