anti-depressants Options

[Heewee]

Some forms of depressions are caused by a chemical imbalance. In that case, I think that the person should definatley be able to take anti-depressants because this is the only thing that can correct that imbalance.

However, other types of depression are stimulated by negative experiences with relationships, lifestyles, family, friends, society, the environment, school, etc. I was diagnosed with severe depression last spring and have been on anti-depressants ever since. I also underwent an extensive counselling program that has helped to turn my life around. If I had not been a part of that program, I don't think that the anti-depressants would have been enough for me. I guess my whole take on this is that it should be mandatory for people on anti-depressants to be in a similar program or at least see a counselor regularly.

[nothing_plus_thi...]

my entire family is taking anti-depressants of some sort. including me.

without them, my father would no longer be here. he'd either be in another state or in jail. they helped him along with becoming sober.

my mother has HORRIBLE anxiety and would not be able to function AT ALL without her's.

and i have both anxiety and mood disorders and a depressive personality (diagnosed, treated, etc. shutup). so, i would also not be able to function normally without something helping me along. they stabilize my moods (i still have moods, just not EXTREMES that lead to me hurting myself, blacking out, ending up in hospital, or doing god knows what else). and have lessened the effect simple stress has on me. before i began taking the medication, i was a heavy drug user (i self-medicated to deal with the depression, manic episodes, etc.) and i had horrific mood swings and anxiety attacks. taking the medication allowed me to put my life in perspective and get my priorities straight, along with myself. and i no longer lose it whenever i break a glass, get a dirty look, say something wrong, or forget to do something. before, i would have attacks that would render me useless for entire days.

so, yes. i think anti-depressants are beneficial. to an extent. with a family like mine where mental illness runs strong throughout the entire family, they help people live normal lives. but, there is a downside to taking them. the whole..dependency thing. it's difficult to cope with knowing that you can't function properly without popping a pill or a few everyday. it's a struggle all on it's own. but, you need to figure what is more important and what you would be risking/losing/setting yourself up for if you were to stop taking them.

and i don't care what anyone says, depression...TRUE depression that causes the most horrible physical and mental pain...cannot be cured by exercising or eating right or studying. if you are unable to get out of bed in the morning or think clearly without wanting to kill yourself, you are obviously unable to get off your ass and exercise or study.

[EddieV]

My love uses them, when she does she gets sort of dizzy-ish and drugged.

[nothing_plus_thi...]

what is she taking?

i know that when i first started to take mine, i got hyper. around the clock. and then i adjusted to it and started to feel normal. NORMAL normal. like a real person.

but, i'm on effexor. which is one of the most controversial medications on the market. the withdrawals are TERRIBLE. they have been compared to heroin and other drugs. that's another downside. the fact that your brain needs to readjust to being imbalanced once the help from the anti-depressants is taken away.

[pinacoolada]

I personally don't agree with anti-depressants being administered on teenagers..mainly 13-14. I think it ruins everything. People all over the world are usually suffering...they didn't need anti-depressants to get over that. I'm pretty sure my mom didn't need it. She suffered much more than my friend..my friend ( 13 ) who relies on these..and she's completely wrecked without it..in other words, she's dependent on the medication.

[Paradox of Life]

Anti-depressants help some people and hurt others. Every anti-depressant I've used has had either no effect or a worsening effect on me like drowsiness/fatigue, short temper, or even worsened depression. Anti-depressants have made me more violent and after I started taking a couple, I've developed an interest of self-mutilation, fire and sick, morbid things because they make a chemical imbalance in my brain. But that's just me. I am personally against anti-depressants because it hurts more than helps. Getting out of depression is something you do yourself.

[Mulder]

i was almost prescribed anti-depressants.

for headaches.

yes, anti-depressants serve other purposes besides 'cures' for depression.

for a manic depressive (bipolar) person, anti-depressants are miracle drugs. they save them.

but for those that are not severely depressed, the drugs are too much for them to handle.

so, i guess id be fine with them if they were only prescribed to those cases severe enough. the only problem with that is that there is no way to pick out the 'deserving' from the rest.

[AngelinaTaylor]

I'm definitely against that.. Especially because I'm sure most of those people don't even need to take the medications. And it's actually pretty exaggerated here in North America. In most other places people don't use them at all.. and they don't claim they're suffering from depression, even though they have a lot more believable reasons to be..

P.S. Of course, I'm not talking about everyone..

Cheers,
Taylor``

[nothing_plus_thi...]

it is true that anti-depressants are overprescribed. we can blame the overzealous drug companies for that. they whore them out to everyone and anyone, and encourage doctor's to prescribe them the same way.

i've known girls who have been put on them simply because they're teenagers. it seems to me that people have forgotten that mood swings, anxiety, and sadness come with growing up. but somehow, shrinks are convinced by some of these girls that they are bipolar because they love their friends one day and hate them the next. so, basically, they have confused bipolar disorder with normal high school behaviour.

mental illness has become one of the most disturbing and disgusting trends to hit the population of teenagers. there are hundreds of them running around screaming depression and cutting themselves and throwing around textbook reasons and definitions for things. everyone is so into learning about disorders and transforming themselves to fit the diagnosis. because they see it as "tragic" and "dramatic".

that's one of the many reasons i'd like to slap anyone under 17.

[voguelove]

we learned this in health.

the human brain has this..cell thingie..(gah, i hate when you know what youre going to say and then you forget) and thats what makes you happy. people who are depressed dont have enough of it so they need anti depressants.

i dont care about people who take them. they need it to be happy.

[AngelinaTaylor]

it is true that anti-depressants are overprescribed. we can blame the overzealous drug companies for that. they whore them out to everyone and anyone, and encourage doctor's to prescribe them the same way.

i've known girls who have been put on them simply because they're teenagers. it seems to me that people have forgotten that mood swings, anxiety, and sadness come with growing up. but somehow, shrinks are convinced by some of these girls that they are bipolar because they love their friends one day and hate them the next. so, basically, they have confused bipolar disorder with normal high school behaviour.

mental illness has become one of the most disturbing and disgusting trends to hit the population of teenagers. there are hundreds of them running around screaming depression and cutting themselves and throwing around textbook reasons and definitions for things. everyone is so into learning about disorders and transforming themselves to fit the diagnosis. because they see it as "tragic" and "dramatic".

that's one of the many reasons i'd like to slap anyone under 17.

It's good to see someone with brains. I couldn't have said it any better.

Cheers,
Taylor``

[nothing_plus_thi...]

yes. i have brains.

but i am also depressed/some other disorder i don't buy, and am on anti-depressants. but, i waited until it nearly destroyed my life to resort to it. which was a good 3 years, or until i turned 17 (although i had been periodically attempting suicide, hurting myself, and blacking out during mood swings since i was 9 or 10). i HAD to make sure it wasn't just hormones, high school, or a phase.

and, i attended counseling prior to agreeing to trying the medications. it was extremely rough for me to conclude that i wasn't just a normal teenage girl trying to find a reason and a diagnosis for my behaviour. but, it was also one of the best choices i've made in my entire life.

so yes, i have brains. but i'm also one of the few who are truly inflicted with mental illness.

[juliar]

mental illness has become one of the most disturbing and disgusting trends to hit the population of teenagers. there are hundreds of them running around screaming depression and cutting themselves and throwing around textbook reasons and definitions for things. everyone is so into learning about disorders and transforming themselves to fit the diagnosis. because they see it as "tragic" and "dramatic".

After I left my old school, this girl who, in the most basic of terms that I'll use, who was a whore started cutting herself. Alot of people were concerned, but I was confused. See, she was perfectly normal and happy and nothing happened to her. She would basically make her cuts VISIBLE to everyone and on AIM she'd put on away messages like "cutting...". It just irritated me because she just shamed everyone who is truly depressed.
But anyway, my own two cents about anti depressants:

People who are prescribed with them must be watched. It doesn't work well for a person to just get the pills and take them. They need to be closely observed by someone, a guardian, a doctor. I think that they need to go through some sort of treatment program as well.

[NoSex]

Hardcore dancing is the new black, and depression is the new attention deficit disorder.

[flc]

Yes, I have heard that anti-depressants have sometimes caused death.

I think nowadays a lot of people are using the excuse that they're depressed to cover up their real faults that maybe they could fix. I know my mom made me start taking Prozac because she thought I was depressed, even though I know I'm just moody.

All these emo kids who believe they need medication are a distraction from the kids who really need help.

[sillakilla220]

OFCOURSE ITS UNHEALTHY.. wut kinda question is that?!
and if its unhealthy.. ofcourse its wrong..
there are better way to work depression out

well if it comes down to my friend staying off anti-depressants and being healthy but blowing his brains out b/c he doesnt get better or being on them but being "unhealthy" and staying alive i think i would choose to the 2nd choice

yes. i have brains.

but i am also depressed/some other disorder i don't buy, and am on anti-depressants. but, i waited until it nearly destroyed my life to resort to it. which was a good 3 years, or until i turned 17 (although i had been periodically attempting suicide, hurting myself, and blacking out during mood swings since i was 9 or 10). i HAD to make sure it wasn't just hormones, high school, or a phase.

and, i attended counseling prior to agreeing to trying the medications. it was extremely rough for me to conclude that i wasn't just a normal teenage girl trying to find a reason and a diagnosis for my behaviour. but, it was also one of the best choices i've made in my entire life.

so yes, i have brains. but i'm also one of the few who are truly inflicted with mental illness.

wow so i was arguin black history w/ a crazy person?? no wonder u werent making any sense!!!


how did u try hurting yourself? sexually maybe??

[nothing_plus_thi...]

you're such an ass.

but, to answer your question, as asinine as it may be, i cut myself from the ages of 13 to 18. in between, i was abusing drugs to the point where every time i used, i was testing my body, hoping it would be the last time. when i was younger (13 and before), i threw myself down stairs, took knives to my arms, and swallowed allergy medication, tylenol, aspirin, peroxide, and cleaning products. i promised my mother every day that the next, i wouldn't be around to make her angry.

but, my "personality disorders" have absolutely nothing to do with my intellect. in fact, half the geniuses of the human race have been a bit mad. chew on that.

i was a straight A student through grade school and junior high. as i said in a previous post, about 4 or 5 years ago (the start of my time in high school), my behaviour was increasingly dangerous and my mental state was deteriorating. THAT is why i decided to take the step and seek help. all of the years before had built up to a complete and utter breakdown, i was abusing drugs two times more than i had in the past, i was cutting myself on a daily basis for no reason, i was banging my arms, wrists, legs, and head against things just to bruise myself and feel as though i had experienced adequate punishment for disappointing the world. i was losing my temper at the drop of a pin, breaking down and blacking out literally, over spilt milk. basically, i was losing complete control over my mind and my actions. i almost lost every credit i'd earned in highschool because i was absent so often. i fell apart. but, that did not take away my ability to think intelligently.

i am a very smart person. crazy, different, unique, troubled, or normal. i'm smart regardless.

[sillakilla220]

if u were so smart you wouldn't cut yourself... anyone smart would know that isnt good for u

[nothing_plus_thi...]

are you kidding me?

i shouldn't even bother responding to that. but, i will not allow you to convince yourself that you're right.

when someone is as troubled and as depressed as i was, in the past, they lose control over their actions. they do not realize what they are doing. their common sense gets f**ked right up the ass and they do stupid things.

i KNOW that cutting yourself is ridiculous. i KNOW that it NEVER helps a single thing. I KNOW THESE THINGS.

but when i was in such a state where i could barely walk three steps without wanting to collapse and beat myself to death, i didn't really stop to think logically.

now please. stop being a complete idiot.

[sillakilla220]

in my eyes i would have to question the intellignence of anyone who consciously ingests cleaning products... i mean, lets be real... could u imagine einstein downing a bottle of clorox b4 workin out the theory of relativity? there is a difference between mad and crazy, and from the sounds of it u hardly qualify as mad

[nothing_plus_thi...]

i was in no way comparing myself to einstein. i was simply saying that people who aren't completely sane, can still be smart.

maybe you should quit bitching about how unfairly you and "your people" are treated in today's society and take a look at how you treat people with mental disorders or diseases.

and again. stop being a damn idiot and get over yourself.

and accept the fact that you can't always be right about everything. specifically things you have absolutely no friggin clue about.

[sillakilla220]

i was in no way comparing myself to einstein. i was simply saying that people who aren't completely sane, can still be smart.

maybe you should quit bitching about how unfairly you and "your people" are treated in today's society and take a look at how you treat people with mental disorders or diseases.

and again. stop being a damn idiot and get over yourself.

and accept the fact that you can't always be right about everything. specifically things you have absolutely no friggin clue about.

so since u kno me so well how do i treat ppl with mental disorders or diseases? i make fun of them online? gimmie a break... i would take a shit on your face

[nothing_plus_thi...]

this thread is officially destroyed.

can't anyone do anything about this kid?

[*CrackedRearView*]

There's a fine line between blunt and complete dickhead, and you've efficiently crossed it sillakilla.

I'm only sorry that I can't rearrange your face myself, because someone will some day.

[flc]

Sillakilla220, have you ever been depressed? I suggest you stop speaking as if you have been in the shoes of someone who was depressed.