fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3189 ]

[ SECRET POST #3189 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3189 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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I think there needs to be a more nuanced conversation about SSRIs. It's not that they can only make you feel "more like yourself". Some of them can have very terrible side-effects that are worse than whatever mental illness you have. For example, they can make you feel nothing like yourself, you feel like a stranger in your own skin or maybe it's physically debilitating in some way.

But all I ever see online is "All medication is wonderful and beautiful and nothing ever goes wrong~<3 Everyone who's wary about medication just ignorant! Tee-hee!"

Like, no? That's what having regular meetings with a psychologist is for? To make sure your meds are working the way they're supposed to. If they worked like magic pills you wouldn't even need a psychologist. You'd just take happy pill #1 and be on your way.

I dunno, I'm just very irritated by the currant narrative because it's so unrealistic and honestly, dangerous.

I think this happens because people are afraid to advise others that some forms of help just will not work for you since it can be discouraging to deal with the realities of mental illness. They are trying to be helpful but sometimes people don't realize in their effort to help what kind of expectations they are setting up.

I also just get annoyed that more often people don't talk about how mental illness is different for everyone. I've seen people who even have these problems themself judge others as if there is a "right" way to be mentally ill.

Yeah, I think you're exactly on the ball. Setting up false expectations, I think, can be even worse though. Being down, having a small sliver of hope and then getting it crushed. That is a recipe for disaster.

I know what you're talking about. It's gross. On top of that, have you seen those posts on tumblr that are like,
"Mental Illness XYZ Is:
+ Doing this thing most people do.
+ Doing this thing that is a bad habit.
+ Doing this thing that can be a symptom of XYZ but could also not be."

Like, are you shitting me? Or in real life I see people doubting others mental illness because they're barely functioning, not dysfunctional, so obviously it's just a personal failing, not a real problem. Let's just stop while everyone is ahead, yeah? I swear.

Eh, yes, there's truth to this. But I honestly much prefer this narrative to the "SSRIs are evil pills of evilness that will make you feel numb and hollow and will destroy your real self" one. I mean, if you're given unrealistic expectations for psychiatric meds, you're going to go to a psychiatrist, have a talk with them, and have meds explained to you realistically at least to some extent. But if you're morbidly terrified of ever going on meds, then you're not going to have any conversations with any psychiatrist who could persuade you otherwise. You'll just suffer quietly until something terrible happens to you.

Of course, both narratives are wrong, but IMO the current one is by far the less wrong one.

I agree it's better than the one you've mentioned. However, I wish public understanding wasn't some weird fucking pendulum of possibly factual information. I want a more honest and frank discussion that isn't reactionary.

I can dream, right?

Edited 2015-09-27 21:51 (UTC)

Oh, yes, I can totally get behind this :/ But I'm hoping that the fact that a bad narrative has changed for a somewhat better one means that we're on the path of gradual improvement.

Possible. I like your line of logic.

Thisssss.

An overly-positive narrative about SSRIs is still dangerous, yes, but it is IMO much better than the narrative it replaced. And TBH I feel like I still see the overly negative narrative a lot more, and I can't help but see the positive narrative as a necessary counterweight.

It took me forever to get on SSRIs, in large part because of the narrative about how medication is bad and evil and deeply harmful and zaps your brain. And it turns out I really, really needed to be on them.

Almost nobody talks about withdrawal, either.

Now that I think about it, this is true. I don't think I've seen anyone mention this who isn't a person working in the field.

I see the negative discourse more than the positive myself.

I really really wish some people I know would try them already.

Ah man, I'm sorry. I wish those around you the best.

Online its mostly "medication is wonderful" but its probably to combat the offline stigma of "all medication is terrible" that a lot of people face. (One of the reasons I haven't gone to a psychiatrist is because my mother has told me she will not support me medicating myself at all, so I don't want to even risk dealing with any of it.)

So yeah there needs to be a more nuanced discussion, but it needs to be more nuanced on all sides.

Yeah, as I said to Dreemy above, I know that this positive one is better than the negative one going about. I just wish it wasn't a reactionary pendulum. I wish we could all have an honest and factual discussion. I with the reaction was with facts and data, not wishful thinking, especially when ultra-positive can also be harmful.

So I guess we're in agreement. I suppose I'm just impatient. I want that now, not when society gets its head out of its ass.

Yeah, I wish it wasn't so polarising. Not only is only hearing one side harmful, it can be really confusing when someone's trying to decide and there's no nuances in the "yay positive!" and "boo negative!" arguments coming in different ears from different contexts.

GPs (regular doctors, which are often free) here in Australia push it on you after five, ten minutes of conversation after seeing you for the first time. That's really not a good idea in most cases. If you're low income the drugs are really cheap too, so you can be out the door and onto your first dose in fifteen minutes without much thought. And then, like my first experience, when it hits you like maggots trying to eat your brain from inside out and your hearing changes and you feel like a zombie and still utterly depressed, you're left wondering what the hell happened to the shiny happy promises made in those ten short minutes. (I've been on a good one for the last decade with no noticeable side effects, btw.)

I had a friend who became suicidal on the wrong one, stupid GP for being slow to pick up on that, she's alright now fortunately.

Huh, that's an interesting system. In America (If you work within a hospital system and don't go private practice.) you generally get a referral to see a Therapist/Psychologist team from your normal doctor. The two of them do an initial interview and work together to see what's best for you. Then the psychologist is the one who takes care of telling you about the medication and all that jazz if you start on it.

The system isn't perfect though. Hopefully both our systems can get better.

I'm in camp "medication isn't nearly as evil as the consequences of going unmedicated." But it seems like most everyone else likes to have an opinion without having to deal with long-term treatment plans.

That sucks ass. Really, it's between you and your psychologist. You do what works for you.

I'll just be happy when people stop equating unmedicated with untreated. I'm not on medication because I've had some really hideous luck with side effect roulette, but I see my psychologist regularly, and I use cbt methods to manage my disorder.

But ask the internet, and they'll insist I should get treatment for my disorder, because anything that isn't medication doesn't count.

Ugh, that sucks that you get that shit, anon. If what you do works for you then more power to you. Everyone is different and has their own needs.

And I'm sorry to hear about the bad side effects. I'm happy you got through them.

Fistbump of side effect solidarity.

I'm gonna use the roulette phrase from now on - it describes the situation perfectly.

I think it's pretty telling about the climate surrounding these meds that you feel the need to include a sort of excuse for *not* taking them. That's kinda scary. I'm in camp "there are people who absolutely need medication but too many people are told that they belong to this group when they could have a much healthier approach." I had a depression for two years, but I got through it without meds, and I'm convinced I'm better off for it.
(I think it's kinda like having a C-section. I had one. Maybe I needed it. I'd still not recommend it to anyone who doesn't need it, and in retrospect, I would even have liked to try a bit longer, myself, because all the pain and strain of labor (I had these, too) is really nothing compared to the (possible) side effects of a c-section. My dad almost died of an intestinal obstruction from scar tissue after a surgery that wasn't much different, and I'm really scared the same could happen to me, because we have similar tissue-physiology.)

Oh, definitely, this. I have Aspergers, and SSRIs fuck me up pretty bad. What I needed all along was anxiety medication and therapy. Went through tons of different meds and doctors to figure that out, though.

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[ SECRET POST #3189 ]

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