Scared to begin Zoloft for GAD/Depression? Hopeless

Treatment and medication
1

Hi I have seen two different psychiatrist recently. One of them thinks i have GAD and mild to moderate depression. The other thinks I have depression. Both Reccommend an antidepressant. I am always hard to trust doctors because i have dealt with chronic pain issues in the past which took forever to get the correct diagnosis for.

I am scared to start meds because I think I have mostly caused my depression due to my own mistakes. I think I might just be not a normal functional adult. I have always had some level of social anxiety in my life and mild OCD that came and went. I never thought to get help for mental health issues until now. I am in late 20's now.

I made serious life choices a few months ago to move away from the area i grew up in because I was tired of it. Never formed a strong social life here, was tired of my job, and wanted to get away and experience something new. I transferred offices far away. I ended up hating the new job and came back after 2 months. The stress killed me and I had a relapse of chronic pain. I came back to the same job I had before and had to move back in with my parents after being away for 3 years. Right now I feel hopeless because I am back in the same spot I was in a few months ago with an apparent mental health crisis. I hate myself for this. I have alot of regret. I have no idea what to do. I feel stuck. Anxiety is high I don't want to talk to people. I'm gonna be like this forever.

I started therapy a few weeks ago and am terrified of beginning anti-depressants. Should I trust the psychiatrist and begin meds? Should I give it more time. I already have so many issues in the past with chronic pain, I don't want to deal with antidepressants forever. Right now I have no motivation to solve my problems. 

2

I think starting an antidepressant on a low dose would be the best idea. It can help you feel a lot better eventually. I don’t think your doctors would be saying this if they didn’t feel it was necessary.

3

What was the chronic pain you suffered? Could the 2 things be linked? Doctors often don’t treat you as a whole person but look at each part separately. Depression and anxiety have been linked to inflammation. If inflammation is causing your pain it could be causing the mental health issues too! I’m not a doctor obviously, but I know our current medical systems are flawed and they don’t have answers to modern diseases. Do some research and see what you find out. 

I’m currently taking Sertraline and it has it’s place, but eventually I want to come off it, so I’m also looking into my diet and having counselling. I believe our bodies and minds want to be well and I feel if you’re in pain or feeling depressed it’s a signal that there is something wrong that needs putting right. The Sertraline will help until you find out what that is! I hope this all makes sense.