It's not about life being hard, it's about bad brain chemistry.

Only sometimes. There is situational depression as well as chemical imbalance. I don't think that there are that many people who all of a sudden have developed a chemical imbalance.

Because they are available and because they work. You could have said the same thing about aspirin.

Alternatively, you could walk around in someone else's moccasins for a while and see if your perspective changes.

Ortho Tricyclin is one of the two pills that I tried when I had black outs and heart palpitations which went away when I got off of the pill.

You don't take someone who's feeling down and tell them that now the's time to quit smoking..And that's not what I meant by lifestyle changes. I meant my job.
Anyway, I already have a plan to quit smoking by gradually reducing my addiction to nicotine. I went from lights (.7 mg nicotine) to superlights (.4 mg) and I will switch to Winston Ones (.1 mg) in a couple of months, then to the lowest dose patch. I KNOW that light cigarettes aren't necessarily healthier, but they DO have less nicotine per cigarette and I am using that as a tool to lower my addiction. "I am not ready.." to quit in conventional ways, because I'd be even more of a wreck.

I know myself well enough to know that if I excercise everyday, I don't NEED antidepressants. I don't see the point in taking them when there is a very healthy alternative that works just as well for me. I have nothing against antidepressants, except that they are a drug which can have side effects and excercise is all natural and the only side effects are great ones... I know a LOT of people on anti-depressants, I realize how common they are.

I have been to a psychologist before. They sit there and listen, and that's fun, but their main specialty is prescribing drugs...Like I said, give me a gym membership instead of a prescription, I'll be pumping out endorphins, boosting my confidence and feeling optimistic. It really is the best therapy and many studies have shown that.

You're basically saying that I'm whining about my problems and I'm not willing to do anything about them. I have a plan to quit smoking, valid reasons for not taking the pill, and if I took antidepressants, it would only be because I was too lazy to get my ass to the gym. I know that some people need them and it's not because they're lazy, but in my case, that would be exactly why I went on them...

And about "feeling normal"..I don't give a flying f$*# about being normal. I have always felt different, and I see no stigma attached to taking anti-depressants.
My husband loves me the way I am and he's never told me that I need help or drugs or whatever. He just says he wants me to quit my job, but if I do that now, it'll set us back.

I'm all set. You can add me being over-defensive to my list of complaints and sit there and shake your head and say "this chick is hopeless", whatever. I really am offended by labrat's post, which is just another excellent example of me being oversensitive...
Screw it, I have my books coming in the mail, so maybe I'll find some insight there. Thanks to everyone else who had nice things to say and useful advice...I really appreciate it. Even if I didn't walk away with my answer, I think more than anything, I needed to vent and hoped to find that I'm not the only person with issues, and I did accomplish that, so it wasn't all a waste of time.

The goal of therapy is to have the patient solve their own problem(s).

Congratulations.

You've solved your own problem. That should enable you to solve more problems.

Good for you. Keep hanging on!

[quote=Beestie]Because they are available and because they work. You could have said the same thing about aspirin.[quote=Beestie]

The only problem is that there are so many people who don't have the chemical imbalance that Zoloft is supposed to fix, but yet they are miraculously fixed. It is tremendously over-prescribed.

[quote=Beestie]Alternatively, you could walk around in someone else's moccasins for a while and see if your perspective changes.[quote=Beestie]

My perspective is fine. My life has not been a bed of roses. I've also spent some time caring for people with serious problems at a state psychiatric facility.

Also, from the SADHART study:
With regard to the effectiveness of sertraline (Zoloft ®), the patients reporting the greatest mood improvement were those with more severe or recurrent depression. For patients with at least one prior episode of depression, 72% responded to active treatment compared to only 51% of those on placebo (p=0.03). Similarly, for patients reporting more severe symptoms of depression, 78% of sertraline (Zoloft ®) patients responded versus 45% of placebo patients (p=0.001). The overall sample also included patients with mild and short-term depression and failed to demonstrate a significant difference between sertraline (Zoloft ®) and placebo. This result may be partially explained however, by the high response rate to placebo for patients with mild or reactive depression. Their symptoms may have resolved spontaneously as a result of the care, attention and support they received from both a cardiologist and psychiatrist as a consequence of their study participation.

ts--I don't get it.

'course, I'm handi-capable...so, that could be it...

by the way, I agree with Troubleshooter that antidepressants are overprescribed and that people use them as an easy way out instead of lowering the stress in their lives, excercising, eating healthier and cognitive therapy. I'm not saying that NOone needs them, just that doctors love to prescribe them and people love to take them because it doesn't involve any effort on either of them.

3/4 of the people treated with zoloft for major depression responded positively.

1/2 of the people treated with placebo for major depression responded positively.

They listed no significant difference between zoloft and placebo in people with mild or situational depression.

A Conscious Life: Cultivating the Seven Qualities of Authentic Adulthood
by Fran Cox, Louis Cox
Used for $1.50 at amazon

Ah, that's the thing!

I've never experienced quasi-depression--the likes that celebs and the rich endure.

SSRI's are invaluable when applied correctly.

You've framed the problem quite nicely. However, what's the solution?

Ten people walk into Dr. Troubleshooter's office exhibiting signs of major depression. To whom do you give the sugar pill, to whom do you give a "quit-your-self-indulgent-whining-and-shape-up" speech and to whom do you prescribe an anti-depressant?

I'm not trying to be a smartass but to say that antidepressants are overprescribed and leave it at that is like handing out a scratch-n-sniff picture of a steak dinner.

They have come out with a LO version, initially designed for breast feeding moms, but I stayed on it and LOVE it.
So, are you exercising everyday???? You don't need to pay for a gym membership to go for a walk or run outside, or at your local mall if the weather is bad. I'm not trying to be a bitch, but I am talking from experience. Stop making excuses, and start being proactive. I know exercise helps me immensely too, but it is not a cure. The underlying problem is still there.

Just a random thought, stacey, but have you approached all the gyms in your area about being an aerobics instructor? You could kill two birds with one stone.

I'm not a clinician, I'm not qualified to make the in-depth study necessary to asses nuances of psychiatry, but I am qualified to assess the numerical results of the study.

One possibility though is that the increasingly unhealthy nature of americans is leading to the rise in, unfounded isn't the word but it fits even if poorly, cases of depression. It's not that people are realy depressed, it's more like they are simply not healthy enough to deal with day to day life.

Molecules of Emotion goes into the intricacies of health and emotional balance. Some people don't like it, but it is a light read that gives a good idea of the issue.