The social media landscape was different a year ago when I decided to go on antidepressants. It's amazing to write that, considering the amount of misinformation being spread about antidepressants. It's like playing whack-a-mole on the internet.
It is counter-productive for people who are struggling with their mental health to be made to believe that there is something going on. One of the first things you'll do when you're sick is check out what people are saying on social media. I am aware that I did that. I was able to determine that medication was a good decision for me, even though I had many questions. I found compassion and bravery when I encountered people who were experiencing the same symptoms. The extra nudgings I needed to talk to my doctor were the result of those twits.
The online landscape has been influenced by a number of people. It can be difficult to separate good information on antidepressants from myths and misinformation.
On social media, individuals are still speaking out and sharing their stories about depression and medication, but they are being drowned out by powerful Republicans like Tucker Carlson.
Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist and adjunct assistant professor at the University ofCalgary, tells Lifehacker that social media is filled with a lot of misinformation. The current anti-psychiatry propaganda is part of a movement that began decades ago.
It aims to deter treatment seeking by stigmatizing people who experience mental illness. It uses rhetoric and false claims to deny the existence of mental illness and the dangers of psychiatric medications. Improving mental health literacy is important to protect against misinformation.
Lifehacker spoke to Dr. Jessi Gold, a professor at the Washington University School of Medicine, to clear up myths about antidepressants. We talked to Dr. Tyler Black, who is a clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, about what questions people who are considering going on antidepressants should ask themselves.
Depression is not easy to understand. I know what I'm saying. People who are going through it already have enough on their plate and shouldn't have to stress about their treatment options. We want this guide to give you some answers and some comfort. Don't hesitate to get in touch with your doctor if you still have questions after reading.
Many people fail to mention that there isn't just one type of medication when talking about antidepressants. According to Black, there are many different types of antidepressants. Black said that doctors separate them based on their actions at the neurotransmitter level.
Black states that in the case of Prozac or Zoloft, they create a negative effect on the brain that changes the way the nerve cells process Serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in regulating moods.
According to Gold, many people use SSRIs as a first line medication because of their tolerability. She says that they don't work for everyone and that psychiatrists prescribe other drugs.
Gold tells Lifehacker that when people have a depression that causes them to eat too much, it's a good idea to take Wellbutrin, a medication that can decrease appetite. Drug use in Psychiatry is often trial and error. We will work together to find something that benefits symptoms with the least amount of side effects. I wish it was more precise, but I think it will be when we understand more in the future.
People are wondering if antidepressants will change them. I spent time in this camp. I was worried that I would lose part of myself in the process of being treated with antidepressants. My psychologist and psychiatrist explained to me that my fear was overstated. Depression and anxiety can be addressed with antidepressants. There is no evidence that they change a patient.
Different ways to understand personality are available. A personality trait is stable and enduring. Depression and anxiety can be alleviated with the use of antidepressants. Even if these medications did change personality, it would be less than the impact of the disorders on personality for which they're prescribed.
I asked my therapist if my problems would go away after I started taking my antidepressants. She said that people like her would have left work if that were true. I liked the idea that antidepressants make it easier for you to deal with your issues.
I asked if it was a good point and he said it was. The goal of antidepressants and psychotherapy is not to cure unconformable emotions, according to a psychologist.
They are used to help people manage the distress and impairment associated with mental disorders and to help people get back to a state of mental health, which involves practicing healthy ways to roll with, and grow from. In my experience, these drugs can help people better engage in therapy by stabilizing symptoms.
There are a lot of incorrect ideas about how long patients will have to take antidepressants. When my friend started taking them for her post-partum depression, I applauded her for choosing to help herself, but warned her that it could take a while for her to start to notice changes. I am not a physician. These are just some of the things I have learned about mental health.
It takes about 6 to 8 weeks for antidepressants to work according to Gold. There is a very long time to wait for someone who is sad, and we are lucky that therapies like ketamine are being developed that work much quicker. The goal is usually to maximize a medication and the dose of it before adding more medications or changing them.
The length of time someone will need to take antidepressants depends on a number of factors. According to the American Psychiatric Association, patients should be on medication for an average of 6 months after a good drug is found.
Many people can try to come off their medication with the help of a Psychiatrist or a primary care doctor, as there are side effects, but it is important to do so with the help of a Psychiatrist or a primary care doctor.
This doesn't work for people who have had many episodes of depression. Depending on the severity of their symptoms, some people might stay on. It could be a patient's preference to keep on taking their medication.
We decided to classify this topic asdepends on the person, rather than as a myth or a fact. Low libido and weight gain are some of the side effects that make people hesitant about taking antidepressants.
Not all medications have the same side effects, according to gold. She said that not all of the side effects bother people the same way.
She said that sexual side effects are one of the causes for people to stop antidepressants, or want to switch antidepressants, but you have to consider the benefit of the medication to your depression. Some people will choose to stay on a medication that causes low libido, if they are no longer suicidal, and other people will choose to change it.
According to Gold, psychiatrists can sometimes switch their medication to an alternative that won't cause a sexual reaction. It is possible for doctors to add a medication like Wellbutrin, a medication that has the least sexual side effects, and which is often chosen for that particular reason.
The same principle applies when it comes to appetite. Some people taking antidepressants can have an increase in appetite, but this is not the case for everyone. People who are depressed are more likely to eat if they feel better on their medication. She said thatmedications can cause an increase in hunger in some people.
After doctors consider the risks and benefits, medication can be changed.
Musk is not certified to speak about antidepressants. Someone at the table has a suicide or near-suicide story about Wellbutrin, and the tech billionaire said that it should be taken off the market. There isn't any evidence to suggest that the Wellbutrin causes suicidal thoughts.
Musk highlights a myth that isn't limited to Wellbutrin. Experts that spoke to Lifehacker said that antidepressants are rare and often age dependent. Doctors will stop the medication if there is an increase in suicidal thoughts.
The fact that you are monitored when starting medication and need to communicate with your doctor is lost in Musk's argument. Most people live in the long run if they are treated with antidepressants. More people have their suicidal thoughts reduced and treated on medication than have they increased.
The Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs For Children and Adolescents was written by a child Psychiatrist and his co-author. According to Black, research shows that antidepressants under the age of 24 may increase suicidal thinking and behaviors. He said that this is often misinterpreted as an effect for people of all ages or a statement that antidepressants cause suicidality.
Black said that families and youth should be aware of the association between starting antidepressants and changes in suicidal thinking. As a suicidologist I can state clearly that this should be a standard of care for all kids entering treatment regardless of whether or not they are taking medication. In most circumstances, suicidal thinking changes are due to circumstances in their life and their overall wellbeing, and not whether or not they started a medication.
Some people feel like they are the only ones who need to take medication for depression because of the stigma surrounding the disease. They are more common than you realize. According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13.2% of adults over the age of 18 have used an anti-depressant in the last 30 days.
The use of antidepressants is problematic. He said that over-diagnosis and over-prescribing are major problems that detract from their helpfulness and carry their own risks.
When people stop taking antidepressants, they can experience a syndrome called "withdrawal" Approximately 20% of people who have taken antidepressants for at least a month will experience ADS if they stop using them suddenly. There are flu-like symptoms such as headaches, joint ache and sweating, as well as insomnia, nausea, and balance.
Drug use and addiction are not the same as withdrawal. There are different characteristics of addiction. A sense of loss of control, craving, a strong desire to obtain more of the medication, and immediate reinforcing properties, such as euphoria, are not associated with antidepressants being addictive.
The Institute for Behavior and Health is an organization that specializes in addiction treatment. Depression and addiction are compared to putting on glasses.
In an article for SELF, she said that she is dependent on her glasses, but not addicted, and that she is able to function better with them. This is not an addiction where a person will continue to use at great personal cost and despite many painful consequences to their health and relationship.
My struggles with depression began when I was at university almost a decade ago, so believe me when I say that I have been told many times that I could stop taking antidepressants if I followed a healthy diet or exercised more. Not all of the advice on the internet is from a good place.
According to Lifehacker, Stea said that in this area, alternative medicine practitioners often step on the toes of mental health professionals to market pseudoscientific treatments and spread misinformation about the nature of mental illness and its treatment.
Treatment teams address lifestyle changes in clinical practice. He said that sometimes diet and exercise are not enough to address mental health concerns. He made it clear that nobody should stop their medication without consulting their treatment team.
There isn't a single thing people can do to stop taking antidepressants. Depression is caused by biology, psychology, and social components. She stated that it is a spectrum of severity.
It is not helpful to tell someone who can't get out of bed, who wants to sleep all day, or who can't run because they will have no luck. In many people therapy plus medication is more beneficial than either alone and that many people need medication to be able to get to therapy or yoga, and it helps them function in their lives.
A recent study concluded that there was no clear evidence that low levels of Serotonin causes depression. The "serotonin theory" hasn't been considered an official explanation for decades within the mental health community. Some media outlets claimed that this was a sign that the antidepressants don't work because they aren't grounded in science.
The study's lead author, a professor of Psychiatry at University College London, said that this is not true. Moncrieff told Rolling Stone that the study was an analysis of one of the mechanisms that scientists believe works.
According to Black, we don't need to know how something works to know that it works. There is strong evidence that antidepressants work against depression, anxiety, and other issues.
Moncrieff doesn't have a reputation for being impartial. She has questioned the classification of depression as a mental illness and the use of the SSRIs. There could be evidence to support the theory that drug companies are hiding information about the side effects of drugs.
The situation in which people misrepresented science to distort what is known about treatments for mental health conditions is worrying Black.
He said that many people would be drawn in by the misinformation that the study showed that antidepressants don't work. The paper is an effort by biased professionals who have a history of only portraying medications in a negative light.
The idea of taking drugs can cause a lot of feelings. If you are considering taking that step, the last thing you need is to see misinformation on the internet.
Black said that people should feel reassured when they think about taking antidepressants. Exercise, yoga, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, and eating healthy are just some of the things that are said to relieve depression. Many forms of therapy have shown benefits similar to starting a medication, so it's a great option to see a therapist.
Black said to combine therapy with medication for those interested in the gold standard approach. He said that doctors are pretty sure that people who adopt this approach have better outcomes in depression.
One of the biggest questions a person has to ask themselves is "what is the trajectory my symptoms are on, and if this trajectory continues will I face consequences in my life enjoyment, productivity, or safety?" Black said something. If the trajectory is bad, it's important to talk to a qualified therapist or physician about starting evidence-based treatments.
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