What do you think of antidepressants for severely depressed people?

Well those pills are tricky buisness, u end up like being a guinea pig, u keep tryin differant ones till u find one that works, some of the side effects of those antidepressants aren’t good, one being su!cide

I totally agree…in fact \i would do everything & anything to not be on them especially if I could help it by seeing a professional & trying to work through my issues. I have seen what pills have done to my cousin who has OCD…for years he has been feeling like a guinea pig from one med to another til even shock therapy…I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemies…well maybe one person…my ex’s home wrecker! :P

Thx for agreeing :-)

absolutely…I hv seen it happen…one of the main reasons I hate docs…they keep shoving meds down your throat in hopes that it might work…if it doesnt shove some thing else til it does…it never stops…bcz of the side affects! :(

well im already kinda suicidal in a way so thats kinda covered. thats why they want to put me in a residential program and for a bunch of other things…

I say it doesnt always work that way…talk to someone about how you feel why you feel the need to be suicidal & perhaps see another therapist if they feel you need to be shoved pills down your throat! I always tell people, if you arent satisfied with your physician, therapist or obgyn then get another…perhaps your intuition is trying to tell you something…dont fight it… Always free on Funmail if you need to talk Nicolee…that is what some of us do here…;) chin up sweetie♥

I am sorry, but a person does not have a ‘need’ to feel suicidal. They just feel that way. And talking to someone does not always magically fix their desire to be dead. Therapists are not all gung ho about medication. I personally feel it is a last resort thing. But if someone was suicidal and residential was called for, then that is what I would recommend. I don’t think people should be giving out mental health advice when they’re not trained. Lots of people have other instincts about therapy and getting help, especially when they want to die. It doesn’t mean the instinct is correct. My suggestion, talk to your therapists some more about this. You should never feel like you’re being forced into something. But you also have to realize that sometimes you have to make difficult choices in order to get better.

Here is what I, as a psychology student and sufferer of bipolar, think. Yes, when you start treatment, you start on a trial and error thing. Unfortunately there is currently no other way of treating psychological disorders. There is continious research being done on this and I’m sure some day we will have a better method, but untill then, this is the best we can do and it has worked for many, many, many people. Including myself. Yes, there are some side effects from taking these medications. But your docter will make sure that they are not worse than the effects of your disorder. At the start of my treatment I had a adverse effect to one of the medications - I itched like crazy - and my docter prescribed something else for me. Personally, I would rather live with some of the side effects and taking pills every day than feelling like I did. Things were bad and I was on the verge of taking my own life more than once. Now I have a happy, normal life. My studies are going great and I see my friends and I actually get up in the mornings and live! So what ever is said about these medications, they have changed my life for the better and I am pro-psychotropic medications.

I think medication for depression should be a last resort and only used as a necessity. In other words, people should try any and all other methods to fix their problem FIRST. The drug companies spend alot on advertising for thier antidepressants and use the power of suggestion that works on certain people to make them think “yeah, maybe I need that drug” when in fact they may not need it. Life is not easy, and we all have problems that we have to work through. I’m only suggesting that people try other things first before just taking meds because a medication that alters a person’s brain chemistry is a serious thing.

Treating depression often does come down to medication. There is only so much you can do with talk therapy. Talk therapy can take years to help if it does at all. Medications range from helping immediately to taking a few months to reach therapeutic levels. Modern antidepressants have fewer side-effects and are safer than earlier medications. Antidepressants tend to increase volition. This is generally a good thing but for young people who are self destructive antidepressants can make it easier for them to go through with their plans. Doctors and the lay public know that there is an increased risk among patients under 24 killing themselves when taking antidepressants. Do pharmaceutical companies push antidepressants too much? yes they do. Do doctors sometimes prescribe medications since it is easy instead of suggesting other therapeutic choices? yes they do. Are antidepressants over-prescribed? probably. But antidepressants also help millions of people who otherwise would suffer and find little joy in life. Antidepressants are certainly suitable for severely depressed people; also for moderate or even mild depression if it helps. Nobody should have to suffer unnecessarily.

I know for a fact that when they work on an individual they work really well my dad has anxiety and depression and i remember before he was diagnosed and what he was like then and it was awful but since he was diagnosed it’s like he’s a completely different person

I think people really need to learn to deal with their problems and not rely on medicine, especially when that medicine usually has warnings along the lines of, This can make teens and young adults more su1cidal. What the f*ck? Im against medicine for different reasons and I believe that most “disorders” dont really exist such as, Depression, Bipolar disorder, ADHD, and so on. It’s all a bunch of sh1t to me. :) Any questions on my beliefs, ask away.

Just out of curiosity what is it about these disorders that lead you to believe they are contrived? Also, why these particular disorders over any other psychological disorder?

well im in therapy and the therapist and my doctor both want me to go on it because there is more threatening issues than just the depression going on and they think its one of the only ways to cure me of my other s#%#.

I’m sorry, but this answer is idiotic. Depression, Bipolar and ADHD don’t exist? Do you seriosly believe the steriotype that people who suffer from psychological disorders are raving and foaming at the mouth? You seriosly need to inform yourself. Do you have any idea that major depressive disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain?! Its a sickness! Its not just a matter of feeling a bit sad! Many people feel depressed for no reason. There have been no trauma in their lives, but they are depressed. Depression is the psychological disorder that kills the second most people! It is very, very serios! So please, read up before you say something like this again, because you obviosly have no idea!

I totally understand what you mean, on some level I agree that some diagnostics require medication to help stimulate parts of the brain that is unbalanced…some cases are not as severe needing the treatment of medication. I have researched so much into psychology I have read books on Ron Hubbard, Katie Byron and much much more to know that not always is there a necessity to treat unbalances using medication.
Sometimes, there is an alternative…using psychotherapy self improvement classes and simply working with a group will allow you to meet the reasons behind the anxiety…like here take this for instance…classic Ron Hubbard’s discovery… when you were a child (I am sure most people) heard their parents scream, Dont go in the deep end, be careful not to drown…some people whom have heard this precise words will have a phobia of the water…all because as a child we heard those words if in fact while as a child we didnt hear those words a lot of kids wouldnt have grown up with that phobia… here is another classic case…you know when kids want to eat something like ice cream/candy or whip cream & just dont want to stop..Parents keep yelling if you are going to eat all of that you are going to get sick…how many of us have done at least one of those things just to puke it all out at the end of the day?! We wind up hating it as we grow up, I know I have…there are ways to deal with that…just like any thing…you just need to know the tools to use…and must understand that you cant do it alone…which is why most times I say…if you want to make a change you need to look at yourself in the mirror & begin there…help doesnt always mean 1 on 1 sessions with a shrink…which is why I always say find a self improvement class…most issues are caused by something that trigger it…it began even as early as being in womb can only be treated by having sessions to deal with it…not medication! Through these sessions you work through the issues…I have seen miracles happen…without any medication necessary…its called a cleansing…when you cleans yourself of your past…learning to live with yourself in the present so you can be happy in the future! First thing first is you have to learn to let go…and here is where it begins…not everyone can let go…the pain lingers and til you cant reach that root of the problem, it is impossible to treat! That is just my 2 cents…No one has to agree with me…it’s just from my personal experience. ;)

One thing I noticed is that people who don’t have a psychological condition and have no direct experience with it often think they are experts on it. I get this all the time from well wishing friends and family about my daughter’s ADHD. Even though they have never dealt with it they are convinced they know better than psychiatrists, educators, and parents.

I agree with you. Some people have depression because of grief or some other trauma. If the problem can be sorted out in therapy and without medication it is preferable. This is going to be my profession very soon. I’ll be helping people through therapy, not medication. So I’m a firm believer in therapy and so on. The best cases of people getting better is when they combine therapy with psychotropic medications.

Very true!

The first thing to be brought in light is that antidepressants come with a serious bag of side effects.When you take them you also take in the side effects,and these side effects can be awfully brutal and can have awfully adverse effects on your system.Well the side effects ain’t for sure to cause harm but there is always a ‘may’.According to a doctors blog research has proved that exercise is awesomely effective in reducing depression in layman’s terms exercise is the best antidepressant.

To avoid any side effects causing a chance of harm it is better to take a safer way of exercise.

Note:In my update above i didn’t target or had any intentions to say that antidepressants don’t work,my main objective of saying was that they might work but there is also a chance that they might cause irreversible damage to the body.

Thanks I agree, I am a firm believer as well! I wish to someday practice as well just not sure I can go through all of that paperwork…Suzaan, would you mind if I asked you some advice in funmail…?

Well, it depends on the situation at hand. My brother used to be like, psycho… He was only 11 years old and he had the symptoms of ADHD and was really violent and had really bad learning difficulties. The psychologist said that he didn’t have ADHD, that you can’t name what causes him to think the way he does. He went on anti-depressants to lower his serotonin levels and the medication has really toned down his attitude and behaviour. He still has his moments but he’s doing really good now.

Not at all! Always a pleasure to help! :-)

One thing I’d add is that you generally do not cure psychological conditions; you manage them. Someone who is afflicted with depression, anxiety, delusions, phobias, learning disabilities etc. can learn to function with their challenges but they really are never really cured. While this sounds dire remember that most of the greatest thinkers, scientists, inventors, artists, and musicians had some psychological problem. Sometimes it seems like people with great gifts also have great challenges.

Michelle, I respect your opinion but if I were to ‘deal with my own problems’ I would probably end up killing myself, that was the only way I saw to deal with it before I got on antidepressants =/ soooo, yep.