With mental health awareness day happening this week I realized that there are so many people in my life that are affected by a mental health issue. Some are only affected by seasonal depression while others are suffering from chronic depression. Although I care so much for those people I do not have a great understanding of what happens to people with depression, mentally and physically. That is why the thing that I will take most out of this class and out of psychology today is the information about depression and antidepressants.
Although we didn't cover depression in great detail in this class there are things that I have learned about medication that helps me understand how my friends are battling their problems. It also lead me to researching more information on my own about medication and talking to them about it.
Right now one of my friends is having a constant struggle to find the right medication. He recently started a new prescription that put his body through nausea and pain before it started working. Now a few months later it is improving his mental health but damaging his endocrine system . (Here are some side affects of antidepressants) This means that he has to start weaning himself off this medication only to try another one.
Along with depression medication it is also important to understand what is truly happening in their minds. There is harsh emotional reality to having depression. Someone may have a constant feeling of failure, lack of self worth, or complete lack of motivation. All of which are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It's hard not to just be frustrated and say, just be happy, but the reality is that is not an option. Understanding this makes understanding my friends a lot clearer. I wish there was something I could do for him, but there isn't. The only thing I really can do is learn as much as possible and be there for him when he needs me.
Like you, I never fully understood depression, mainly because I have never gone through it. Despite not going through it, I realize how many people struggle with it daily. I'm currently trying to read more about it to gather a better understanding of those surrounding me. It is nice to see I'm no the only one who doesn't have a full sense of the subject either.