- I take antidepressants,
and I will very likely take them forever.
- [Narrator] Serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
- You start to feel like there
is no sunlight around you.
- So I started taking 10mg
of Lexapro about three months ago.
- I will never stop taking this, ever.
- To understand how I got here,
confidently saying that
I take antidepressants,
without qualifiers like,
well it's only temporary,
I can already feel them working,
I'll be off them in no time.
I take them now but I've had long periods
of time where I didn't need them.
Here's the thing, this tiny pill,
this medication that I
take each morning helps me.
And you know what wasn't helping me?
Shame about taking this
tiny pill each morning
that helps me.
In fact, it was deeply,
deeply hindering me.
I was having a conversation
a while back with
someone who was on an anti anxiety med
or an antidepressant, and
they said something like,
ya but I won't be on it for
long, or it's just temporary.
And I totally get where
they're coming from.
Temporary use of these
medications can be great
and maybe a short period
of time is just the
perfect amount of time for
that person or other people.
But what I internalized when I heard them
say that was shame.
Because when I thought about
getting off my medications
soon or my medication
only being temporary,
I knew right away that was not going to be
a possibility for me,
that I wouldn't be able
to do that and continue
with the level of wellbeing
that I maintain currently.
So the next time that I found
myself in a conversation
with someone about
medication, what did I do?
I would love to say that
I proudly disclosed that
not only do I take
medication, but that it's
something that I'll likely take long-term,
if not life long, and that it expertly and
unanimously helps me be better.
That is not what I said.
I said exactly what I'd
been programmed to say.
Something like, oh ya ya ya
I take an antidepressant,
I was on it a few years
ago for a couple months and
then I was off it for a really long time
and then I'm back on it but
probably just for a bit.
Awesome.
Now here's the thing, we all
have the freedom to share
what we do or don't want
to share with other people.
If you don't want to share
about your medical experience
or your medical history or your
current medical situation, don't.
That's not what this
conversation is about.
This is about those of us
who are on medications,
those of us who have been on medications,
those of us who have loved
ones who take medications,
to stop participating
in the conversation that
increases the stigma of medication.
Here are a few truths about
antidepressants for both
me and those I love.
At times they have helped
me do simple things
that felt way too hard,
eat, get out of bed, go on a walk, shower.
They are complicated.
Side effects of these
medications can be extreme
and the process of finding
the right one for you
is difficult, too difficult if you ask me.
This process can be incredibly grueling.
They are personal.
It is my personal choice to take them
and it is others' to not.
They have helped me mother better.
They have helped me see clearer.
They can be life-giving
and sometimes they can be life saving.
What they aren't,
something to be ashamed of.
When I disclose that I
am on antidepressants,
I will also disclose that
I am happier on them,
That my relationships are
better, my work is better,
my creativity is more intact,
and my perspective is happier.
I will also disclose that
if they continue to serve
me in this way,
to fulfill their purpose
of helping me be more me,
then I will continue to
take them every single day
for as long as I need.
The next time that someone
hesitantly or boldly
shares with me that
they're on a medication,
I will say clearly and
carefully that I appreciate
them sharing that with me
and that I admire their
ability to recognize their
needs and see to them.
