Society: “Hey, Doc. Something has been going on with me. I am less social than usual, I keep having frequent nightmares, probably because I sleep most of the day, I find myself either without an appetite or so bored that I eat to keep myself busy, and…”
Doc: *cuts society off* “Sounds to me like you are depressed. Let’s put you on a medication.”
Society: “I guess I have been pretty depressed lately, but I don’t know how I feel about drugs. I have heard that it can really mess people up.”
Doc: “Look, society, you have a chemical imbalance in your brain. Without major help, you will be tackling this disease on your own. You simply cannot fix your problems by yourself. Medicine is your only option.”
Society: “Okay, Doc. You’re right! After all, you do know what is best for me. Your wisdom, in combination with the thirty-two minutes we have spent together in my lifetime, is reason enough for me to go on meds! Thanks, Doc. When do I start?”
Doc: “Anytime, society. It’s what I am here for. We’ll put you on 40 mg of Prozac twice per day. Start immediately and I’ll check up on you in one month. Good luck!”
Alright, alright, alright, let’s dissect what is happening here. First off, let me start by saying 40 mg of medication is a large enough dose to create an entirely new mood disorder (that’s not entirely true, but if you are put on a dose higher than 20 mg, which is already a large dose, your doctor is insane). Secondly, Prozac, one of the most common of anti-depressants, is a mood elevator. So, when you are in a fabulous mood you will be so high on life that you will never want to kill yourself again. Sounds great, right? Wrong! If you experience severe anxiety, and start taking an SSRI (like Prozac), your heightened level of mood capacity will not only increase your joy, but also your depression, anxiety, anger, and so on. Soon enough, you’ll be experiencing panic attacks like never before. Doc sounds real smart right about now, eh?
Alright, now to the real problem. Did you notice how Doc cut off Society to immediately prescribe this patient with medication? Well, the truth is that Doc does this to 50 percent of society on a daily basis. Fifty percent, that is 156.95 million people, are currently on an anti-depressant medication in the United States today. Wow, we must have the most horrible world for hundreds of millions of people to be that depressed! That’s one way of looking at it. Or maybe our authority figures, doctors, only listen about 3 seconds before they are convinced a person they just met “needs” medication to survive. Let me ask you this, do you really think 50 percent of our population needs to be on an anti-depressant? Do you really believe our world is that bad? Or perhaps do we live in a society where people forget to challenge the power of a Ph.D?
Society: “Okay, Haylee, what makes you think you know more than the good ol’ Doc?”
Well, I don’t. However, I do know that challenging his ever so powerful pressure to take medication is in my best interest. After all, a doctor cannot truly know anybody after a ten minute discussion. Sure, you may be depressed, but let’s look at all the variables. Do you exercise? No? Well, you should. Thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise, three times per week, provides the same effects of an anti-depressant, but without the negative side-effects. I bet your doctor barely addressed that issue. What are your eating habits? Cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, and ramen noodles for dinner? Oh, you are hypoglycemic? Wow, no wonder you are depressed. Low-blood sugar is directly linked with depression. Go get some protein in you and you’ll start to perk up in a matter of days! The worst thing a depressed, hypoglycemic person can eat is sugar. Just quit that habit right now. Also, water, water, water. Cannot get any more basic than that. I bet your doctor did not even ask about your diet. If they did, I bet they didn’t articulate to you that you aren’t really depressed, but rather just an emotional byproduct of the food you are eating.
So, what’s my point? In short, I don’t want you or anybody else to simply accept the prescription a doctor will dish out. I want everybody to think deeply about what solution fits them best and to question why. I want you to ask yourself, “Do I truly have mental disorder?” or are there other external influences that are making me feel this way? I don’t know about you, but I refuse to believe that fifty percent of our population has a “chemical imbalance” in their brains. That’s simply not the truth. I can believe, however, that doctors think medicine is the “best” way of “fixing” problems. I think we can all agree that medicine does not fix the problem, but rather it serves as a band-aid by masking the problem. Instead of putting band-aids on our boo-boos, let’s try addressing the issue head-on. Seek out therapy, especially behavioral-oriented therapy, proper exercise, the advice from a good friend, and proper diet. Most importantly, get out of the house. Go have some fun, and don’t let yourself stay in all day. Now, these are the first steps to recovery!
Continue to ask questions, to think things through, and to fight for your health in a constructive manner.
Society: “You know, Doc, I am going try something else.”
[These images were not photographed by me.]
hnsfineart 
This is an amazing post, Haylee!