Born2Sew

Glad someone used the term Chemical Imbalance. That is exactly what it is and I could write a book on the subject.
My daughter has one and should be on meds but has no health ins to afford to go to a doctor. The meds make it bearable to be around her. Of course they help her as well, don't misunderstand. At the time we found the right doctor for her, she had carved the initials DA in her arm with a razor blade. More calmly than I felt, I asked her what the initials stood for. She said, Death Angel. That was enough to scare me into finding someone who would finally help us. Anti depressants saved her life.

I also take them, but mostly because they help to aleviate pain. The Methotrexate I take is far more dangerous to the liver, than the anti d's. I have to go for blood work every 2 months to check my liver enzymes. Never used to take any kind of med whatsoever. Now I take a handful every night.
Almost need to anti d's just to compensate the depression brought on from having to take all this other stuff. Certainly I would not choose to have to take anything, but would find my state of being miserable if I didn't.

kat112000

I am on Prozac and will be for the rest of my life. I have a chemical imbalance and without my daily "happy" pill I would probably be in jail for murder!! Believe me I have tried to get off of the pill but my body just won't let me and I have come to terms with that. Thank goodness I have a great insurance plan that pays for my meds!!!!

redrummy

I disagree. I think we just know more about conditions of others than we used to. And I don't think all Drs. over prescribe. Depression is a conditon in which your body no longer makes the needed chemicals you need. That is where the meds come in. Would you tell a diabetic they shouldn't take their meds? would you tell a cancer patient to not take treatment?

gaigai

Maryse, I think that sentence explains why you don't understand. There are many people who think someone who is depressed must have "something to be depressed about" that causes it, and that isn't the case at all. It is a chemical imbalance, and usually has nothing to do with what is or is not "going on in your life". And it is very real!! I am glad you've never experienced it. My sister hasn't either, and doesn't really understand, but she accepts that it is real, and PHYSICAL, not mental. That's all that is needed, really. And if you learn something, it's not a bad thing.

MegsAnn

I know many people who have tried anti-depressants 'cause they were going through a hard time in their lives and found that it really didn't help. They stopped taking the meds because it wasn't effective... they didn't have clinical depression which is about brain chemistry, they had depression based on what was happening in their lives.

Me, I've been on anti-depressants for a couple of years now and I can tell you it isn't a "happy pill" for me. It just makes the darkness a little less black so that I can work my way back to life... through having friends, quilting, therapy, etc.

Oh and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for starting this thread! Depression, meds, etc are things that desperately need to be talked about on both ends, the pros and cons.

Plus the first 5 meds that I tried... whoa I was going for a wild ride there for a while. I was on one that would literally knock me out; within 20 minutes of taking it I could no longer hold my head up. That can't be the best thing for your body. Even the one I'm on now has made me gain weight which is unnatural. So yes there are risks and bad side-effects that people need to be aware of so they can make a good choice.

Gramof6

Marsye I am not going to chop off your head because I am so thankful that you do not have to deal with this illness. It is a hell on earth until a proper med can get you balanced out. There may be more people on meds now because it is better understood these days, more people see there is something not right within themselves & go for help, and there are better meds now. And the fact that it is also talked about more freely. I have dealt with this for over 30 yrs & will for the remainder of my life. Some days it is a real stuggle to try to find something to be positive about. I am not ashamed to admit it & I am very happy & thankful that there are meds out there that help yet, I can function without feeling drugged or out of it. This is an illness.

Born2Sew

It really is all about understanding what another person is dealing with regarding any illness. I've seen people that didn't look disabled at all, now that I am it has taken on an entirely new perspective.

I think this thread was a great idea. It is how we all learn. I hope no one gets their head chopped off! Fewer disagreements would result if we could all just understand each other better.

Hugs to all of you.

Lisa_wanna_b_quilter

Being down is a passing thing. Everyone is down on occaision. Being heart broken is a normal thing. Everyone is heart broken at some point in life. People who are heart broken or just down, get on with life. They are sad. Maybe even miserable, but they are functional.

Being depressed is a whole different ball of wax. Being depressed is laying in bed, listening to your baby cry because it's hungry and just not being able to get up and do anything about it. I don't mean not WANTING to get up and do anything. I mean being physically unable to get up.

You know what you should do. You even want to do those things but you just can't. You know you have no "reason to be depressed", but you just can't shake it.

Being depressed is like living under water. You are semi disconnected to the world. Every little thing is a chore. Just taking a shower is a major undertaking.

People tell you to "snap out of it" as if you would subject yourself to this misery if you had any control over it.

Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It is very difficult to understand if you've never lived it.

All that being said, I totally agree that the United States is becoming an overmedicated society. We do need to be more watchful of what drugs we are taking. No one should take unnecessary drugs. We still don't understand the long term consquences of so may of them.

Honey

When I went for counseling, the Dr. said this about my case: When a person is under a great deal of stress for a prolonged period of time (ptsd) your body will adjust by putting out more of the chemical that helps you deal with it. If this goes on for to long, it will actually cause a physical change in the brain. Once that happens, there is no changing it back. That is when the imbalance comes in. For some, it is just there. For others it is a reaction to overwhelming stress. But there is one thing that we all seem to have in common. We would never wish depression on our worst enemy. It is, indeed, a living hell.

Darlene loves Chocolates