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Re: Antidepressants may not be worth the risk, researchers say.
I have my MA in Counseling Psych and have worked on and off in the field. It's been more off the last several years more off because I've been home with my kids. However, I thought I was pretty clear that I realize that there is still stigma but that it is far less than when I was dealing with this as a kid. No one talked about it at all when I was young and there was nowhwere near the awareness and accessibilty to AD's. I also was really clear hat I have no problem with AD's but that seems to be kind of confused in here as well. Oh well! LOL
edited to add that I am obviously not expressing myself well because there seems to be an overall total misinterpretation of the intent of my original reply and follow up replies. I guess my thoughts are scattered today.
I think the stigma is lessening for mild depression, particularly for women but then again, we're talking about a culture that's suggested, if not flat out encouraged women to take meds to "control themselves" as it were. That's not to say I think that's what we're doing now or that women who take antidepressants are out of control. I'm simply speaking to the stigma associated with the usage of meds for mental conditions.
However, people are still loathe to go to therapy, loathe to admit they need help, loathe to accept that they need help, much less seek it. This is especially true if we're talking about signs of mental illness or disorders beyond mild depression.
Also, people might be more open to trying meds but they are often resistant to taking them long term. That's a stigma we aren't really making a dent in.
Click me, click me!
True. The distinction between seeking help for anxiety and mild depression versus more severe mental illnesses is an important one for sure.
I don't think it's out of the ordinary (nor a bad idea) for a doctor to suggest exercise as a first line of treatment for high blood pressure. Save for extreme cases where it doesn't make sense, modifying environmental factors should always come first when addressing disease states that are likely the result of those factors being out of balance with an individuals' needs.
I find it interesting that when it comes to a health issue like overweight/obesity, then the fatties are moral failures who just need to put down the cheeseburger and hit the gym but when pharmaceuticals are available to deal with a condition that would otherwise need to be dealt with in other ways, then bring on the drugs and other modifications become a nice little extra.
Then again, having a pill is a very neat solution for our messy lives. It's a single variable to track, easy to administer and I guess it either works or it doesn't. I think a PP already mentioned this, but our health care system is not at all equipped to support people in adjusting environmental factors and that's a shame. It's one thing to say exercise, eat well, sleep well, don't stress and get therapy, but most people will need more detail than that and some hand-holding, coaching and cheerleading along the way.
The thing is, environmental factors take a long time to change, if you can even change them at all. If a severely overweight or severely depressed person can even manage to drag themselves to the gym in the first place, how many times do they have to go for how many weeks or months before it starts making a difference? And how much damage will be done to their bodies or minds in the meantime?
I am kind of sorry I read this post.
It took a huge leap of faith for me to admit that I was in need of help. The stigma attached to needing help is real. The nights I laid awake counting syllables in my head, the days it took me numerous times to back out of a parting space because of an irrational fear of hitting someone, the days I drove around the block of my house TEN times before I was convinced I didn't let out one of my beloved dogs and hit them accidentally, counting steps, counting sesame seeds on a hamburger bun..I could go on and on.
I thought all I needed was bootstraps, that I was weak and a failure because I couldn't kick this on my own. It took an event at work for me to realize that I was out of control. I mean I eat well, exercise, have a great family and an amazing job..WHATTHEFUCK was wrong with me that I couldn't over come this on my own.
It hurts to be judged even though you know your treatment is valid.
They do take some time, though not always. If someone has issues with blood sugar control, it's possible to see immediate improvement with dietary changes and activity. Even a drug therapy can take a few weeks to kick in if it works at all. Too many people think exercise = dragging oneself to the gym and sweating it out for an hour and if you can't do that then why bother. There's always a way to incorporate exercise, nothing fancy required and it doesn't have to take lots of time.
This is where we could employ human resources doing some "lifestyle coaching" for lack of a better term. We like the whole bootstraps concept and individual responsibility but if that was effective then we wouldn't have the problems we do. I think a lot of people with health issues could benefit from individualized attention and guidance on a holistic level. So someone struggling with depression and obesity could get very specific information on appropriate dietary changes, a realistic exercise program, another human to check in with as needed. Maybe they need someone to go grocery shopping with them a few times, an exercise buddy and/or help in re-connecting with loved ones.
We're not really equipped to be helping people in this way right now. Everything is disjointed so even if you're well resourced you go to an MD for one drug, another MD for another drug, an RD for some advice on diet, a trainer for exercise advice, a therapist to talk to and they could all be saying something different. Your drug may be thwarting your fat loss efforts which will make your RD & trainer think you're not following their advice and your doc just wants to know if the drug is working or not and it's all a big mess.
Ding ding ding. Can I just ditto everything you said here?
I've been in counseling umpteen times, sometimes with meds, sometimes without them, and I have NEVER been pushed meds. They've been offered, but it has definitely always been my choice and if I seemed hesitant about them, my therapists have taken a huge step back and we've discussed my comfort level (or lack thereof with them) and other options.
Like, Sibil, the only person who's ever pushed meds on me was a PCP. And, to be fair, they worked that time so I can't be too upset about it.
I think at this point I've become pretty firmly entrenched in the "meds can help, and we shouldn't treat them as a last resort" camp. That doesn't mean we should be passing them out like candy, and I don't know if I like the idea of them without attendant therapy, but having seen what my life has been like with them, and without them, I'll take with them, hands down.
"You don't get to be all puke-face about your kid shooting your undead baby daddy when all you had to do was KEEP HIM IN THE FLUCKING HOUSE, LORI!" - doctorwho
Copz, having the strength to ask for help is huge. You should be really proud of yourself.
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:::hugs::: copz. Big hugs.
I'm going to try to be more coherent here than I was yesterday.
Yes, the stigma around mental health has come a long way since Don Draper was making after hours calls to get the scoop from Betty's therapist. But just like racism or sexism, that doesn't mean it's gone.
It is not easy to take a pill. Maybe it sounds easy for a healthy person, but for someone with depression or anxiety, it's a big ol' FAILURE ready to swallow with a glass of water. It took me 10 years to make an appointment with my PCP, and when I did I had to a) make the appt under the guise of "thyroid problems" and b) have Mr.P come with me because knew I was physically incapable of telling a doctor and at least one other person I had depression on my own. I felt hot coming clean to my PCP, I feel a little hot thinking about it now almost 3 years later. I sat with the pill in my hand and stared at it for a full 10 minutes before I could muster the courage to swallow it. I told Mr.P I felt "wrong" (read: self-hatred) for getting help, and really the only reason I got it at all is because eventually the feeling of "wrong" about NOT getting treatment surpassed it. In that depth of sickness, there wasn't any answer that made me feel good.
I feel like I've earned some cred here, because I've been off meds for a year now, and I feel great. So when I say meds are important, believe me that it's not the be all end all on them until you die important. I went in knowing I might need to be on them for the rest of my life, and I still know I may need them again, but I'm glad it was a temporary solution for me for now.
Talk therapy and diet and exercise and all that are great for mental health; they're great for health in general. But just like sometimes a diabetic is sick enough that it's beyond the scope of lifestyle changes alone and they need insulin, sometimes someone with depression is sick enough that it's beyond the scope of lifestyle changes alone and they need meds - and here's the kicker - depression is a disease that a) makes it harder for a person to make lifestyle changes and b) makes it harder for a person to get medical treatment.
So that brings me back to the stigma, and this article. Why is it that mental illness, and depression and anxiety in particular (the "non hard" mental illnesses, eye roll) are the only conditions we talk about this way? Why is it that when someone has a blood pressure or diabetes or knee problem bad enough to see a doctor, no one suggests maybe they just need to exercise more? Why haven't we seen studies from evolutionary biologists on the prevalence of cholesterol medication?
I think it's because we still think depression is something you can and should bootstraps your way out of, because it's not a "real" medical issue. Not only is that utter BS, it's enormously destructive to the people who suffer from it.
This was always the tough part for my mom too. She had a great life by all accounts but she just could not shake her depression. She almost felt guilty for feeling the way she did having what she had(s). But meds and therapy have done wonders. Your treatment IS vaild and no one should have to live dealing with untreated issues like you were dealing with.
Pesca, you are so dead on. Toothache? See a dentist. Chest pains? Get to a doctor. Car is rattling? Go see a mechanic. Anxious? Depressed? Snap out of it! Go workout!! Blah, blah, blah. If there's anything else we can't fix on our own, we go to someone who can. Until we reach that point with mental illness (including the "easy" ones) that stigma is still alive and well.
It's the reason I'm incredibly open about my illness, and at times probably overshare. Because it's never a bad idea to talk to a doctor. Never. If you think that you might need help, ask. What you do with their recs is up to you.
(Just to be clear, I don't think every person dealing with mental illness should feel obligated to share with the world. For me, it helps give me strength to deal, and a reason for why I have anxiety and depression).
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