Why do people take anti-depressant pills?

Question

If someone's depressed, isn't there a reason? Shouldn't they try to mend their lives instead of doping their brains into pretending to be happy?

fyi: my therapist prescribed me welbutrins 100g...but when i take those pills, i start to feel status quo is ok. i have personality confusions, drug relaps, just plain depressed...but i feel it's better to feel good from accomplishmets or interactions

Answer 1

You should not be so quick to judge, friend. I wanted to die, and had it all worked out. I almost got r done once. When life gets so out of hand, especially through no fault of your own, the coping tools are not so evident.

I am glad you can be happy. I just have a difficult time even getting out of bed some days, and just force myself to go. To me, happiness is an abstract idea. Mainly meant for other folks, not for me. The medication does help, but at times even that is just marginally.

I take serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. The chemicals that make us feel at ease, and secure, are just not here naturally. I must take medication, to help keep my body from metabolizing the very chemicals I need to be even half way sociable.

I am not pretending to be happy, I would not have any point of reference to be able to do that.


Madformac, when you get me on your insurance, or pay for couseling, I'll be more than happy to take you up on that, I have NO insurance, and cannot afford $100.00 per hour for counseling.

Answer 2

I suffer from depression and I do not feel as if the medication alone is helping me all the time. It is a chemical imbalance yes and the medications help a great deal but therapy, my outlook, attitude, situation, surroundings, activities, etc. ( the list could go on and on) effect my depression. However, if someone is EXTREMELY depressed and unless you have experienced it you cannot know how it feels. A person does not feel nor see a way out at that time and there may be nothing "happening" in their lives as you say. I have been depressed for reasons unknown until later and then no reasons other than a chemical imbalance at others. Anti-depressants do NOT dope your brain if taken as prescribed and if truly needed. They also do NOT "make" your brain "pretend" to be happy. If your going to ask a question have some education on the subject or at least actually care about the answer. I would be more than happy to discuss depression and your misconstrued perceptions and anti depressants with you. Have a nice night~

Answer 3

clinical depression is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, that's the reason for it. Sometimes people have become overly focused on a traumatic event in their life, which eventually causes the chemical imbalance, and others don't have a well-balanced diet, which causes their body to sufferfor it, but whatever the root cause, people suffering from clinical depression have genuine medical issues to be considered.

Alot of people cannot make the necessary progress in psychotherapy without the help of antidepresants. A very minute amount of people actually take the meds without getting other methods of help.

FYI, it's not about "doping your brain", it's about re-regulating the brain to begin to handle the events of day to day life, and re-training yourself to realize that the person has the capacity to live each day to the fullest. Those with depression don't just take pills for the thrill of it; many mentally fight themselves over whether or not to "give in" to getting a second form of help. a.k.a antidepressants.

Answer 4

You really don't understand the point of the meds do you:? The point is that the only people who should be prescribing them is psych docs and combined w/ therapy so you are able to mend your life and the meds are a temp just until you are able to learn ways to deal w/ life better from your therapist....

I have suffered from ptsd since I was 12, and let me tell you there is nothing like finally finding a good psych (which I did in May, and the right comb of meds) he has really done so much for me and my marriage.

Answer 5

Yeah, I took Prozac for a while, and I knew my reasons.

1) I had just given birth to twin girls after carrying them around with me for 39 weeks. My hormones (and other chemicals) were out of whack. Medically, postpartum depression is a known disorder.

2) Five days after giving birth, my younger (and only) brother was in a drunk driving accident and was paralyzed from the chest down. He's still paralyzed, and may be for the rest of his life. He is now 23.

3)Three months after that, my husband was laid off from his job. We now had to figure out how to support three children and ourselves on $830 of unemployment a month. We live in Michigan, and I don't know if you heard, but there are no good-paying jobs in Michigan unless you're an auto executive or the Governor.

Are those good enough reasons to be depressed? Or should I have come up with $200/hour to go cry on someone's shoulder about the fact that my brother will never be able to take my son hunting? And that he'll never carry his nieces?

Answer 6

Wow, you seriously need to do some research on all of this. I agree that most people that are depressed should seek out a physiologist because some of the time, things can be worked through, and there are different kinds of therapy's can be very beneficial. However, therapy isn't enough for a lot of people with personality disorders. And there med's don't make them happy, it merely helps them to function to a level that they can get out of bed and do what needs to be done in a day and gives them the energy to deal with the things in their life that need to be dealt with.

Answer 7

"People" take anti-depressants because sometimes it's not situational, but chemical. Some people are so depressed they can't even begin to deal with the reason, if there is one. Anti-depressants make coping possible for some people. It's not always about just dealing with the situation.

Answer 8

Sometimes there are reasons, sometimes they aren't. It's always a good choice to try and fix the things you think are wrong but at a certain point people can't just snap out of it and anyone who's actually had a problem knows that.

Answer 9

specific, decreased sexual choose is a effortless area results of anti-depressants. It relies upon on the guy. all and sundry is affected in a various way. besides the indisputable fact that, it is not an excuse to have an affair. there is no excuse for that.

Answer 10

Amen, amen! Well that is very true, however when you have some quack writing you out a prescription for meds instead of telling you to go to a counselor and find out what the problem is, you need to ask some questions.

First, why are G.P.'s and Internists doing this, they have no real training in psychology? Well, they are drug whores, they get kickbacks for the meds they dole out to you and me.
Sad but true my friends.

Second, the only person who should ever write prescriptions for psychotropic meds are shrinks. Even with them, you have to be careful. I believe they also write out too many meds for problems better solved by talk and working out of issues.

Third, antidepressants are a big business.