As a patient, do I really need daily medication for anxiety, depression, etc? The question of the last 2 years! Covid opened our eyes to not only our deficiency as a country in responding to the pandemic crisis, but to other issues, like WHO EXACTLY is this spouse/ friend/relative/pastor/physician colleague who I thought I knew until we started talking about treatment and prevention? It’s all fun and games until you can’t trust the basic stuff of your life anymore…
Enter anxiety, anger, depression, resentment, hopelessness, you name it. It feels like it’s eating you from the inside out. The DSM 5 Psychiatry manual for professionals helps with the diagnoses of depression and anxiety and the other mental health issues, but sometimes it’s a mix of everything and you just feel better if you avoid other people (like at the pharmacy, airport, ER, grocery store) who trigger this feeling in you. The problem is that the symptoms feed on themselves and the next thing you know, you haven’t gone to the gym and felt RELAXED being there in a really long time. The masks, the wipes, the covert glances because no one likes looking each other in the eye anymore. You haven’t gone shopping or lunched with your girlfriends. You’ve become cynical and watch the news more than you should, and you know it.
When all of this has “taken over” your life, or you are experiencing symptoms of depression for most days over 2 weeks, or anxiety for 6 months, then YES daily medication can help. These medications aren’t perfect, nothing is. But they can help, and sometimes a lot. And seeing your local therapist to discuss how you feel, and maybe a mindfulness therapist to learn how to meditate, and learning how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.. All these folks are local and easily googled. Just confirm they are certified with their claim. And if you think you might need prescription medication, see your family doctor, who after all is in the trenches with you.