Depressed? Then open your wallet, please.

Note: This blog is not intended to replace your doctor's advice or your own inner wisdom and common sense.
Instead, it is my opinion, based on my own personal & professional experiences.

There are 2 commercials currently running on mainstream t.v. for depression medication that really get to me. I won't mention the actual names of the meds, which doesn't really matter. You'll get the gist....

The first commercial starts something like this:
"If you're taking medication for depression but your symptoms aren't getting better, talk to your doctor about adding [this med]"

Now, to be sure, it IS possible that taking an additional medication might help improve your symptoms.

However, I saw this so, so many times when I was a counselor....people looking for that "magic bullet" to transform them from depressed to happy in one easy dose.

Unfortunately, this rarely happens.

Depression medications are very useful for getting back on the road to recovery. Usually, people suffering from depression have felt that way for so long that their bodies are biochemically "set" into depression mode. So meds can help re-balance that.

However, meds will only do so much. Instead, behavioral changes are also needed, or else the body will continue to fight against the usefulness of the meds.

In other words, if you do not change such things as negative thinking and your lifestyle (exercise, toxic relationships, diet, work habits, etc.) you're brain & body will still undergo the biochemical process that results in depression, regardless of medications.

But there's no t.v. commercial to tell you this. And why would there be? That information doesn't help drug companies make money.

On that note, here's the second commercial that drives me even MORE crazy (yes, I said crazy...it's ok):
"Where does depression hurt? Everywhere. Who does depression hurt, EVERYONE [insert pictures of un-walked dogs and neglected family members here]"

Well, there you go....why not target the poor depressed person who already feels negative, ashamed and guilty. You think you feel bad, poor consumer....well look how you're making other people suffer!

Again, this is my opinion, but this has got to be the worst commercial in the history of advertising!!!

I, myself, have suffered from clinical depression. At the pinnacle of this two-year period in my life, I remember feeling so guilty that I wasn't "there" for all the people in my life.

I repeatedly chastised myself for not being the best for my clients, my family, my friends, my boyfriend, and my dogs. And without going into detail, this was one of the repeated thoughts that ended up pushing me to the "edge."

This is why I hate this commercial (yes, I said hate...it's ok.) Altho it is, again, meant to squeeze money out of the suffering, I think it also has the potential to do the opposite. Reminding a depression sufferer how much he/she is letting people down might not be the best marketing technique....can't get money from a dead person, after all.

This is why we need to take responsibility for our own recovery. The drug companies aren't "against" you. Our country is based on free enterprise and, as a result, caveat emptor - buyer beware.

So the buyer must beware...or be aware that meds are only a small part of recovery (if you choose for them to be.) There's so much more that we have to do....for ourselves.

If you don't manage your life, who will?