Life Circumstance Or Chemical Imbalance?

[LifeCutShort]

When your trauma and depression is caused by life circumstance, why do health professionals prescribe anti-depressants? Is it an attempt to escape reality instead of facing it? I have tried anti-depressants and they do nothing to rectify the reality, therefore the trauma and depression remains.

 

[scout86]

There are a lot of possible reasons. No way to know the answer in your situation without knowing more about the situations.

In general? Because it's easy? Because, if you're seeing a medical professional, what they know best is to prescribe "medicine"? Because very many people are just looking for some kind of quick fix and aren't interested in working on the source of the problem, so the professionals get in the habit of dealing with things that way?

There's a tendency to treat physical problems the same way. I once saw a Dr for carpal tunnel syndrome. He prescribed drugs. I later, on my own, found an article on using stretching for the same problem, did the exercises and solved the problem. It turns out the Dr was aware of the exercises, but most patients would rather take the drugs than do the exercises. Have you asked these health professionals this same question?

 

[Friday]

I was just talking with someone about this today... Who is in the middle of withdrawal (aka fiendishly sick) from their meds they've been on for awhile.

"Why do they give us this stuff?"
"Because they don't want you to die."
"What?"
"How desperate were you when you first went on these?"
"Oh. Point. This still sucks, though."
"Yep."

 

[LifeCutShort]

Have you asked these health professionals this same question?

No, I think it would be a waste of time to ask because in my experience they treat and view chemical imbalances and life circumstances as the same thing.

 

[scout86]

No, I think it would be a waste of time to ask because in my experience they treat and view chemical imbalances and life circumstances as the same thing.

That's unfortunate! They aren't all like that. In general, I think those with "MD" in their credentials tend to be more that way, because they CAN prescribe drugs. The T I work with isn't a huge fan of medication, especially not medication for life. But dealing with things without medication isn't necessarily easy, at least not in the short term and I'm sure it won't work for everyone. It might pay for you to keep looking and to be very direct about the approach you're interested in right from the start.

 

[LifeCutShort]

I am not against medications, medications play an important role in the area of mental health where the underlying cause is a chemical imbalance and requires medicinal adjustment. I meet these types of people on the forum all the time, they have normal great lives and for no reason they are depressed or suicidal. These people need medication. I don't understand why health professionals view and treat mental illnesses caused by life circumstance the same thing as chemical imbalances.

If you go to a psychiatrist and complain you are lonely, it doesn't matter if you actually are alone or isolated (in which case feeling lonely would be normal) or if your loneliness stems from a chemical imbalance, the prescription is always the same.

 

[KwanYingirl]

Antidepressants aren't the magic bullet the pharmaceutical companies claimed them to be. I think it's a hell of a slippery slope that drug companies market there wares to the degree they do, hoping people will go to their doc and ask for it. That said, I do believe that trauma has a biochemical result. Glands don't produce their hormones, neurons don't Fire correctly. I can see how scientists are fascinated by drugs.

Interestingly, Harvard researchers have shown on MRIs that meditation leads to increased gray matter in the brain. Interesting!!

 

[SeaQuel]

I haven't read your previous posts to know whether you've been diagnosed with PTSD. I'm not personally a very big proponent of medication, but I do think it has some merit when it comes to PTSD specifically (I can't to speak mental health conditions in general). It is used to reset serotonin levels, which have gotten out of wack during the fight flight freeze cycle that your body is stuck in. It doesn't mean that there aren't alternative methods that can work, but depending on the severity of your symptoms, your finances, and your other life priorities (needing to work), this may or may be something you feel you can pursue.

Edited to add: I agree with you that medication does not "fix" the source of the issue; that's what therapy and other treatments are for. For me, I am hoping that it will allow me to actually get to the source of the problem in therapy by better managing my symptoms. I have no intention of staying on this stuff for life, but I am trying it out for a short period of time (long enough to trial and error a few different combinations and long enough to actually have it take affect).

 

[digger]

Is it an attempt to escape reality instead of facing it? I have tried anti-depressants and they do nothing to rectify the reality, therefore the trauma and depression remains.

I don't think on their own they will rectify depression based on life circumstances, no. They can help as a support/crutch/boost to other treatments though - therapy.

I'm not currently on any meds and when I did go on them it was a decision I agonised over for a long time before taking it. What they did for me was help me to a point where I could get myself into therapy, and to a point where I could actively participate in therapy, to deal with the life circumstances shit. So, for me, actually no, it wasn't about attempting to escape reality, it was an aid to facing it.

Just my perspective on it. It was what worked for me at that time. I don't think it's always an either/or thing. At the moment, what I feel I need is to be off meds and deal with therapy without them, but I probably wouldn't have been able to get it together enough to start therapy without them.

I meet these types of people on the forum all the time, they have normal great lives and for no reason they are depressed or suicidal.

On this forum? Not an easy inoffensive way to say this about the majority of people here but having 'normal great lives' isn't something I associate with most of them (myself included!):p

 

[LifeCutShort]

@scout86 "But dealing with things without medication isn't necessarily easy, at least not in the short term and I'm sure it won't work for everyone"

I have tried anti-depressants and am still taking them but they do nothing to rectify the reality, therefore the trauma and depression remains.

 

[digger]

I have tried anti-depressants and am still taking them but they do nothing to rectify the reality, therefore the trauma and depression remains.

Are you in therapy as well?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

On this forum? Not an easy inoffensive way to say this about the majority of people here but having 'normal great lives' isn't something I associate with most of them (myself included!):p

They're are a few here. They dominate chat in an annoying way, talking about how great their lives are, how smart they are, and "problems" most of us would KILL to have. I have such people on ignore.