Hense why I’m on anti-depressants since August! This country is a joke and I can only see these figures increasing.

Hopelessness I meant!

I hope that you will manage to come off these drugs and be well without them sometime soon. Best of luck to you!

I’ve been on them on and off for about 10 years now. They do make a difference to my quality of life and my mental wellbeing. During various bouts, I was also prescribed Xanax. I stretched their use out over about 2 years because I didn’t feel I needed them on a regular basis. I also get the occasional prescription of Anxicalm, but that’s for my back and rather than become addicted to it, I ration it out for when I really need it.

Personally, I’d rather not be taking them because it’s a monthly expense I can do without, but as long as I and my doctor feel I need them, I’ll happily pay for them. Life would be unbareable otherwise.

I take them. Am not ashamed to admit it.

It’s amazing the different reactions I get when people ask what’s wrong and I openly tell them. My neighbour basically said she was shocked but also disappointed in me that I would let my self get to this stage! I was been told that I was getting viral infections until August when I had an anxiety attack. I thought I was having a heart attack , I couldn’t breath. It was only that I was sent to hospital that I was diagnosed correctly. I have just completed a stress control course which I found brilliant. Helping me understand what my body is telling me and ways to deal with the stress, anxiety and depression. I’d advice anyone to do this course if it is on in your local health centre and its free through the HSE and its devised by jim White.

There shouldn’t be any shame in admitting you take them. But I’m sure any person you asked would prefer not to have to take them at all.
Depression is not by any means pleasant and you will do anything you can to not feel that way. In many cases there *is* another way, perhaps, as the clinical guidelines suggest, these other avenues should be explored before getting people addicted to drugs?

And yes, I know that the manufacturers deny these drugs are addictive, but ask anyone who has come off them cold turkey. When I told my shrink that I had he told me that the hot shivers, cold sweats, hallucinations, uncontrollable trembling, vomitting and diahorrea was “discontinuation syndrome”, which is funny, because it felt like how Rentons cold turkey was depicted in Trainspotting..

Please don’t spread the myths – there are a lot of different anti-depressants, some may work for you and some may not. A person with depression (together with his GP/shrink) have to find a right fit. If this approach didn’t work for you, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for a lot of people. The approach to mental health in Ireland is appalling – your advice “improve your diet, exercise, etc.” is exactly what people with mental illness get in this country and a lot of good does it do. Sometimes improved diet, exercise, saying “hail Marys” or “Om shanti” etc. can bring you only so far… I always worry when I read comments like yours!

I was merely advocating the clinical best practice guidelines. I didn’t refer to specific drugs, I referred to two classes of drugs, both of which do list these side effects. For this reason other avenues such as CBT and other therapies are advocated first because the risk / benefit ratio is far more favourable.
Sadly, in many places there is not enough focus on the avoidance of what are essentially mind altering drugs. Even though this is advocated as best practice. Perhaps you should take a look at Professor Ivor Brownes work.

as a retired counselling psychotherapist I would love to give my personal opinions here, but I’m still bound by a code of Ethics, good professional counselling will never use any type of drug, the main purpose of counselling therapy is to identify the root cause of the disorder and then to deal with it.
there is no way to deal with any psychological disorder without doing this..
I have spent 15years helping people like Shanti Om , I have seen every aspect of the subject.

Yes, if cannabis was legalised for medicinal use, it could be used as a natural remedy for depression; cannabinoids elicit antidepressant like behaviour and activate serotonergic neurons through the medial prefrontal cortex.

Journal of Nueroscience – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17959812&ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

“Neuroscience” :)

Philip , I do not get your point.

It was a little unfinished, @Rory. People who find themselves in the sorry situation where they need medication for depression already feel stigmatised by their condition. What they don’t need is some new junior minister suggesting that they are using them for recreational purposes.