As a recovering perfectionist, I love a good set of rules.
There is no greater high than following them exactly.
If it did, I would request a section called: How to know its time to start anantidepressant.
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Until last year,anxietywas (and sometimes still is) my cocaptain.
Years of therapy helped me understand that its only my brains way of trying to protect me.
Then my cat died.
But my two-year-old cats sudden death was the final straw.
Therapy could no longer keep me afloat.
A friend begged me to see a doctor and to ask about medication.
I feared a pill would change me, steal my creativity, or become a crutch.
A year into taking an antidepressant, I can confidently say thats not the case.
In retrospect, its clear I needed help.
Put simply, they work by increasing serotonin levels in your brain, Dr. De Faria explains.
As a result, a lot of people dreaded taking them, she says.
This makes it hard to ask for help, and even harder to accept taking medication.
People still think of psychiatric conditions as a character flaw or a personality issue.
And thats not what it is, she explains.
Its very much biological.
When should you consider starting an SSRI?
From the depths of my ditch, it was hard to see the red flags.
We do have a blind spot for our own functioning, Dr. De Faria says.
Dr. De Faria says you shouldnt wait to bring these symptoms up to your doctor.
(Gentle reminder: That score doesnt replace an official diagnosis from a health care provider.)
Primary care doctors are actually the most common prescribers of antidepressants in the United States, Dr. Hirst says.
And be sure to discuss any potentialthoughts of self-harmwith your doctor before startinganynew medications.)
Most people notice the impacts of an antidepressantgood and badafter about four weeks, Dr. Lenze says.
Dose increases and medication changes are often necessary to get well.
They work better together in many cases, Dr. Forcier says.
Of course, whether you try one or the other or both is an extremely personal decision.
I still have bad days and will always be joined by anxiety in some way.
If youre outside the United States,hereis a list of international suicide helplines.
