I don't feel that meds can help me.

[Karen17]

I know of course that medications do not simply take away your problems, but I feel that the antidepressant that I just started is not going to help me until I help myself. I don't understand how medication can take away someone's depression until the stressful things they're dealing with are dealt with...are you following me? Lol. I have so much stuff to deal with and it's all just consuming me. I don't believe that a pill can take me out of this... I just don't understand how these meds work exactly.

[lt33]

Hi Karen,

You're right, there, meds alone won't do it on their own.

Yet, it seems you're on the right track in acknowledging that you'll have to deal with the causes of your depression instead of trying to make it "go away" as by magic.

I'm pretty much in your situation: I have things to deal with and it overwhelms me in a way that I feel I will never be able to get things sorted. But it seems there's no other way, it's like a desert that must be crossed, no matter how hard the crossing is.
All the mental clutter one stores inside until it's too much and you just have to start get it out again, piece by piece, to get room for "being" who we are, trying to fulfill ourselves with all our qualities and frailties, like everybody else.

0534, your topic got me going... close to home, I guess.



However, this is something everybody does. The other day I was hanging out with friends and they started talking about their soft spots. I felt strange, there, listening in silence to "normal" people admitting having lots of issues themselves. I felt envious that they were able to admit it and to work on it. Is it a matter of energy that some can handle their stuff and others don't?

I wish you well in your quest for sorting things out.
I believe it's the only thing to do, to override all the negative thoughts and memories that keep popping into one's mind like popcorn.

[sixpack]

depression and anxiety disorders have a variety of causes.  Some folks depression is due to situational things--upbringing, unresolved issues etc.  Some folks depression is caused by a genetic predispostion and/or chemical imbalances.  Some folks depression is caused by all of these reasons.  So meds are for the folks who have an organic or chemical imbalance.  The meds work to balance those chemicals out in your body.  It maybe be hard for the therapist to know what causes any one individual's disorder, in the beginning anyway.  Some therapists may just do CBT or talk therapy in the beginning and see if the person makes any headway.  Some therapists may start meds first and see how it goes.  While others will do both from the getgo.

Two of my brothers-in-law are shrinks--one is psychiatrist and the other is a psychologist. The psychologist has been practicing almost 20yrs (he works at Cleveland Clinic now).  He told me that in the beginning, he was pretty much against medicating, but he's noticed that most of his patients really start making headway in therapy after they start taking medication.  So he now believes that the cause of most depression/anxiety disorders are either chemical imbalance or a combo of chemical imbalance and situational reasons.   

Anyway I certainly hope you find the answers for yourself.

[JULES]

I know where you are coming from. It seems absurd to think that a tiny little pill can make a differnce to any of huge problems that any particular person might be experiencing. It is different for everyone.

But what meds did for me was allow me to think logically once again about the feelings I was having. Thus inturn allowing me to 'help myself'. Medication certainly doesnt take the core problem away - however it allows (most) people to pinpoint what they need to. Alot of people arent able to get to this stage without medication as a result of the imbalance.

Good Luck x

[ainsecuregirl]

I've done lots of research on depression and medication and everything related whatnot, because I want to be involved in my treatment. The best I've found is that it involves genetic vulnerability and upbringing. People are born with a genetic vulnerability for depression, and then upbringing escalates it, and then usually a situation triggers all of that, usually for a depressive episode.

So, in order to get fully better, you need to address the chemical symptoms, and the upbringing, and the situation that started it. For the genetic problem, and or chemical, you take medication that works for you. It may take awhile to find the right one that works best.

For the upbringing, which has probably given you a skewered worldview of life, you attend CBT or some kind of similiar therapy that teaches you healthier emotional responses to life, instead of the ones you grew up learning. For example, I have a very negative outlook on life. My motto is "always expect the worse, that way you won't be dissappointed, and if something better happens, its serendipitous" This is a product of my upbringing and luck, where the things I hoped for never came true, and people constantly dissapointed me in some way. I'm trying to change that.

And finally, for the situation that triggered depression, you learn stress reduction techniques, apprpriate emotional responses to stressfull situations, and you do your best to clear out some of the things that stress you out in your life, if you can.

Don't ever expect a small pill to make it all better, you're right. Medication for pretty much everyone but schizos and bipolar people, is supposed to be a short term solution for them, because you'll have to continue taking meds for the rest of your life to make you feel alright, if you don't address the stressors. Keep in mind, "short term" can mean months or years. It is just different for everyone.

And remember, the way medication works, the docs themselves aren't really sure of yet, because everybody is different. Different medications work differently for people. But the majority of anti-depressants work on increasing the serotonin, or norepinephine, or dopamine in your body, because these are the major neurotransmitters docs have discovered that have to do with depression.

Sorry to make this so long, but I hope it helps!

Megan