I was prescribed anti-depressants, should I tell my family/friends?

Question

I'm 37 yrs old male and was never prescribed anti-depressants before. I think I suffer from mild depression. Is it a good idea to share this with friends and/or family. THANKS.

Answer 1

Only if you feel you want to. Being prescribed anti-depressants does not carry the stigma it once did. There is nothing to be ashamed about. You don't need to make a big deal of it, just let the conversation happen. I told my family/friends because it just was not a issue to me...helped me through the stress and no one thought less of me.

Answer 2

That depends on how much do you want your friends to know. I my experience taking antidepressants, I didn't tell anyone. I felt it was a private matter and I will deal with it myself. On the other hand, if you want to tell them for support, than it's up to you. While I didn't share my depression with anyone, this might be a good chance to gain support from your family and friends. Support is very important if the depression lingers for a long time. However, there is a bad side in sharing this information. Some people may feel uncomfortable with this and may even treat you differently because of the stigma attached to depression and mental health in general.

Answer 3

How close are you to your family and friends? If you have been depressed for any length of time, someone in your family or your friends have already seen the signs. If you are and have sought help for this, they would want to know I am sure, so that they can assist you, or be supportive. When you look at your situation as: Thank God - I have some help rather than suffering through this - you will understand how important it is to share. There are people who can and will help you. You'd be surprised to know that there are many people who are going through the same thing you are. I was ashamed at one point when I realized I could not handle emotions. For a long time - I suffered - ashamed to tell anyone how I was feeling. And finally I made an appointment with my doctor and had a 'real heart-to-heart' talk. We are working together and I advised my sister and family member who needed to know, my fiance', of course, my daughter - people who I thought were in the dark - were opening up and telling me that they knew SOMETHING was wrong. In a few months, they began to see a change. I was more "like myself" - the crying and anger had ceased. I am saying all this to you for only one reason - don't be ashamed to tell someone who loves you. You need close friends and family now. They can help you and be supportive of you. I am. I've been there.

Answer 4

There should be no embarrassment associated with taking anti-depressants...nor sharing with those individuals closest to you. The goal is to feel better - prescribed medication for your depression and the support of friends and family will go a long way in helping you achieve that goal.

Answer 5

It is completely up to you if you tell friends/family that you are on them. If you tell them, then you may have the extra support there for when you need to talk to someone. The only thing that may deter you from telling family and friends is if they will make negative comments about it. There is no shame in taking anti-depressants, if it is working for you then keep up the good work.

Work through your problems one day at a time and if things start to get too much then either talk to your Dr or confide in someone that you trust and that you know will be there for you.

Hope this helps and have a great day/night!!!

Answer 6

ZYes you should simply for the fact that anti depressants can have a large reange of side effects both physical and mental. You may not notice them yourself so it would be bes if you sat down and discussed it with your family and explained the possible side effects (listed on the fact sheet your pharmacist gave you) so that they can keep an eye out for them. It is nothing to be ashamed of, they should be proud of you that you reacted and sought treatment when you thought something may be wrong. Depression is no more your fault and within your control as getting cancer and they should be there to support you.

Answer 7

There is no reason to share unless you feel that you you owe them something...an explanation for your behavior/moods.
By telling others though you allow to help you watch for side effects that you may have.
The call is really a matter of how open you want to be with family.

Answer 8

If you are comfortable in telling them, do so. A lot of people suffer from depression for different reasons. The important thing is that you recognized things weren't quite right for you and you sought help. There is no shame in that. Good Luck to you.

Answer 9

I think it depends on what you are hoping for by sharing the information with others.
Would it make YOU feel better if you shared the information with others?
If you are suffering from depression, do whatever you feel will help overcome your depression. You are the important one. If you decide to share, do it for yourself, not others.

Answer 10

First, do you want to share it? because you don't have to if you don't want to.
Then even your friends and family, especially your family can be pretty critical and not understand you.

If you do tell them and get mixed or down-right negative comments, well, that's just hoopla and getting rid of what other people think of you is your first step in getting rid of depression. :o)