Is “depression” a part of life’s journey? A time when God is intervening, forcing us to seek solitude, to turn inward, seek spiritual calm, quiet and answers through prayer. I guess it is kind of like there has to be rain to appreciate sunshine.
We have been indoctrinated to believe we must always be happy, beautiful, popular, which is just not possible and designed to fail. So, we interpret these times as depression, turn to medication, avoiding what God is asking us to do, which is be quiet, turn inward, and soul search for answers.
Real “clinical” depression is difficult to watch. I knew someone who had it, and he would lie in bed for a month at a time...barely eat, didn’t wash much either. when asked about how he felt, he would say, “I have grief in my head”, or “I have the blues”. This was back in the days before SSRI’s.
Amitriptyline helped him. Low dose and he never got depressed again.
But yes, antidepressant, if necessary, should be prescribed in appropriate doses and adjusted or stopped if ANY side effects noted.
The explanation for the suicides was that before the antidepressants were given, the patient had suicidal thoughts but was too depressed to do anything. Once they felt less depressed, they had enough gumption to carry out their suicidal desires.
yeah but soem depression is severe, unrelenting, and very very negative thoughts- all the time- an it appears that htere is a medical reason, dopamine, or lack thereof, involved-
Depression isn’t just about what mood you are in. It can affect your ability to remember, concentrate, learn, even drive attentively. It can be debilitating in a way that costs you your job. You need the chemicals in your brain to be circulating properly. Prozac helps with that. The chemical gateways that allow substance has to pass in and out of your cells aren’t always perfect. It was explained to me, that some of us have metaphorically, gateways that are a little too small. The medication is intended to work around that problem. Adjusting one’s behavior can only go part way toward addressing the problem. There is an underlying biochemical difficulty which must be solved. That is what Prozac does. Over prescribed? I wouldn’t know. But when correctly prescribed, it makes holding down a job, and driving safely, possible.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Anxiety and sadness at times are part of life. One becomes stronger and more confident as they learn to deal with these issues. I know there are some who may need to resort to medication, but far too many don’t.