Let’s get right to it: there should be NO stigma or shame attached to taking antidepressants, anxiety meds etc.
It really gets to me that there’s still people out there who see them in such a negative light. Yes the medications may not help everyone and in some cases can make symptoms worse. But for all those people that they help? They are genuinely a lifesaver. Nobody should be made to feel bad about taking meds for depression and other mental health issues. So, let’s get a few things straight…
- Antidepressants do NOT make you weak or any less of a human
- They don’t cause ‘fake happiness/feelings’
- Taking them isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Fact
- Some people need them indefinitely and that is okay
- Others take them for shorter periods and that is okay too
- They enable you to cope with life
- And, in my case, they simply allow me to be 100% me
- I’ve been taking antidepressants since autumn 2010 and don’t regret a single tablet
- I will take them for as long as I need and don’t give a shit if that’s months, years or decades
- You don’t know everyone’s story or what’s going on in their minds, so you have no right to make a judgement on that which you know nothing about
- Some people choose other alternatives to medication, but that doesn’t mean their issues are any less severe or debilitating
- And medication isn’t the first option for these issues. Doctors will recommend self-help first, counselling etc. And if those don’t help, then pharmaceutical avenues will be explored
- Why is it that with a number of ongoing physical conditions, taking medication long-term is never questioned, but for mental health, some people suddenly get in a tizzy about it? You wouldn’t tell a diabetic that they didn’t really need their insulin. So why is someone with long-term depression for example any different?
Basically, don’t be a dick about it. Educate yourself, do some research. And if you still have nothing positive, helpful or supportive to say, keep it to yourself
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