Original wording (Cantonese): "你一食葯就会食到老嘅啦“ (Once you start, you will need to continue till you get old (aka: till your death))
Oh okay mom… “唔食藥而家死咗就唔使到老囉” (If I don’t get medicated, I die now and no need to get old) (didn’t actually say it, but really want to)
This culture is gonna kill me 😭
I love most of your comment but I don’t like the common concept of antidepressants as “happy pills”. It’s the same issue as depression means you’re sad. Depression is a complex illness with a large variety of potential symptoms. In severe depression people are more likely to describe themselves as numb or emotionless than sad because they’ve become emotionally exhausted. Sadness also isn’t the only negative emotion linked to depression. People with depression experience higher levels of guilt, shame, agitation, and anger.
For my subjective experience, I couldn’t tell a difference when I started taking SSRIs. They were making a difference because family members told me that I was easier to be around. That I didn’t snap at them or brood as much. I didn’t realize that I had been snapping at them. Bupropion on the other hand made a big difference to how I felt almost immediately. It eased the physical symptoms of depression, gave me more energy, and made the agitation of dealing with people build slower. Neither made me happy, they made me less depressed.
Feeling better about myself and being happier with my life took much longer and involved therapy and life changes. That’s why I don’t like “happy pills” concept. Antidepressants are just one piece of the puzzle. They’re a tool but recovering from and/or managing depression requires a toolbox.
Fair point, and I appreciate the clarification as I didn’t mean that as a happy pills concept or that you can just be happy. Neurotypicals aren’t usually happy, either. I just meant not depressed and, perhaps happy, or anything else that is unlocked by not having that heavy burden. I simply forget the broader audience might have that “happy pills” impression and I’m sorry if anyone thought that’s what I meant.
And yeah, therapy and lifestyle changes are important, plus addressing anything else that might be comorbid with depression (i.e. other conditions that came with it).