151–160 of 167 posts
I think we'll look back to this era the same way we currently look back at the time we prescribed heroin for all kinds of things: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Drug_sto... The fact that they work and helped people isn't mutually exclusive with the fact that they're abused, over prescribed and have crazy side effects
Like it or not, you are your neurology. You are your synaptic structure, you are your neurotransmitters. This trick of conscious self awareness doesn't trump neurology. You can't meditate out of physical systems malfunctioning any more than you can meditate away a broken leg. These drugs are like casts for broken bones. Just because you can't see the broken system doesn't make it less physical. Get a cast. Heal the a…
It's really dangerous because it implies that psychological illnesses are not "real" like other non-psychological illnesses are. This causes people to believe weird things, like that you can just will yourself out of a certain state, or that these illnesses are caused by laziness, and in some cases think they are just totally fake.
Like you said, all of your psychology, your consciousness, emotions, sensations, etc are physical reactions happening inside of your brain and nervous system, there is no nonphysical aspect to any of it. All of it is just a bunch of "circuits" inside of your brain tissues and various nerves in the body.
This isn't even a debatable issue unless you believe in some sort of magic nonphysical thing that exists outside of the 3d space we reside in. Nonphysical things by definition do not make any sense.
This applies to more than just consciousness too, the same basic idea applies to "spirits" for example. When you cut someone open you don't find a spirit inside of them, it's just a bunch of physical organs and tissues.
Like it or not, you are your neurology. You are your synaptic structure, you are your neurotransmitters. This trick of conscious self awareness doesn't trump neurology. You can't meditate out of physical systems malfunctioning any more than you can meditate away a broken leg. These drugs are like casts for broken bones. Just because you can't see the broken system doesn't make it less physical. Get a cast. Heal the a…
>Like it or not, you are your neurology. You are your synaptic structure, you are your neurotransmitters. Yeah, but look who's saying that. Your neurology etc. By that logic the cast of Seinfeld is a tribe of gnomes living inside your tv.
> Doctors rarely talk to patients about stopping the drugs because they fear this could lead to a return of depressive symptoms. But for many people it may be safe to stop. Even among long-term users with several past episodes of depression, a recent trial in Britain showed that 44% of patients could stop taking pills safely.
Those don't exactly seem like hugely encouraging numbers.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Prescription of antidepressants really should be coupled with therapy (and often is), which if done right should prompt plenty of introspection. Also in those with severe depression, functioning is so low it can be difficult to even engage in therapy or make life changes without other treatment first. I think you make an interesting broader point though. Clinically there is not enough consideration of life circumstan…
I view overcoming depression similar to weight loss. A lot of people will try hard on their own or with the help of someone else to achieve it, but at the end of the day it’d be far easier to shove a pill down someone’s throat rather than convince them to change their lifestyle and values, simply because most people will try and fail anyway. With the right mindset, I think you could overcome any depression naturally…
I also don't think it is inherently wrong to include medication (or in the case of obesity, surgery) as part of an intervention in conjunction with lifestyle changes. If done correctly such interventions can be better than the sum of their parts.
It's unfortunate that there are so many bad clinicians out there, but that doesn't mean we should let it affect our opinion on actual best practices. There's a difference between putting in a reasonable amount of work and unnecessarily struggling (although admittedly that's sometimes a fine line).
Statements like this need to be worded very carefully. In many people's minds, saying something like "most people don't need antidepressants" quickly becomes "antidepressants are useless". Many people who may benefit from them get scared away. Speaking as someone who has been on/off antidepressants for GAD+OCD for the better part of a decade, I've had countless people tell me that antidepressants are useless and just…
If I may,
it's like the recent trend to call everything rape and sexual assault. At some point I have to start naturally doubting the claim on its face. That doesn't imply I think these things don't happen, just that I don't think someone making a stupid dad joke should turn into the woman shouting sexual assault and I find myself questioning all accusations as a result.
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I have no opinions on any specific person taking antidepressants, but it's not unreasonable for people to get weary when you can't throw a stick without hitting someone who has been diagnosed with something that's being medicated with antidepressants.
I can tell this thread is going to be a nightmare but whatever I really want to share my experience in case there are people similar to me that need to hear this: I cannot emphasise enough how much Escitalopram (lexapro) has helped me with issues I didn't even know I had until I started taking it. At which point I realised I was living in a constant state of anxiety up to that point, and I probably should have been o…
Same here! I was like “wow, this is what it’s like to not be so cynical and defensive and anxious all the time!” I lived like that for 15 years :(
I can tell this thread is going to be a nightmare but whatever I really want to share my experience in case there are people similar to me that need to hear this: I cannot emphasise enough how much Escitalopram (lexapro) has helped me with issues I didn't even know I had until I started taking it. At which point I realised I was living in a constant state of anxiety up to that point, and I probably should have been o…
Just another +1. Also for me the "activation dose" was 15mg, and I spent almost a year taking 10mg a day thinking it didn't work, before moving to 15mg and my life changed. For anyone else with anxiety issues, silexan[0] and l-theanine[1] are cheap and worth a look-in 0: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/lavenders-game-silexan... 1: https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/
I can tell this thread is going to be a nightmare but whatever I really want to share my experience in case there are people similar to me that need to hear this: I cannot emphasise enough how much Escitalopram (lexapro) has helped me with issues I didn't even know I had until I started taking it. At which point I realised I was living in a constant state of anxiety up to that point, and I probably should have been o…
That's exactly what happened to me. I began to take it when the pandemic hit and latter decided to stop. But it was transformative in the sense that it made me aware of how handicapping my anxiety was. My doctor didn't want me to stop tho. I clearly match the criteria to stop (stable for an year), while he still recommended that I continued. He didn't veto my stopping either, but it was my decision.
I can tell this thread is going to be a nightmare but whatever I really want to share my experience in case there are people similar to me that need to hear this: I cannot emphasise enough how much Escitalopram (lexapro) has helped me with issues I didn't even know I had until I started taking it. At which point I realised I was living in a constant state of anxiety up to that point, and I probably should have been o…
Adding to the anecdata, on the other hand, when I took it, I just felt the same :(.