Are AntiDepressants the way to go

Former Member

I get some serious (clinical) depression. More so I don't want to live any more.

I am considering getting some help, firstly through my GP then maybe some counselling.

If I am told to use Antidepressants, should I?

My believe is that they do not solve the problem, perhaps only add to it.

Any advice

Former Member

I have been on my anti depressants now for about 4 months I didn’t really want to go on them but I knew if I didn’t do something that might help I would end up killing myself (which at the time I wanted but I knew my family would be hurt). I heard lots of people say that they can make you worse and that it isn’t real ‘happiness’ and I didn’t want to be dependant on pills just to get me though the day. but I give them ago and I feel better for it. I’m also in counselling

In my experience anti depressants are working for me. I’m not so suicidal and can actually be arsed to get up in the morning yeah I still have bad days but mostly I feel batter

anti depressants isn’t for everyone talk to you g.p he/she will explain everything the plusses and the negatives

Good luck

mary

Former Member

In my experience anti depressants are working for me. I’m not so suicidal and can actually be arsed to get up in the morning yeah I still have bad days but mostly I feel batter

sorry i made a spelling mistake it is better

u can tell i aint been to sleep all night

Former Member

Anti depressants certainly won't affect the root cause of your depression, but may help lift your mood. Your GP will be able to give you more information. Why do you think anti depressants and counselling will help? What do you hope they will do for you?

BTW, "clinical depression" is a diagnosis, not a feeling.

Former Member

Anti depressants made me more depressed. When i come off them i felt so much better.

So im my case it was all very psycological, but if you believe they can help then i suggest taking them.

Former Member

anti depressants arent a cure, but they lift your mood sufficently that you can start to work through it

Former Member

ADs cure nothing, but they can work at stabilising mood. I was on Prozac for a while, it helped me a lot, though it cured nothing.

Former Member

I think it depends on why you are depressed. If you are depressed and theres a proper reason for it, a true identifiable cause, then antidepressants might not be the answer, and counselling or psychotherapy might be more suitable.
If there is no cause that you can think of for your depression, then it may be a chemical imbalance in the brain, and you may well find a course of antidepressants very helpful.
My husband is on seroxat, and he has found it to have helped him a lot.

Former Member

I knew a girl who tried to kill herself with the antidepressants... so I guess you should not do that...

I mean... you realy think you need a psykiatrist? I, personaly, think a psycologist is better...

And try to be next to your friends (truly friends), they will help you too!!!!

Former Member

Yeah as everyone else said anti depressants wont cure the depression but they might make u feel batter so you can find the cause and then maybe a councillor (sp) will help you sort though the problem

As I said earlier they are helping me a lot. Just gives me the energy to get up in the morning and sort though all the shit that was making me depressed in the first place

Former Member

Depression is a catch all term that really isnt all that helpful, there are thousands of reasons for it and all of them have slightly different best cures.

Some people are just plain chemically depressed, for one reason or another they have lower dopaimine and seratonin levels and this affects their perception of life.

Others have relatively normal levels of these chemicals yet because of self image or other problems feel depresed.

For chemical depression SSRI's or even MOAI's could be useful.

For the more self image based problems then counselling is far more effective.

Former Member

Originally posted by not_an_angel
I knew a girl who tried to kill herself with the antidepressants... so I guess you should not do that...

I mean... you realy think you need a psykiatrist? I, personaly, think a psycologist is better...

And try to be next to your friends (truly friends), they will help you too!!!!

Useful.

Depressed girl in attempted suicide shocker!

They're all the same, roughly. Or the terms are used interchangably.

Only good advice if you have some, non?

Former Member

I've got a severe form of depression. I only admitted to it after I tried to kill myself, and by then, my family had found out. I couldn't deny it any longer. I'm seeing my GP monthly for check-ups, my counselling started last week. I'm using anti-depressants and at first, they did make me feel worse. They also had some unwelcome side effects. Anti-depressants do not solve the problem. That is something you must do for yourself, though others will help you. To think I very nearly lost the chance to learn that lesson. In short, anti-depressants will help you, but not on their own.

Former Member

Originally posted by not_an_angel
I knew a girl who tried to kill herself with the antidepressants... so I guess you should not do that...

if someone is gonna attempt suicide they'll use whatever is handy. this is not a reason to not use anti depressants

Former Member

When i went on anti-depressants, my doctor described them to me like this:

If you have a headache, you take paracetamol. It doesn't take away the cause of the pain, it just lets you get on with day to day life. Anti-depressants are exactly the same, except the pain isn't physical.

Going on the anti-depressants might help you gain focus as to what's causing the depression because you won't be so wrapped up in it.

Former Member

Originally posted by Sa-ra-ra-ra
Going on the anti-depressants might help you gain focus as to what's causing the depression because you won't be so wrapped up in it.

:yes: That is exactly what has happened to me. I am now trying to sort out the issues that have been dragging me down. I gree fully with that doctor's analysis.

Former Member

It depends on the cause, most times its because of actual trauma or 'issues' but in some cases its a chemical imbalance and thenthe SSRI's or MOAI's are actually treating the problem.

Former Member

Ive never been afraid to take anti depressants as i think that anything it better than carrying on as i was. OR, if they do make it all 10 times worse- ill have the push i need to end it.

As it happened they only worked for about 6 months and it it wasnt that good anyway, just made me numb. couldnt cry or anything and got sick of feeling like that so stopped it.

Star Galaxy, when i think of somebody as having severe depression, i think of the people that dont get out of bed and have a crisis team looking after then, which means a social worker or cpn visiting them daily to check on them etc etc. or the people in and out of psych hospitals.
I think its easy to fear the worst and self-diagnose and worry and fret and get yourself even more down over it.

Former Member

Originally posted by Sa-ra-ra-ra
If you have a headache, you take paracetamol. It doesn't take away the cause of the pain, it just lets you get on with day to day life. Anti-depressants are exactly the same, except the pain isn't physical.

I like that way of explaining it

Former Member

Originally posted by FallenAngel84
Stargalaxy: when i think of somebody as having severe depression, i think of the people that dont get out of bed and have a crisis team looking after then, which means a social worker or cpn visiting them daily to check on them etc etc. or the people in and out of psych hospitals.

Yes, I worry too much. It's just part of who I am. I sometimes struggle to get out of bed in the morning, (no motivation some days) but have not seen a CPN. My mum keeps going on about them, says I should have seen one by now. That's a Community Psychiatric Nurse, is it?

Former Member

Have you had a risk assessment interview with a social worker yet?

Former Member

No. I saw my GP in July, I saw a specialist from a mental health department from the North Wales NHS Trust later that month. I see my GP monthly, I saw my counsellor next week and my next appointment is this coming Thursday. No one's said a thing to me about social workers.

Former Member

Your GP refered you to the specialist, that was quite probably the social worker then, or at least a mental health worker, the first appointment with them would have been the risk assessment interview.

Former Member

Ah, that explains everything! That specialist did ask me a lot of questions about myself. I had to fill in these questionnaires. I think it was a mental health worker. Thanks, bongbudda, it all makes sense now.

Former Member

They asked things like 'do you cut yourself' and 'do you think about death' I'm sure.

There is a set list of questions you see, they then take the answers to a panel of social workers because they dont make case choices by themselves anymore.

Then the recomendations are put back to your GP and he/she refers you, or not, to treatment elsewhere.

Former Member

That is exactly what they asked. Your explanations make more sense than any explanation offered by the people who are helping me. Thanks, this is very helpful, Bongbudda.

Former Member

I've had that interview myself you see, for insomnia, basically to come to the conclusion that I'm well adjusted I just cant sleep.

Former Member

thats interesting that risk assessment stuff.
My counseller was going to do something like that with me, but she doesnt see me anymore.
i got referred to a psychiatrist but he is digging his heels in about seeing me too, so im on my own as the gp doesnt wanna prescribe, and she tells me the counseller will contact me.
no winning here.

GP said wrexham would be a better place to go but they wont have me coz im just over the border, so im guessing thats why your getting better treatment star galaxy and actually getting something sorted. good luck.

Former Member

Your GP can apply for you to have treatment in a different PCT, it just takes a GP who is willing to work for it.

I am being refered out of my PCT for my insomnia, the PCT has refused to pay for it but my doctor is really nice, he just said "Well, when the bill comes they'll pay it, they'll have to".

Former Member

I've never heard of half of this stuff.

Though I presume when I first went to the mental health unit in Newcastle it was "risk assessment". Which should scare me, really, seeing how quickly they found me somewhere

Former Member

Your GP should really have explained the whole process to you, the first visit they send you to is a 'risk assessment' interview with a social worker.

From there a letter is sent back to your GP with recomendations, he/she then acts on that and uses it as justification to the PCT for the treatment you need.

Maybe I've just got a nice GP. Or maybe you lot are all so mental your GP doesnt think you'll understand it.