On Medication

Although medication has failed me many times, I believe there is a place for it in treating major depression, especially in stabilizing individuals with severe depression, who are literally unable to function on a daily basis.  For those who cannot get out of bed for days and weeks or tend to their lives in any way, medication will stabilize their moods so they can get up and have the energy to seek the true source of their depression and discover long-term treatments.  We can’t help ourselves in any way if we can’t get out of bed.  We have to move in order to go on.

Most people turn to their doctors when they are feeling depressed, and often receive antidepressants. This is very common these days.  However, based on my experience, I have learned that it is also in your best interest to seek an opinion and a diagnosis from a psychiatrist who specializes in treating mental disorders and has more knowledge and experience with psychotropic medications. In general, it is a good idea to seek several opinions by various doctors when you have a medical or mental condition. You want to make sure you have an accurate diagnosis and an accurate treatment plan. But it doesn’t stop there. After speaking to your doctors, you need to start educating yourself about your disorder as well as research the medication you have been prescribed. In addition, you should seek the support of a psychotherapist, a support group, and long-term treatment methods to manage your depression whole.

If you are prescribed a medication, read up on it.  There are endless amounts of information available through books, Internet, journals, etc.  Also pay close attention to how the drug(s) affects your body and mood by keeping a daily journal of side effects, emotions, symptoms, and any changes that arises.  Your body is the best indicator to whether the medication is right for you.  Note every difference, change, and pain, and tell your doctor.

One in five Americans will have an episode of major depression disorder in their lifetime.  And although depression is the number one disorder in the world, affecting more than 19 million Americans, with a loss of over $50 billion of work productivity, it is the most overlooked and misunderstood disorder. 

Depression is not a delusion.  It is real. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain.  Depressed people do not produce an adequate amount of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine in their brains, which hinders their emotional stability and functioning, which affects our emotions, perspectives, thinking process, and spirit, and ultimately disrupts our relationships with everyone.  To this day, we still don’t know exactly what causes Depression.  It could be biological, environmental, psychological, social, and cultural factors, among others.  And the inevitable question is asked: which came first, the chicken or the egg.  Did the chemical imbalance happen first, which causes the state of Depression or did the Depression cause a chemical balance in the brain?  We still don’t know the answer.  Depression is still a great mystery in many ways.