Situational Depression and Meds

[redtail23]

OK, I just went and looked at the David Burns website. AAACK!! I’m not saying they’re bad books (like I said, I know folks who’ve had CBT work for them), but Jeez Louise! That is a seriously cheesy-looking website and some HORRENDOUS photos of the dude. Too bad he’s 2000 miles away, or I’d trade him a new website for therapy sessions.

freckafree - thanks for the articles. I’ve skimmed over them and will read them more carefully later. I’m not so worried about emotional blunting (I’m already doing that in many areas, just not the bad ones that need it), but I think I’ve got the same fine line to walk as you. I’m already doing a grand job of avoiding the things that need to be done, I don’t need any help with that because “who cares”!

fuffle - yes, that’s what I’m starting to wonder about. I’ve been in this situation for 5 or 6 years now, with extra problems added a couple of years ago. Lately it seems to be moving in a downward spiral - I get upset or angry very easily, but without corresponding good moods when things go well. What you did is exactly what I’d hope for - a short stint on meds to get me back on my feet. Side effects; it would depend. Several of the most distressing side effects I’ve heard about aren’t really a problem for me right now, anyway.

Again, would you mind telling me what you took?

AHunter3 - I agree with you. I don’t think I have “clinical depression”, and I’m not at all sure that drugs help with “situational depression”, which is why I’ve avoided the meds route. I don’t even self-medicate to speak of (occasional recreational use only), other than reading fluffy escapist literature. I really dislike the idea of messing with my brain chemistry unless someone can show me clinical proof that it’s off-balance, and that a specific med will specifically fix that. But I gotta do something. I will definitely research specific meds before I start taking anything; don’t be surprised if I’m back here looking for info and anecdotes after I talk to the doc.

On review - I’ve been out at Wikipedia getting some general info on the various anti-depressants. I see they’re starting to find long-term problems that don’t necessarily go away when you quit taking them. That’s what I’ve wondered about for years (even before I started having problems) - if these things would permanently muck your brain chemistry. Temporary side effects is one thing; permanent problems is something else entirely. It’s pretty damn scary, even if it’s only 10%. Hell, major surgery doesn’t usually carry that level of risk!

Shit, shit, shit, shit. I’d almost convinced myself to try meds, but I dunno about this.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I can’t keep with y’all, but I’ll be back!

[Zoe]

redtail23, it’s a good idea not to self-diagnose about what kind of depression you have. It may well be situational, but it might not be. Depression affects the judgment centers of the brain and makes it hard for the person with it to know. People in terrible situations can still have chemical depression. The situations themselves may trigger a chemical change. (I think I understood this correctly from my shrink.)

I thought mine was situational. My biggest symptom was confusion and a sense of being overwhelmed. But about three weeks after my doctor put me on prozac, I could feel a sense of control returning to my life.

freckafree, you have some great information in your post, but I’m skeptical about this from your second article:

On the other side of the equation, I have a psychiatrist colleague who took Prozac to relax and enjoy his vacation. It worked very well. He told me that he tried it at home when he returned. He quickly stopped it when he found himself thinking, “Who cares?”…

Prozac is not a “happy pill.” If you don’t have a seratonin deficiency, then taking Prozac will not relax you for a vacation. It is not a tranquilizer. And you don’t stop caring about other people!

I don’t know what kind of M.D. would stick in such tripe.

[freckafree]

@Zoe

[You have some great information in your post, but I’m skeptical about this from your second article:

Prozac is not a “happy pill.” If you don’t have a seratonin deficiency, then taking Prozac will not relax you for a vacation. It is not a tranquilizer. And you don’t stop caring about other people!

I don’t know what kind of M.D. would stick in such tripe.

**
Zoe**, I wish I could find knew about the P-doc who wrote the article, Simon Sobo, because I find certain parts of that article flaky, too. I do think Sobo’s analogy of treating congestive heart failure interesting.

I couldn’t find the article of his I wanted to quote, which contained more of an exploration of who the “real” person is – the medicated person or the non-medicated person?

The anecdote in that article that caught my attention was that a patient of his was involved in an extramarital relationship with a man taking an SSRI. According to Sobo, when the man wasn’t on the meds, he couldn’t stand to be in his marriage another minute and planned to marry the other woman. When he was on his meds, his attention shifted to his teenage daughter, whom he felt would be hurt by the divorce.

The reason the anecdote got my attention is that it is virtually identical to the situation I have been in. (And I think the person I’m involved with would say that one effect of the antidepressant he is on is that, to some degree, he HAS stopped caring about other people.) It’s been a bizarre and unsettling experience to realize that many of the qualities I fell in love with (e.g., his enjoyment of music for its capacity to touch him emotionally) are simply not part of him now. The irony is that he acknowledges that he has lost these qualities, but, because of the emotional blunting, he doesn’t miss them.

So, to avoid being accused of hijacking this thread totally , I’ll relate my experience to** Gorgonzola’**s observation that people worry that antidepressants will turn them into somebody else, and to **redtail23’**s concerns about going the all the complexities of going the medication route.

[freckafree]

@freckafree

**
Zoe**, I wish I could find knew about the P-doc who wrote the article.

:smack:

Too many edits. Please substitute “I wish I knew more about…”

[freckafree]

@freckafree

and to **redtail23’**s concerns about going the all the complexities of going the medication route.

:smack:
Are there studies on SSRI’s interference with proofreading?

[fuffle]

Because I forgot to mention it the first time around – I took Bupropion.

[Sage_Rat]

I don’t know anything about the topic. However, it seems to me like you’re more seeking a second opinion than seeking “more information to ask when I go in”. Or at least your description of your current doctor doesn’t seem to indicate that you have any faith that he’ll proscribe anything but prescription meds.

If you want a second opinion, your only solution is to talk to another doctor in your area.

[susan]

I echo the idea of speaking with a Cognitive-Behavioral therapist. Not everybody sounds like David Burn. It’s well-documented that both Cognitive-Behavioral tratment and medication are effective for many people with depressive symptoms, and work better in combination.

[dusio22]

Having been on meds for depression on and off throughout my life, I’d advise against situational usage. I’m not a doctor or a professional, but I’ve had adverse side effects with most of them and withdrawal symptoms with them all. But definitely, see someone and talk it out.

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I was pretty depressed and for obvious causal reasons. I had a lot of alternatives to investigate and decisions to make, and I wasn’t making any progress – I’d just get into a funk about aging, dying, etc. My doctor prescribed an anti-depressant, and I think it did help me to deal with the situation more calmly.

So, I think that under a doctor’s supervision, anti-depressants can be of some use, even in a causal situation.