Reply #155: Additionally, anxiety disorders and chronic depression are often confused in diagnosis

[Political Heretic]

Some medication works better to treat formally diagnosed anxiety disorders (which is not even remotely similar to being "stressed out") and others work better to treat depression - but many are all generically classified as anti-depressants.

For example, I didn't just get "handed" anti-depressants like candy. After consistently dealing with the same symptoms for most of my adult life, and finding things really pushing me toward a serious crisis break, I got help. I was under the care of both a medical doctor and a licensed clinical social worker who I saw regularly and who carefully monitored and medication decisions as well as providing emotional/mental counseling. I saw my counselor every week, and my doctor once a month - that's how it should be done.

Anyway, at first my doctor opted to try a medium dosage of welbutrin. After a while though, it was clear that it was really not having much effect for me. In consultation with my CLMSW, they suspectd that my symptoms really had more in common with formal anxiety disorder diagnosis, and consequently opted to try and carefully monitor Celexa.

Celexa is also classified as an anti-depressant. However, it is more focused on anxiety issues with depression treatment as a secondary effect. After being in this for a month, this is how I described the change:

-- I had never known, in my entire life, what it was like to live with a constant unending sense of dread. I didn't even know it wasn't supposed to be / didn't have to be like that - it was all I had ever known. I just knew that I couldn't keep my life together. It's hard to describe to someone who doesn't have this condition what it is like to be able to experience a more normalized sense of being.

So you can understand why, when someone starts in on the old ignorant stereotypes of "oh its all just in your head" "people on AD medication are just addicts, or its just a placebo effect," etc. etc. some of us tend to get upset.

Double so when you're actually in the field and know what you're talking about while some of the loudest others don't.