why do so many depressed people not want to take medication?

Question

Even though they feel so bad? And perhaps even feel suicidal?

Answer 1

Because people don't understand the physical aspects of depression (hell even a person who answered here wrote that it's not a physical thing it's an emotional thing, when in fact its both). Alot of people see it as a purely emotional thing, and that, teamed with the stigma attacted to mental illness and anti-depressants, leads to people believing they shouldn't take medication.

Although, yes there is some questioning over cause and effect (whether the depression/emotions cause the physical problem
[neurotransmitters] or whether the physical problem is the cause of the feelings of depression) the fact remains that there is scientific proof that those with depression have a problem with the levels of certain neurotrasmitters. Which is what medication helps.

But most people don't know this. They confuse depression with 'feeling a bit down' and therefore think that anti-depressants are 'unatural' and shouldn't be used because it's controlling emotions.

I don't believe that there's many cases where anti-depressant should be the only type of medication (usually some sort of couselling is also helpful, to understand the reasons behind the depression). I think that anti-depressants are to help people cope in the short-term, but that dealing with the issues that are causing the depression is also vital (although in some cases, there aren't any issues, it is purely a physical thing).

However I also think it's completely stupid that people suffer when they don't have to. I think becoming dependant on them is a weird reason not to, because if your doctor told you you had to take, say heart medication, for the rest of your life then you wouldn't worry about being 'dependant' on it! Because you'd realise you needed it.

I think lack of education on such matters is the main reason, teamed with the stigma of mental illness, particularly depression, and the media (only a few weeks ago I saw a man who was supposdly a 'expert' talking about anti-depression and said that it wasn't scientifically proven there was a physical problem in depression, and this was on a very very well known program, that many people watch. I couldn't believe it.).

Oh, the one other reason I would add, is that anti-depressants have many side effects when they are first taken. This puts people of taking them, and also makes people stop taking them quite early on. However, in reality, if you have the 'right' anti-depressant for you (yes sometimes I think it takes trying a few) then although you will get symptoms at first, after the first month, the symptoms usually lessen to almost non-existance, as you begin to feel better. Alot of people do not get to this stage though. They think it should be like other medication that works immediately.

Answer 2

Besides the awful side-effects of some anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, some people might prefer natural methods to curing depression-related problems. Some might not like the idea of becoming "drug-dependent" at all. Some might feel they do not *need* the medicine because their symptoms are only temporary. The truth is, depression does not cure itself. If you want to get better and feel better you need to start introducing yourself to different ways to feel better about your life, like exercising, eating healthy, or picking up a hobby. I overcame depression by eliminating the source of anxiety and stress in my life and becoming more spiritual. I have been cured for a total of 3 months now and nothing worked for me except the introduction of Jesus into my life. I still have the awful side-effects of the medicine I used to take but everyday I am exercising, eating healthy, and soon I will be back in school and studying again.

Answer 3

Medication is generally bad for you, anyway. I haven't taken any medicine for I forget how many years, over 5 at least.

Some depressed people want to get better, while others don't.

1) If the depressed person wants to get better, maybe they know intuitively that taking medication is just substituting one problem for another. They know that it will result in a dependence on the medication... which still makes them "sick".

2) If the depressed person doesn't want to get better, then why would they take any medication? Also, sometimes depressed people "like" being depressed, and feeling sadness/self-pity, which allows them to avoid facing life again, taking responsibility for their lives and moving forward. Staying at home all day is "easier."

Answer 4

Some say that the side-affects of their meds are worse than the illness, itself. For instance, some antidepressants are said to cause sexual dysfunction. Some of us could deal with that--rather than the alternative--but other people's entire lives are based on their sexual performance. They are not thinking that without their health intact, there will be none of that, anyway.

I have heard people complain that their medication makes them too drowsy to do anything--to accomplish anything--to write, draw, work, or exercise. I've also heard from some people that their medication causes a great deal of weight-gain--which makes them feel ashamed of themselves.

It is important for the doctors and loved-ones of depressed people to stress just how important taking their medication regularly is. Depression is an illness, and needs to be treated as such--just like any physical illness does.

Answer 5

Because there is such a stigma attached to mental illness. People are embarrassed to say they are depressed.
People also are having a difficult time reconciling that depression is an illness. So, they may not understand HOW medication can help them.
I know a lot of people will refuse to take medication because they believe it robs them of their personality, like they cease to be themselves if they take it. To an extent, some people do have a "numbing" reaction to antidepressants. But I also think that a some people get comfortable in depression (notice everyone, I said "some"). That is how they have always been and to be anything else is new, strange and scary. So, they prefer to be depressed.

Answer 6

Most people on antidepressants will find that their sex drive is lessened or just gone. That is a real drawback for an otherwise healthy, normal adult. Other people, though rare, will experience a bad reaction to antidepressants which can lead to psychotic behavior and even suicide. I'd say the majority who need this medication but don't take it do so because they have not yet accepted their need for it.

Answer 7

Imagine this:

When you have a headache, you take an aspirin to relieve yourself of that headache. Because the sympton and the relief are both physical, you understand that it is ok to treat a physical problem with a physical solution.

Depression is as much emotional and psychological as it is physical. To use medicine in the hopes of treating the emotional, psychological, as well as the physical crosses the bounds of ethical treatment: if they can use a medicine to make me 'feel' a certain way, can they use a medicine to make me feel a different way? How about a medicine to not allow me to do certain things or have certain feelings? Who is deciding which feelings are 'important' enough to keep?

Telling people that, if you are depressed, simply take this pill and you will 'feel' better, when the feeling is probably a jumble of physical, psychological and emotional (with the majority of the problem originating in the emotional and psychological, unlike the physical headache), you are not treating the problem, you are attempting to control it. Who wants to be on a medicine that simply 'controls' them rather than assists them in understanding why its happening?

Answer 8

Because the medication does not work for many. What is a constant that does work with those medications are the unpleasant side effects. Rest assure you will suffer at least one side effect if not 3 or more. My Dr. admitted this fact to me about antidepressants. That they are nothing more than a requested band aid. I will say an uninformed request wouldn't you?

Answer 9

Because of the side effects are not very pleasant.Being out of it all the time,being sleepy,not sleeping,dizzy, and the medication can cause other health problems.They react with other medication that the person is taking.

Answer 10

Because of the stigma attached to mental illness. If someone had a heart condition they would not hesitate to take medication for it, but it just isn't the same with mental illness. I think that another reason may be that they feel they are admitting to their mental problems by taking medication.