Do you believe in Tom Cruise's theory that a person can cope with depression without medication?

Question

I believe that there are way too many medications on the market nowadays. There is something out there for every little thing that ails you. If you pass gas, medication; If your legs move in your sleep, medication, if you can't hang at a party, medication. Are we becoming a society of robots that can no longer feel or experience anything? What do you guys think?

Sorry, Tom Cruise's "comment".

***to the "Sassy Old Lady" retired nurse. I DID suffer from depression years ago and was prescribed medication. I took it and I'm doing just fine today. Nowadays when I feel a little "blue" I GET OVER IT and follow the recommendations of some of our fellow users who answered this question, exercise, go out, chat with someone.Thank you for your concern*****

Answer 1

I agree. I am diagnosed with major depressive disorder with manic episodes but am currently on no medication. There are times when I need it but I am doing much better without than I have been in a very long time. I have also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, arthritis, anxiety disorder..... NO meds for me in over a year and I am both physically and emotionally happier than I have been for a decade!

Answer 2

Absolutely. Medication should only be a stabilizer while you are going through a crisis. It should not be something that you rely on to make you feel happy. Happiness is a choice. I was diagnosed with clinical chronic depression 5 years ago. I have never been on "happy pills" and never will be. There's nothing wrong with me or my brain for feeling sad sometimes. You have to learn how to cope with the fact that you're not always going to be happy, and you may be unhappy for extended periods of time, and look towards the hope at the end of whatever circumstances are surrounding you right now.

You cannot compare diabetes and depression in the same breath. Type 2 diabetes is perfectly preventable. The type 1 diabetic is the only diabetic that has no control over his or her condition. There are many types of depresson, and not a one of them is preventable.

I don't necessarily agree with anything else tom cruise spits out, but I do absolutely believe that medication isn't necessary for happiness.

Answer 3

I dont want to say "I agree with Tom Cruise" because I feel he is a nutjob. I do however feel that people can cope with depression without medication. Medicine for things like that gives people an easy way out, and its only giving them a false sense of happiness and not actually fixing the problem (whatever it is that is depressing them) Depression medications only work in the short term and often have side effects that make them less than desirable. We are a society that is zombified by all the drugs no doubt. People want to do whats easy, not whats best. If it will take hard work and time, they want to hear none of it. We are a society of lazy people, its sad. I know now everyone is this way, but far too many people are. We have a war on drugs which is laughable considering more than half of the country is on drugs that mess them up in some cases more than the illegal drugs. Xanax for instance or any sedative can really make a person loopy. Anti-depressants can sometimes have that effect, anti-psychotic medications will generally just knock a person out, but no one seems to have a problem with people walking around in this trance like state. Thats what I think.

I also want to add I have a friend who is "depressed" she takes meds for it and all that has happened is she has become addicted to the pills, she lies to her dr's and makes up theorys of her being bipolar and schitzophrenic to get more pills, she is probably more depressed now and her stomach is screwed up from eating pills like they are candy. A dr she went to once told her she didnt need to be on all of the pills and she got mad and had lots of negative things to say about him, she knew he was right so she just found a new pill pushing dr so she could get what she wanted.

Answer 4

As far as "TomCat" goes, he hires people to tell him how to get free publicity ; for example, jumping on Oprah's couch and that theory about depression. He wouldn't have been able to buy all of that publicity. I personally think he's a little prick.

Now...I can't help but think you have never suffered from any major disability like leg cramps, extended abdomen, or depression or you could not generalize about the use of medications. Society is blessed with medicines that can help us when our bodies fail us. Most people with depression 200 years ago were locked away in instutitions. Leg cramps are REAL and painful. If there is a medication to help you with your ailement and you refuse it, then YOU have a problem. Chemical imbalances can not be corrected by just "acting different and getting over it". I'm grateful for anything that will help me cope with physical disabilities or mental problems. All you have to do is be around someone "off" of their meds to know that medication can be a blessing. I actually had a friend who was murdered by her boyfriend who didn't take his meds. He was having a bad day so he chopped her up with a machette'. So much for Tom's theory. Godloveya all.

Answer 5

It's not Tom Cruise's theory. It's Scientology's theory. No, I don't believe it. It's a fact that people have chemical imbalances in their brains. It can cause all forms of mental illness. It's also a fact that people DO get better with treatment. So many people who lead productive lives today would have been institutionalized 30 years ago.

Now, do I agree with you that too many people use these medications? Absolutely. It's not their fault, it's the medical doctors. Rather than really getting to the bottom of what is causing the depression, they just give the person a pill and send them on their way. Depression, gas, RLS, insomnia...whatever.
Antidepressants are ONLY supposed to be used to take the edge off your extreme feelings while you are in therapy. Once the patient and therapist find out the cause of the depression, then they can fix it, learn better ways of coping......and they no longer need the medication.

Answer 6

yes u can get over certain types of depression, without medication. however, if u are organically depressed, meaning that the brain is not functioning properly, then medication is needed. the other depression which is the way we think, or cognitive depression can be alleviated without medication in a lot of cases. i agree with you, that commercials are shoved down the public throats too much, but on the other hand it is a good educational tool, for people who need the medication. there are a lot of people sitting in their homes suffering. seeing these commercials , might look at them and say wow, that's me. and realize there is help for them out there. medication is fine, but should be the last resort if all else fails, and only prescribed by a competent psychiatrist.

Answer 7

Get alot of exercise! Seriously, the endorphins exercise produce naturally help decrease depression or anxiety. Try to stay away from Sugar as well. Drink alot of water and just exercise... However if you have a serious depression condition, there is nothing wrong with going to the doctor or a counselor and gaining some perspective, sometimes medication is a good thing.

Answer 8

I think there's a big difference. Some people, with mild depression, probably can be helped by eating better and exercising more. Releasing the body's natural serotonin is the best way to recover. However, some people don't have that option. Some people have true chemical imbalances that need to be treated medically. We rely on doctors to help us determine when medicine is needed and when it isn't. Unfortunately, psychiatric problems are misunderstood in this country. We often feel that people who are clinically depressed should just "get over it" when, in fact, that may be impossible.

Answer 9

It depends on the person really. I myself have bi-polar disease and it was something I was born with. There is a chemical inbalance in my brain that affects it so I can't function normally without anti-depressants.

To put it in another way if you can remember being in middle school and your hormones are going crazy. You know what you are doing and saying is wrong (ie yelling at you mom for no reason, being bitchy for one second and then crying the next) but you have no control over your emotions. People eventually grow out of it and our hormones settle down.

Having bi-polar is something like going through the puberty change only it never goes away. The only way to get your brain to settle down is by taking anti-depressants and then your mind becomes more clear, you can think better, you don't lash out for no reason and you have more control over your actions and reactions in everyday life.

Hope that all made sense.

Answer 10

I believe depression, anxiety and panic "disorders" are a SYMPTOM of a problem. An endocrine imbalance can cause a "brain imbalance." But drugs are big business, and people want an easy fix.
Tom Cruise was the wrong person to bring the message, but there was truth to what he said. People can cope with depression by getting their endocrine system in balance AND lead a fit, healthy lifestyle free of sugar, chemicals and corn syrups.