Went to see a Therapist

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-19-2007
Went to see a Therapist
10
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 4:35pm

Went to see someone the other day...and I have a couple of questions:


He suggested that I start taking anti-depressants after our first meeting but I have no desire to do so.

Avatar for northwestwanderer
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 4:55pm

Hmm...sounds like he was quick to offer anti-depressants.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-19-2007
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 5:05pm

He didn't mention that he thought I was clinically depressed (but I didnt ask him).

Avatar for northwestwanderer
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 5:15pm

I think of them as two separate things also (situational depression vs. clinical depression) but that's just my layman's understanding.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2008
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 7:46pm

Hi Ross.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-23-2005
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 7:47pm
It's such a personal question and I don't want to offend anyone. So with that in mind, I think it's totally normal to be depressed about what you're feeling and in the time frame so far. Now I don't know you or see you every day, but it seems AD shoudl be used as a last resort. I would trust your own instincts though!!

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-27-2007
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 8:04pm

I've been on Zoloft in the past and it helped me alot when we had to put my Mother into a nursing home.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-05-2006
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 8:13pm

My therapist also suggested anti-depressants to me and I haven't wanted to take them, so I don't think it's that uncommon. I don't see anything wrong with using them, but I don't think they're necessarily a good way out, because when you want to go off of them (which you will eventually have to), the thoughts might still be there to deal with. Clinical and situational depression are very different. Bottom line, I would say only to take them if YOU really want to.

You posted about morning and night being the hardest times of day, and I agree. That's why I chose to go on sleeping pills instead of anti-depressants, because when you can't get through the night it just makes it that much worse. In the mornings, I try to get out of bed and start my day as quickly as possible, but in order to get those negative thoughts out of your head at bedtime, I've found Ambien to be very helpful.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-01-2008
Tue, 01-22-2008 - 10:32pm

dear rossjack,

my experience with anti-depressants when my therapist recommended i take them was that i stopped crying so easily. they just took the edge off the pain so that recovery seemed more possible to me. they didn't change me at all and i never felt addicted to them, although you should never go off of the suddenly without tapering down the dosage.

i tried several different ones and found wellbutrin the most effective with the least side effects, i.e. drowsiness, weight gain, etc.

i am still on them now and my father is in last stages of cancer and i know that i would be much more an emotional mess than i am if i were not taking them. nobody knows i am taking them and nobody has noticed any difference in me. actually when i was crying all the time and so devastated before taking them, i drew more attention.

anti-depressants have an unfair stigma and should be used and not abused when needed. i don't see anything wrong with a little help now and then. i don't see it as a shortcut but a support mechanism in controlling the emotions and being better able to face the facts.

if you really don't think they will help you, than you probably don't need them. i was ready for some relief from the emotion rollercoaster and was happy to have the choice.

i hope this helps in some way.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-19-2007
Wed, 01-23-2008 - 5:19pm
Thanks to everyone for their advice...you have been a great help.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-21-2003
Wed, 01-23-2008 - 10:05pm

Hi there,

I'm a medical writer and have written quite a bit about depression. While the medical community used to make a distinction between endogenous (induced by a chemical imbalance) and exogenous (induced by life events) depression, it no longer does. The current view is that depression is depression and that life events can alter body chemistry so the distinction between the two is moot. In its diagnostic criteria for major (clinical) depression, the DSM-IV lists only SYMPTOMATIC criteria and makes NO mention of the source of depression (i.e., life events vs. spontaneous).

I've been on antidepressants (for anxiety more than depression) on and off for the past 10+ years. They're not addictive, but you do get a "rebound effect" when going off them. It can last several weeks, and you tend to feel more sensitive, impatient and "on edge" than normal. Depending on the drug and your body chemistry, you may feel a slight sense of psychological remoteness or "depersonalization" while taking it -- or not. I haven't experienced it in many years.

As you probably know, antidepressants have significant sexual side effects in many people, muting both sexual desire and response. When I'm on my drug I can't come no matter how long I try. The good news (at least for me) is that during the "rebound effect" sexual interest and response tends to be higher than normal, so it can be a fun time.

I do not see antidepressants as cheating or taking the easy way out. When depression/anxiety is severe enough, for whatever reason, these drugs can help you function to the point that you can do the psychological work to heal.

HTH Freelance




Edited 1/23/2008 10:12 pm ET by freelancemomma