Should I take anti-depressants? Any advice would be great?

Mental health
1

Hi,

I'm a 24 year old guy, and I've been suffering from depression for around 9 or 10 months. It hit me out of the blue, not triggered by a loss or grief, but suddenly I could barely muster the motivation to get out of bed or do anything. I'm a professional painter, and creatively, I now have a complete mental block, I sometimes struggle to even see the point in trying to paint any more.

I've always been a positive person, people (friends and family) seem to always come to me with their problems because they say I'm easy to talk to. ''We don't know what we'd do without you, Francis. We'd all go mad'' is a bit of a jokey saying amongst my friends.

Admittedly, sometimes this has become a little tough; my girlfriend and family members see me as the go-to-guy to talk to when they've had a bad day. But, while I'm always happy to listen, sometimes this leaves me worn out and draines, and lacking in any motivation to talk about my own issues.

Now, I've just been feeling tired all the time, like all I want to do is sleep. I want to sit in silence, or read, alone. People are always telling me I look tired, or seem quiet.

My girlfriend had been saying I should go and ask for some anti-depressants from the doctor. So, I went to the doc. He was very understanding, and gave me a leaflet on Citalopram, telling me to think it over.

I found out that a couple of members of my family take Citalopram, and have been doing for years. And, honestly, this terrified me. The idea that I could possibly need medication to function normally again for years to come?

I was wondering if anybody had any advice they could share with me about their experiences with anti-depressants? 

I'm at a loss to be honest, about what to do. Perhaps I should try a natural approach: healthier eating, regular excercise, councelling - or maybe medicine is the answer?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you in advance for your response.

Francis

2

Depression sucks! I have had several episodes of depression all my life! Going through one right now! Came out of the blue again and have started on antidepressant Lexapro 20 mil! Starting week two on the med hoping for relief one more time! Took this med for 9 years before and worked wonders for me! Hope you find a recovery soon! Go see your GP!

3

Hello. I have every sympathy for you when you say that out of the blue you suddenly developed depression. I wwas very bewildered when this happened to me when I was doing a postgraduate social science course. I was doing practical placements and was also told how good I was at listening to peoples problems. This was 50 years ago and medications were not so advanced and I more or less sorted myself out with help from a counsellor. I didn't have a recurrance until last year after I had a gallbladder issue which dragged me down again. After some experimentation, I was put on Mirtazapine and Venlafaxine and feel pretty good . I also have had some Minfullness therapy,a branch of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which I would recommend. It is not a qick fix but does help you reflect on your feelings and reactions to things. I too do not want to be on medications for anciety/depression for the rest of my life but I think it is not a weakness to seek gp help and accept it as story term measure at least. Don't let your world fall appart unnecessarily which it most probably will if you deny youreself help.Maggie

4

Hello Francis,

The human body is full of complications and the mind can be the most tricky to understand. While the body can fix some things over time, there is a balance and that is how much distress can be endured during the healing process (whether this comes naturally or with professional help). I've always sort antidepressants as a very last resort but that has usually meant that I've been in a very low state of mind when I have given in to professional help. We are all different and often it takes a combination of resources and aids to restore us back to what we might consider "normal" health. Resorting to help is not a sign of weakness. Few would avoid going to see a doctor if they had a broken bone or a disease that they knew could benefit from treatment. Mental pain still carries a stigma with it - there is no wound to see so the treatment is less of an exact science and the casual observer may distrust or belittle it. You know the limits of your psychological pain threshold so I would use this is your guage. I would encourage you to adopt the natural approach as it certainly can't do you any harm. Don't fear drug intervention: it's likely that if this is your first experience of depression, you may not need to use anti-depressants long-term. Definitely worth discussing with your doctor. This is a time in your life to be as selfish as you feel able to be, in the sense that you need to look after yourself and let others know your boundaries if you can't meet their expectations. Just be honest with them and those who care about you and value you will understand. Good luck :-)