Recent content by criticalthinking

If I'm remembering correctly, many antidepressants can affect your blood pressure, which is why they're supposed to screen you for heart problems before they prescribe them. However, if you have a healthy heart they're pretty safe.

I was diagnosed with it. They wanted me to take lithium, but the side effects for that are so severe I just tried to make due for years without any medications. Antidepressants did help me a great deal though, once I decided to try them. I never did take the lithium.

I was actually talking about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. :) But thank you for your compliment!

I'm in the process of applying for state health insurance, but I may make just over the income cut off, so I don't know yet. It's very frustrating! I remember the really emotional thing you were noting in your Effexor withdrawal. It was awful. I literally cried uncontrollably for four hours...

I know what you mean. My whole family is insane, but some of them are less religious fanatic insane than others, which definitely goes into my decisions on what to tell them. As for the religious concerns, that should be between you and your personal faith. That's what Martin Luther was fighting...

It is important to remind yourself that you have plenty to give, even if it is simply a sympathetic ear. Our high tech society does a pretty good job of isolating people. So at the same time you are sitting alone, feeling you must have nothing to contribute, your neighbor is probably sitting...

I agree with scooby that you may need to try a different antidepressant. Some of the problems you described are among the warning symptoms that you're having a bad reaction to an antidepressant. A different medication may work better for you.

People can become depressed because of an upsetting event, but experts in depression like to point out that sadness is not the same thing as depression. Fortunately, with our increased understanding of brain chemistry and genetics, and ever more powerful brain imaging technologies, they are...

That's a good idea. I didn't even think about the idea that she may be able to find a group that has sponsor-type people you can call when things get really rough. Having someone to talk to really does make a big difference!

What happens if you try to wait to wash your hands? I mean, if you tell yourself you're going to skip washing your hands for a little bit, do you become increasingly anxious about the germs on your hands? Do you become so anxious you can't make yourself not wash your hands? If so, that may...

I used to have some problems with this. For me is was house cleaning. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with keeping a clean house, but I would get all upset if it wasn't "perfectly" clean. Like I would sweep and mop the floor, and then sweep again, and then mop again, and then start...

It's important for people to try to keep in mind that they really do have someting to offer. It's the depression that sneaks into your brain and convinces you otherwise. Most depressed people I know think no one cares about them, or that they offer nothing to people. Then when you talk to other...

Bipolar is quite different than depression, and it has been a diagnosis for a long time, it isn't a new one. Bipolar people have manic phases. They may go on wild spending sprees or have a bunch of dangerous sexual encounters. They may not sleep for many days. They feel good, so it doesn't seem...

Sadly, there probably will be more problems in the future. Almost everyone I know is working more and more trying to make what they can to stay afloat.

It can be difficult coping when you feel you're surrounded by hostility and a lack of understanding. For LGBT individuals, coping with depression can be especially difficult. If you are LGBT, how do you cope? Do you have support, or is it harder to find people to help because of the frequent...