18
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by agrammatic@feddit.de to c/mentalhealth@lemmy.world

I have been living with depression since a teenager and after so many years, I recently finally started receiving psychotherapy (CBT). While I'm already seeing some modest changes in my thinking patterns, my therapist noted that in the last few weeks the severity of the condition is worsening and it might be a good time to talk with my primary care provider about antidepressants as a combination therapy.

This got a reaction out of me, specifically that I don't like the idea of chemically altering my mental state and losing access to what "I really feel" (as I perceive it).

I know that the logic behind this sentiment is not very solid, but we can't reason ourselves out of our feelings that easily. For me this is also challenging because I don't take any recreational substances that affect my mental state, so I can't tell to myself that it's like e.g. smoking weed only more targeted and supervised.

I'm curious if this sentiment is familiar to anyone else, and how you dealt with it (whether you decided for or against medication).

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Case@unilem.org 6 points 1 year ago

As some who has been on at least an anti depressant for 30ish years, I found that some absolutely can numb you at all emotional levels.

I lived like this for a long time, and it was better than being unmedicated.

Then I saw a different doc, and adjusted my meds around the time I met my wife.

In thr beginning I had a lot of difficulties, not because I lacked emotion, I just hadn't dealt with any strong emotions for 20 years so it all felt very new. Love, anger, frustration, all of it came back. Imagine being a kid again, real little, and you can't even name how you feel because its so foreign to you.

That being said, every medication effects everyone differently.

For example, Abilify (adjunct medication for depression) made me restless, edgy, and just miserable. I would go for walks to try to burn through that uneasy feeling. I'm talking multiple walks a day. My ass has (and will continue) to say that the fridge is too far away and too much trouble to get off the couch, in comparison.

A good friend of mine is on it and has no issues, helped with her depression as advertised.

Sadly, it involves some trial and error to find what works for you.

Be honest with your docs. Don't tell them you're "fine" because you're functional to society, so that must be good enough. Its not.

this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
18 points (87.5% liked)

Mental Health

3757 readers
6 users here now

Welcome!

This is a safe place to discuss, vent, support, and share information about mental health, illness, and wellness.

Thank you for being here. We appreciate who you are today. Please show respect and empathy when making or replying to posts.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules

1-Posts promoting paid products and services of any kind are not allowed here.

2-All posts and comments must be helpful and supportive. Do not put vulnerable people at risk.

3-Do not DM or ask to speak privately to any of our members unless they specifically request it.

If a person from this community disturbs you in a comment, please report the comment. If you receive a DM you did not request, send a screenshot of the DM in a message to a moderator. This is a bannable offense.

4-Suicide, Self-Harm, Death-- Extended discussions are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED here. First, mods and community members are caring people, but not experts in crisis situations. Second, we want to avoid Lemmy becoming like many commercial social media platforms, where comments can snowball into counterproductive talk.

If you or someone you know needs more help than can be found here, please refer to the pinned resources.

If BRIEF mention of these topics is an important part of your post, please flag your post as NSFW and include a (trigger warning: suicide, self-harm, death, etc.)in the title so that other readers who may feel triggered can avoid it. Please also include a trigger warning on all comments mentioning these topics in a post that was not already tagged as such.

Partner Communities

- Therapy

Neurodegenerative Disease Support

ADHD

Autism

Fibromyalgia

TMJ

Chronic Pain

Bipolar Disorder

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Friends and Family of People with Addiction

To partner with our community and be included here, you are free to message the current moderators or comment on our pinned post.

Community Moderation

Some moderators are mental health professionals and some are not. All are carefully selected by the moderation team and will be actively monitoring posts and comments. If you are interested in joining the team, you can send a message to ZenGrammy for more information.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS