My MIL is one of the overmedicated. She started out taking an antidepressant to mitigate the symptoms of verbal and emotional abuse. For that, I don't blame her. Effexor probably beat the snot out of divorce. Somewhere along the line, though, someone told her that "flattening of affect" (a prime symptom of overmedication, and something even the package inserts tell you indicates that you should stop taking the medication immediately and call your doctor ASAP) was the solution to negative emotions (or inconveniently effusive positive ones, for that matter).
When we're allowed to be sad without being called sick, anxious without being called abnormal, happy without being told we're manic, and angry without being told we're psychotic, maybe we'll be a bit mentally healthier.
Right now, our society is starting to resemble Camazotz (A Wrinkle In Time). Or maybe The Giver.
This isn't surprising to me since ordinary doctors can throw ordinary anti-depressants at you for pretty much any reason whatsoever. Hell, I had insomnia for a few days and they wanted me to start mind altering drugs!
I think a big problem is that our society is trying to shoehorn women into men's roles and the women are starting to break down. Afflictions which used to be rare amongst women (like fibromyalgia and depression) are now becoming commonplace since women think they need to "have it all," to be both men and women at the same time. Older women who invested 20-30 years in a big makework career so they could afford a closet full of designer purses are now just finding out how lonely and miserable their lives in middle age are without husbands and children.
I don't think this situation is sustainable. You can't drug 1/4th of your population and not have it affect society in the long term...
Nah, women were ALWAYS prone to depression. It goes with having a wider range of emotions and being the segment of the human race that's supposed to absorb everyone else's emotional baggage and keep a beatific smile on your face.
The difference is, prior to the 20th century, we understood this. Women had FEELINGS. It was the subject of mockery, and "proof" that we were too weak to have voting rights or legal personhood or custody of our children if our husband should throw us out or die-- but at least it was understood as natural.
Nowadays, we turn every emotion that's inconvenient into a disease.
I've BEEN depressed enough to not have enough dopamine and serotonin to run my brain (literally-- I would wake up in the morning and have to remember how to get out of bed, physically drag myself to the bathroom because the neurological impulse that said "WALK" wasn't getting from my brain to my legs, someone would ask me a question like "Chicken or pork??" and it would take me 5-10 minutes to process an answer). THAT'S when antidepressants are required (believe me, in seven days on Prozac I went from being a suicidal houseplant to being capable of running a house again). Ideally, a little before that-- when you tell the doctor that you're having trouble getting out of bed, having trouble remembering instructions or plans, having trouble with task initiation (I'm not talking about "can't get the motor going til I've had a cuppa Joe," I'm talking about can't think well enough to start anything unless someone tells you what to do and when and how to do it, and then keeps you motivated).
You DON'T need a referral for antidepressants when you walk into the therapist's office and say, "I feel sad. Some stuff is screwed up in my life and I'm not sure of what it is or how to deal with it."
Psychotropic drugs aren't a substitute for advice, or empathy. But we use them that way. Because it's convenient. It's sick.
Definitively true. Value all your emotions.
ReplyDeleteThe 23% stat is for women in their 40's and 50's.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL is one of the overmedicated. She started out taking an antidepressant to mitigate the symptoms of verbal and emotional abuse. For that, I don't blame her. Effexor probably beat the snot out of divorce. Somewhere along the line, though, someone told her that "flattening of affect" (a prime symptom of overmedication, and something even the package inserts tell you indicates that you should stop taking the medication immediately and call your doctor ASAP) was the solution to negative emotions (or inconveniently effusive positive ones, for that matter).
ReplyDeleteWhen we're allowed to be sad without being called sick, anxious without being called abnormal, happy without being told we're manic, and angry without being told we're psychotic, maybe we'll be a bit mentally healthier.
Right now, our society is starting to resemble Camazotz (A Wrinkle In Time). Or maybe The Giver.
There! I used that liberal arts education today!!
This isn't surprising to me since ordinary doctors can throw ordinary anti-depressants at you for pretty much any reason whatsoever. Hell, I had insomnia for a few days and they wanted me to start mind altering drugs!
ReplyDeleteI think a big problem is that our society is trying to shoehorn women into men's roles and the women are starting to break down. Afflictions which used to be rare amongst women (like fibromyalgia and depression) are now becoming commonplace since women think they need to "have it all," to be both men and women at the same time. Older women who invested 20-30 years in a big makework career so they could afford a closet full of designer purses are now just finding out how lonely and miserable their lives in middle age are without husbands and children.
I don't think this situation is sustainable. You can't drug 1/4th of your population and not have it affect society in the long term...
Nah, women were ALWAYS prone to depression. It goes with having a wider range of emotions and being the segment of the human race that's supposed to absorb everyone else's emotional baggage and keep a beatific smile on your face.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is, prior to the 20th century, we understood this. Women had FEELINGS. It was the subject of mockery, and "proof" that we were too weak to have voting rights or legal personhood or custody of our children if our husband should throw us out or die-- but at least it was understood as natural.
Nowadays, we turn every emotion that's inconvenient into a disease.
I've BEEN depressed enough to not have enough dopamine and serotonin to run my brain (literally-- I would wake up in the morning and have to remember how to get out of bed, physically drag myself to the bathroom because the neurological impulse that said "WALK" wasn't getting from my brain to my legs, someone would ask me a question like "Chicken or pork??" and it would take me 5-10 minutes to process an answer). THAT'S when antidepressants are required (believe me, in seven days on Prozac I went from being a suicidal houseplant to being capable of running a house again). Ideally, a little before that-- when you tell the doctor that you're having trouble getting out of bed, having trouble remembering instructions or plans, having trouble with task initiation (I'm not talking about "can't get the motor going til I've had a cuppa Joe," I'm talking about can't think well enough to start anything unless someone tells you what to do and when and how to do it, and then keeps you motivated).
You DON'T need a referral for antidepressants when you walk into the therapist's office and say, "I feel sad. Some stuff is screwed up in my life and I'm not sure of what it is or how to deal with it."
Psychotropic drugs aren't a substitute for advice, or empathy. But we use them that way. Because it's convenient. It's sick.