Antidepressants - Are they HELPING you or HURTING you? (part 6 in 'Antidepressants, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'


Where do you fit into our series "Antidepressants - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly"? This is the last of the series.

 I have barely touched the surface of such a big and important topic. But I wanted to try to answer, in my own way, some of the following questions:

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1. If antidepressants work so well, then why doesn't everyone take them all the time? The truth is that they don't always work for everyone. If yours isn't working then tell your doctor about it and try something else.

 2. If antidepressants work so well, then why are so many people still suffering from depression? First of all, the antidepressant only helps a bit, we still must do what we can to learn about our depression and to make lifestyle changes to handle it. Secondly, lots of people have no success at all with antidepressants.

 3. When antidepressants don't work, why do we keep taking them? Because we are hoping that even if they don't seem to be doing much, maybe they are doing a little, and if we stop taking them maybe we will feel even worse. Or possibly it just seems to be too much trouble to report to your doctor that it is not working, and withdraw from that one and try something new.

 4. Why do doctors simply prescribe antidepressants and then send you home to weather this mental illness storm alone? Because that is all most of them know how to do. It is up to each one of us to seek counseling and learn as much as we can about this illness.

 5. Who is benefiting most from antidepressants, the patients or the pharmaceutical companies? Well of course I don't have the answer to that, but if I were to guess, I would say the pharmaceutical companies.

 I would never tell anyone to NOT try antidepressants because often they can make a really big difference. 

 And if you do have some success, and you can feel well for awhile, then you can come to grips with your mental illness using your new found sense of well-being. It is at this stage that you will be more able to learn what you can and get into some counseling while you are well enough to think clearly about things. 

 Many people will experience either breakthrough depression despite the drug or will find that after awhile a drug will simply stop working for them and possibly have to find another drug.

 Antidepressants do not prepare you for the future fall out from your depression. That part is up to you!
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Do you agree or disagree with the way I have answered these question? Have you found something that works for you? 

 Don't give up! There is hope for depression.

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