Comments on Magpie Musing: Depression

I haven't read either article, but I have been on ...

2010-03-23T16:48:12.593-04:00

I haven't read either article, but I have been on zoloft for four years, since my daughter was a couple of months old. Being 'diagnosed' with PPD made me realize that I've been in a fog of depression for my entire life. I go through phases where I will decide to wean myself off the pharma crutch, as I've read about it being all a placebo effect etc, but after a while I will

I didn't read either article. but reading your p...

2010-03-06T23:24:01.933-05:00

I didn't read either article.

but reading your post reminded me of the 3 years I took antidepressants. sure, I felt better - they flood your brain with serotonin. but I felt even better when I tossed them and started living a life that I wanted, not that I felt I had to live.

I know some people need the pills, and not always at a high dose. it's definitely for each

I've been on Lexapro for a loooong time. My psychi...

2010-03-06T23:08:43.546-05:00

I've been on Lexapro for a loooong time. My psychiatrist and I have been on this long journey of "let's wean Jean off of this," but every time I get down to 5mg, I start feeling really low again. I don't think it's placebo, but if it is, I don't care. It helps. And there are people for whom antidepressants have helped even more than me.

Every psychiatrist I know wants to punch the shit ...

2010-03-06T00:36:43.435-05:00

Every psychiatrist I know wants to punch the shit out of that stupid writer and both those stupid articles.

There are the media representations and then there is reality.

SSRIs are now prescribed for many things that are not depression but are physical ailments, and we just have a lot of lazy docs who don't bother to diagnose thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies and

I need to dig back through our unread NYers to rea...

2010-03-05T16:55:48.258-05:00

I need to dig back through our unread NYers to read the article. My sense is that the drug can take the edge off the blues, which can give people the (mental) space to find better coping mechanisms. At least, that is what several friends have expressed about their experience with depression meds. I have considered taking something several times when my coping skills have not been enough, but for

To those about to cry I salute you! I think the t...

2010-03-05T11:55:10.178-05:00

To those about to cry I salute you!

I think the truth is, they have no fricken idea. Some things work for some people and not for others, right? It's common sense to me. Not every 'body' is the same. So I think when we take meds, it affects us all to 'some' degree. I'm glad we here all agree on that.

I think and I'm not sure cause I'm no

I read the NYTimes article. I don't take anything ...

2010-03-04T20:44:32.202-05:00

I read the NYTimes article. I don't take anything myself, but I've seen it make such a difference for so many people. Placebo effect or not, it does something.

Sorry but evolutionary psychology is such bullshit...

2010-03-04T18:44:05.924-05:00

Sorry but evolutionary psychology is such bullshit. Pardon my French. Also, my lack of argument. But go back and read the argument. PURE speculation. That shit infuriates me.

(Not all evolutionary psych is bullshit. But a surprising amount. If you can tell a story about why there is some trait, you have an article. But such stories are so easy to tell and impossible to verify.
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I've just skimmed these comments, so I apologize i...

2010-03-04T17:43:03.902-05:00

I've just skimmed these comments, so I apologize if I repeat something that someone else said . . . but surely depression has a hormonal/chemical component. For example, I feel more "depressed" (weepy, low, despondent) when the weather is really gray or when I'm about to get my period. That kind of thing. In these cases, drugs are not a placebo, but surely more of a chemical

Maybe depression is the sane response of a brain t...

2010-03-04T15:39:47.691-05:00

Maybe depression is the sane response of a brain that's in the midst of an evolutionary leap to a world that seems crazy because it's moved past the current human ability to deal with it. Perhaps, then, the SSRIs are bridging the gap until our brains catch up with the new demands.

I think any time you attempt to cover the many complexities of a population with one blanket of

I only read the NYT piece, but I also found it uns...

2010-03-04T14:33:19.527-05:00

I only read the NYT piece, but I also found it unsettling in a way I can't quite articulate. I take a low-dose SSRI to prevent headaches and it works OK for that. I also think it might be helping me with the sadness (not depression) that resulted from my pregnancy loss. It's a pretty tiny dose to be therapeutic for depression, but I had NO issues with depression/sadness/whatever before

Wow. This is so interesting. I would have said I d...

2010-03-04T13:25:04.034-05:00

Wow. This is so interesting. I would have said I don't know anyone on zoloft, but given these comments I bet I do -- they just don't talk about it.

Didn't they used to say that menstrual cramps were...

2010-03-04T12:33:37.549-05:00

Didn't they used to say that menstrual cramps were all in our head?

I have never taken depression medication, but I have been on anxiety drugs at several times in my adult life. In fact, there is a seven day supply of a medication sitting in my house right now, and knowing that it is there is a tremendous comfort to me.

I don't think it matters if it's "real

I haven't read the articles you mention, but for m...

2010-03-04T11:18:06.821-05:00

I haven't read the articles you mention, but for me, depression was about more than sadness. I can be sad and not depressed. I can be depressed and not sad. Or maybe depression is not exactly what led me to SSRIs. I don't know. For me it was mental stuckness. In my mind I heard that sound you hear when you've stopped the radio between stations. And it was at times nearly debillitating

Interesting. I've had a post brewing about this b...

2010-03-04T10:43:39.215-05:00

Interesting. I've had a post brewing about this but I don't know if I have the emotional energy to do it yet. I haven't read the articles, but I've read Listening to Prozac. I think a sane response to the craziness of this world might be impossible. I think there is something in the way we live that alters our brain chemistry (everyone I know is on some type of SSRI too). I

Ditto the chronic, low-level dysthymia. I starte...

2010-03-04T10:16:07.620-05:00

Ditto the chronic, low-level dysthymia. I started seeing a cognitive therapist a year or so ago for panic attacks.

I was in therapy weekly for four months. I thought I was learning to cope with panic attacks, but what I realized about two months after leaving therapy is that I no longer had that constant weepiness, sadness, fatigue.

I still have my moments -- now, in

I found this article to be interesting, as well: h...

2010-03-04T09:59:32.972-05:00

I found this article to be interesting, as well:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/2010/02/learning-how-to-be-unhappy-an.html

It's not a placebo. I haven't read the articles, ...

2010-03-04T09:41:32.301-05:00

It's not a placebo. I haven't read the articles, and I will go back and do so today.

My current doctor (OB/GYN) used the analogy of an older house with an insufficient electrical grid to handle all the modern appliances, which indicates to me that he might be in the "sane response to a crazy world" camp.

I heard the same argument against pharmacology you

I agree that some anxiety and depression makes one...

2010-03-04T09:35:02.088-05:00

I agree that some anxiety and depression makes one a bit wiser and more empathetic, but I don't think I will ever give up my low dose of Lexapro again. I can definitely tell a difference in the quality of my life.

I'm on the fence. I haven't read those article but...

2010-03-04T09:13:16.830-05:00

I'm on the fence. I haven't read those article but did see one in the WSJ that dovetailed these but was on a slightly different topic. I've been depressed for years. I think it started with post-partum depression after baby #2 and ebbs and flows. I've tried medication but it made me physically ill so I stopped. I think my depression these days is more environmentally-based rather

This was Newsweek's cover a few weeks ago. I don...

2010-03-04T09:06:27.617-05:00

This was Newsweek's cover a few weeks ago.
I don't really know what I think, but I do think a lot about moods and happiness and depression. I'm not on anything, but sometimes in the deep, dark winters, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea. At the same time, some sadness (not depression, but noticeable dips in mood) can lead to necessary contemplation. I'm getting off

I've had two major depressive episodes and a whole...

2010-03-04T08:56:15.500-05:00

I've had two major depressive episodes and a whole bunch of minor ones. When I was really, really depressed, the massive doses of SSRIs I was taking didn't seem to make any difference at all.

Still, I'm willing to do pretty much anything (including taking SSRIs that potentially have only a placebo effect) if it gives me even an incrementally better chance of avoiding

This makes me just want to meet up with you and ev...

2010-03-04T08:55:46.755-05:00

This makes me just want to meet up with you and everyone who has commented and be able to hug and talk in person.

I agree with so much of it. Imperatrix is right - when you start the Zoloft, there are real physical side effects, so it can't just be a placebo. Pgoodness is right - I don't care if it is a placebo anyway because it has done wonders for me. Julia is right too - I

I've never suffered from depression, but I do NOT ...

2010-03-04T08:20:34.608-05:00

I've never suffered from depression, but I do NOT think medications that treat it are simply placebos. There are people with mild depression and those with major depression and people with everything in between. If a low dose of a medication can effectively treat the symptoms of it, why not take it? If you have a headache, wouldn't you take an ibuprofen or acetaminophen tablet? If it made

My take on it is that it's an argument being held ...

2010-03-04T07:32:43.454-05:00

My take on it is that it's an argument being held by people who aren't suffering from depression.

While it's true that the pill's not the skill, it's also true that sometimes you can't even begin to learn how to cope without the meds. You need mental margin to function and learn.

I daresay that if you've gone off meds thinking you're fine and