Advice On Whether To Ask Your Doctor For Medication For Depression

by WildeWoman

posted on 09/30/2009

The Great Depression Debate
Depression affects over 14 million American adults. Those who are familiar with depression are often painfully aware of the many ways it can infiltrate both your mind and your body. Not only does depression cause emotional pain and despair, it can cause substantial physical pain. Headaches, back aches, sore muscles and joints are all indicated in a diagnosis of situational or major depression. This combination of physical discomfort and mental malaise is devastating. It affects not only the patient, but their spouses, children, parents, friends and coworkers.

That said, emotional upheaval is not always depression. There is a certain level of normalcy in having an emotional response to stressful situations. If you find yourself having a rough time with your emotions, are you actually - clinically - depressed?

Understandably Overwhelmed
Even without an official diagnosis, many Americans are feeling the weight of their emotions. When you take into account the sheer velocity of living in America these days, the information overload we are all experiencing, and the mind-boggling choices and chances we are making and taking daily, it's no wonder we are all feeling a little shell-shocked. The news is full of horrific crimes in our neighborhoods, rife with scandals, financial meltdowns, and violence. All of us have morphed into couch potatoes occasionally, not actually comprehending the flickering images on the screen, lacking the energy to get up and do much of anything. We are in full "TILT" mode, we've reached our saturation point - if I had to come up with one word to summarize this decade, I think it would be "overwhelmed."

As the Commercial Says, "Depression Hurts..."
Yes, depression does hurt - I was diagnosed with major depression ten years ago, and have taken a number of antidepressants, combined with therapy. But I currently live medication-free, happier than I've been in many years. After living with the reality of depression, nothing gets me more steamed than hearing this at the water cooler:

"I've sure been irritable lately. I think I'm going to call my doctor for some happy pills."

We live in a society that believes in the "silver bullet," that if there is a pill to make you lose weight, grow hair, be happy, or stay young - we'll take it. We'll pay for it, go ahead and add that overnight shipping fee; we'll eagerly swallow it down regardless of side effects. I believe big-business pharmaceutical companies fully count on this American attitude of the "quick fix." Anti-depressants are being prescribed regularly by general practitioners, and for the most part, all a patient has to do is ask for them. Doctors may ask a few "assessment" questions of their patients, but generally aren't opposed to prescribing Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor, or Cymbalta. They will urge you to follow up with a therapist, true. But not before you start taking pills. And medicating the public has become the first line of treatment, as opposed to the last.

Be Wary of Taking Two and Calling In the Morning
As consumers of medical services, we need to be more prudent in treating what we think might be depression or other mental health disorders. If you are feeling down, or irritable, or have a sense that life has lost its luster, you should most definitely seek help immediately. But do keep an open mind about medication, be sure to seek help from a mental health professional, and do couple any medication with therapy, support groups, and classes on coping with mental health issues. Don't just watch the countless commercials for antidepressant medications and assume you NEED them.

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