Pushed quickly into antidepressants?

[schopenh]

Hi everyone.

Out of curiosity, I'm wondering how many people were experiencing a period of depression that was shorter than 12 months before they were offered or indeed encouraged to take anti-depressant medications?
As a follow up, how many have been on them for longer than two years?
Please give as much detail as possible, I will read all.

I suspect that early intervention with anti-depressants and the consequences of that possibly set many people up for their lifelong battles with depression. The evidence base for their efficacy and safety is marred with methodological and corruption issues. We do have a correlation: rates of (diagnosed) depression (and other mental health issues) are rising, rates of suicides are rising and rates of anti-depressant prescriptions are rising. It just remains to be seen if some sense can be made of it with some high quality research (and that will never happen).

 

[Darkhaven]

Me.
I started getting depressed when i became aware that i was getting sick, in July 2018.
In April 2019, during an appointment with a neurologist to shed some light on my disease, she prescribed me Sertraline when i answered positively when she asked me if i was having suicidal thoughts and depression.
She also counseled me to go see a psychiatrist.
I never did take the pills and i never went to see the psychiatrist.
I have a chronic and progressive neurological disease and ain't no changing no that. And for me live ain't worth living no more. There ain't no psychiatrist nor SSRI that can give my strength and health back.

 

[Rachel74]

I started antidepressants at 18 and I'm now 44 and still on them.

 

[schopenh]

Me.
I started getting depressed when i became aware that i was getting sick, in July 2018.
In April 2019, during an appointment with a neurologist to shed some light on my disease, she prescribed me Sertraline when i answered positively when she asked me if i was having suicidal thoughts and depression.
She also counseled me to go see a psychiatrist.
I never did take the pills and i never went to see the psychiatrist.
I have a chronic and progressive neurological disease and ain't no changing no that. And for me live ain't worth living no more. There ain't no psychiatrist nor SSRI that can give my strength and health back.

In a similar situation. What disease do you have?
They have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to prescribing anti-depressants and referring to colleagues. All part of the racket.

 

[Darkhaven]

In a similar situation. What disease do you have?
They have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to prescribing anti-depressants and referring to colleagues. All part of the racket.

I have Essential Tremor. Still mild.
She got really concerned when i confessed that i wanted to kill myself. She's very Catholic and a big Pro Life supporter.
Kind of person that was born in a rich family, has good genes, an easy life, married, has kids, and thinks that everyone sees the world the same way she does.
Fucking creeps. These people scare and enrage me at the same time.

 

[DoNotLet2]

I have Essential Tremor. Still mild.
She got really concerned when i confessed that i wanted to kill myself. She's very Catholic and a big Pro Life supporter.
Kind of person that was born in a rich family, has good genes, an easy life, married, has kids, and thinks that everyone sees the world the same way she does.
Fucking creeps. These people scare and enrage me at the same time.

You're so much right, we're not equal unfortunately. Some people have it better, some have it worse, but some people don't understand that.
I mean... I never took antidepressants and never will, because I lack something that no drug can give me.

 

[a_strange_day]

On them for 20 years On/Off but mostly on. It's hard to objectively answer the question of whether it helped or made things worse over the years, but I remember that at first it helped a lot. I started with Fluoxetine + Benzos and it worked very well for at least 3-4 years, then I stopped, then I started again, the I stopped again, then I started again, repeat Ad Vitam.
I honestly don't know if it made my depression worse or if it allowed me to survive longer, it's very difficult to say given there are many other factors to consider, but what I can say for sure is that I ended up with problems that I didn't have before like anorgasmia, brain fog, blurred vision etc...
But I don't regret anything since it allowed me to have an "almost normal" life for some years, something I couldn't have had without it.

 

[Little Mook]

I was put on anti depressants at 18 , because of compulsions and an eating disorder. Still on them now , I'm 39.
I think I am worse off them , but I've never had continuity of good mental health , so that doesn't say in favour of them either!