becoming suicidal

[sobitcoin]

And god whatever you do, don't result to pharmaceutical antidepressants.

Try supplementing your life with natural herbs such as tumeric.  A simple change of diet can make all the difference.

Dank, just stop it.  There is absolutely no denying that antidepressants have legitimately helped millions of people.  Yes, a lot of people experience negative side effects, and in some cases antidepressants exacerbate depressive symptoms, but a lot of the time all that's needed to correct the issue are proper changes to the medication regimen by a psychiatrist.

It's incredibly dangerous when you just state this stuff to random strangers whose biology and psychology you're almost totally ignorant about.  One of the most common catalysts for psychiatric hospitalization or suicidal behaviors is when people *stop* taking psychiatric medications.  In other words, a suicidal or high-risk individual typically reduces their risk while taking their medications, but revert back to being high-risk after stopping their medications.

Psychiatric medications are intended to bring a person back to their baseline status so that they can properly address and work through their issues.  The eventual goal is to then be weened off the medication so that the positive changes still remain.

But please, for the sake of others, don't make Universal claims about medicines and their potential to benefit people.  You're not a psychiatrist, nor do you have any clue about the actual properties of psychiatric medications and how they operate in the body.  Statistically, the most effective form of treatment is a combination of therapy and medication rather than one, the other, or the absence of both.

This world isn't black-and-white like you make it out to be with every friggin' issue imaginable.

Not for or against Big Pharma... But i think your name solves the majority of it.

You're not a psychiatrist, nor do you have any clue about the actual properties of psychiatric medications and how they operate in the body.  Statistically, the most effective form of treatment is a combination of therapy and medication rather than one, the other, or the absence of both.  

 
 

 

Are you?  Statistically? What statistics? The statistics conducted by who?  I am not disagreeing that it is no good to recomend shit you don't know about, however, you're basing your evidence of statistics of what? The generation that publicized reefer madness?  The generation that 10 years ago claimed marijuana was going to wipe out society, and is currently legalized in a number of states for its proprietary medical uses, the same ones that studies "claimed" to be false? What studies are these? Are you sure they are transparent?  The numbers and studies conducted to support pharmaceuticals and turn people away from other substances uncontrolled?



If you are going to ask for merits, please sir, pipe up with your PHD, because as far as i am concerned your promotion of pharma, is notmuch different then the quote you were referring to.

My name "the joint" isn't a drug reference.  It's more like, "Hey, welcome to da joint!" (Insert Joe Pesci face here).

I'm not a psychiatrist.  But I have a post-graduate degree in the fields of mental health and social work and I was recently (and may still be) ranked #1 in the United States for both productivity and positive client outcomes in my role as a transition coordinator for a Federal financial assistance program the helps nursing home residents with a history of serious mental illness with community reintegration.  I've also worked as a mental health counselor for three agencies which includes the adult psychiatric units of two Chicago Metropolitan hospitals. I've worked with literally thousands of clients being treated with psychiatric medications for all sorts of mental issues including depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and delusional disorders, substance abuse of all types, personality disorders, chronic homelessness or incarceration, etc.

http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Mental_Illnesses/Depression/Depression_Treatment,_Services_and_Supports.htm

There are several types of psychotherapy that have been shown to be effective for depression, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). In general, these two types of therapies are short-term; treatments usually last only 10-20 weeks. Research has shown that mild to moderate depression can often be treated successfully with either medication or psychotherapy alone. However, severe depression appears more likely to respond to a combination of these two treatments.

Edit:  Interestingly, of all the clients that I've successfully transitioned from nursing homes to apartments or other individual living spaces, only one client needed to be re-institutionalized back into a nursing home.  The reason?  He stopped taking his psychiatric medications just a couple days after discharging from the nursing home (because he said he felt "fine" and didn't need them anymore) and was re-institutionalized within a few weeks.  Interestingly, once he started back on his medications after going back to the nursing home, it only took a few more weeks for the client to re-stabilize back to baseline.  He is now living in a group home with staff on site to monitor his medication usage. He has been doing perfectly fine ever since, and it's primarily because he is now remaining compliant with his medications.

Edit 2:  It's also interesting to note that, although this is the only client I've worked with who has needed to be re-institutionalized after moving back into the community, this client was clinically determined to be the highest functioning client I've had on my caseload according to a mental health level of functioning assessment.  However, the client scored so high when he was in the nursing home and on his medications.  This serves as an indicator as to how much importance medications play in the treatment process.  Our highest functioning client arguably became our lowest functioning client specifically because he went off of his medications, and for no other significant reason.

Awesome.  The Joint, was a joke.


Good to hear you have an education in the area.  That comment clears the air.

[AnonBitCoiner]

And god whatever you do, don't result to pharmaceutical antidepressants.

Try supplementing your life with natural herbs such as tumeric.  A simple change of diet can make all the difference.

Dank, just stop it.  There is absolutely no denying that antidepressants have legitimately helped millions of people.  Yes, a lot of people experience negative side effects, and in some cases antidepressants exacerbate depressive symptoms, but a lot of the time all that's needed to correct the issue are proper changes to the medication regimen by a psychiatrist.

It's incredibly dangerous when you just state this stuff to random strangers whose biology and psychology you're almost totally ignorant about.  One of the most common catalysts for psychiatric hospitalization or suicidal behaviors is when people *stop* taking psychiatric medications.  In other words, a suicidal or high-risk individual typically reduces their risk while taking their medications, but revert back to being high-risk after stopping their medications.

Psychiatric medications are intended to bring a person back to their baseline status so that they can properly address and work through their issues.  The eventual goal is to then be weened off the medication so that the positive changes still remain.

But please, for the sake of others, don't make Universal claims about medicines and their potential to benefit people.  You're not a psychiatrist, nor do you have any clue about the actual properties of psychiatric medications and how they operate in the body.  Statistically, the most effective form of treatment is a combination of therapy and medication rather than one, the other, or the absence of both.

This world isn't black-and-white like you make it out to be with every friggin' issue imaginable.

Not for or against Big Pharma... But i think your name solves the majority of it.

You're not a psychiatrist, nor do you have any clue about the actual properties of psychiatric medications and how they operate in the body.  Statistically, the most effective form of treatment is a combination of therapy and medication rather than one, the other, or the absence of both.  

 
 

 

Are you?  Statistically? What statistics? The statistics conducted by who?  I am not disagreeing that it is no good to recomend shit you don't know about, however, you're basing your evidence of statistics of what? The generation that publicized reefer madness?  The generation that 10 years ago claimed marijuana was going to wipe out society, and is currently legalized in a number of states for its proprietary medical uses, the same ones that studies "claimed" to be false? What studies are these? Are you sure they are transparent?  The numbers and studies conducted to support pharmaceuticals and turn people away from other substances uncontrolled?



If you are going to ask for merits, please sir, pipe up with your PHD, because as far as i am concerned your promotion of pharma, is notmuch different then the quote you were referring to.

My name "the joint" isn't a drug reference.  It's more like, "Hey, welcome to da joint!" (Insert Joe Pesci face here).

I'm not a psychiatrist.  But I have a post-graduate degree in the fields of mental health and social work and I was recently (and may still be) ranked #1 in the United States for both productivity and positive client outcomes in my role as a transition coordinator for a Federal financial assistance program the helps nursing home residents with a history of serious mental illness with community reintegration.  I've also worked as a mental health counselor for three agencies which includes the adult psychiatric units of two Chicago Metropolitan hospitals. I've worked with literally thousands of clients being treated with psychiatric medications for all sorts of mental issues including depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and delusional disorders, substance abuse of all types, personality disorders, chronic homelessness or incarceration, etc.

http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Mental_Illnesses/Depression/Depression_Treatment,_Services_and_Supports.htm

There are several types of psychotherapy that have been shown to be effective for depression, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). In general, these two types of therapies are short-term; treatments usually last only 10-20 weeks. Research has shown that mild to moderate depression can often be treated successfully with either medication or psychotherapy alone. However, severe depression appears more likely to respond to a combination of these two treatments.

Edit:  Interestingly, of all the clients that I've successfully transitioned from nursing homes to apartments or other individual living spaces, only one client needed to be re-institutionalized back into a nursing home.  The reason?  He stopped taking his psychiatric medications just a couple days after discharging from the nursing home (because he said he felt "fine" and didn't need them anymore) and was re-institutionalized within a few weeks.  Interestingly, once he started back on his medications after going back to the nursing home, it only took a few more weeks for the client to re-stabilize back to baseline.  He is now living in a group home with staff on site to monitor his medication usage. He has been doing perfectly fine ever since, and it's primarily because he is now remaining compliant with his medications.

Edit 2:  It's also interesting to note that, although this is the only client I've worked with who has needed to be re-institutionalized after moving back into the community, this client was clinically determined to be the highest functioning client I've had on my caseload according to a mental health level of functioning assessment.  However, the client scored so high when he was in the nursing home and on his medications.  This serves as an indicator as to how much importance medications play in the treatment process.  Our highest functioning client arguably became our lowest functioning client specifically because he went off of his medications, and for no other significant reason.

Awesome.  The Joint, was a joke.


Good to hear you have an education in the area.  That comment clears the air.

It actually pisses me off when people joke about suicide, when it's such a serious situation. I agree with the joint, and he really has the experience to back up his knowledge, along with education. Pharmaceutical antidepressants prove helpful to a certain degree, when the diagnosis is correct. A close friend of mine was prescribed antidepressants, which only worsened his condition, until a psychiatrist was able to identify that depression was not the only mental problem he was suffering from. The OP is a fucking troll, judging by the other posts from his profile.

[Ibian]

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I have. Other than an upcoming vacation, all my money goes into bitcoin. Really hoping this bear market continues for another half year too, don't have the coins I want yet.

[AnonBitCoiner]

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I have. Other than an upcoming vacation, all my money goes into bitcoin. Really hoping this bear market continues for another half year too, don't have the coins I want yet.

That's an extremely high risk. Hope it works out well for you. Fortunately it hasn't been steadily declining.

[Ibian]

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I have. Other than an upcoming vacation, all my money goes into bitcoin. Really hoping this bear market continues for another half year too, don't have the coins I want yet.

That's an extremely high risk. Hope it works out well for you. Fortunately it hasn't been steadily declining.

No risk at all, in my case. I had nothing when I first heard about bitcoin. No savings, no real income, no nothing. Either the price will rise and I will have enough money to last a lifetime, or I will be back where I started - except with more savings than I ever had before, even if the price halves from where it is now. Bitcoin has been nothing but good for me.

[clubsofsteel]

hahaha..this is funny shyt

[AnonBitCoiner]

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I have. Other than an upcoming vacation, all my money goes into bitcoin. Really hoping this bear market continues for another half year too, don't have the coins I want yet.

That's an extremely high risk. Hope it works out well for you. Fortunately it hasn't been steadily declining.

No risk at all, in my case. I had nothing when I first heard about bitcoin. No savings, no real income, no nothing. Either the price will rise and I will have enough money to last a lifetime, or I will be back where I started - except with more savings than I ever had before, even if the price halves from where it is now. Bitcoin has been nothing but good for me.

That's good to hear. May you have good fortunes Wish other people could be as fortunate haha

[yefi]

...I was recently (and may still be) ranked #1 in the United States for both productivity and positive client outcomes in my role as a transition coordinator for a Federal financial assistance program the helps nursing home residents with a history of serious mental illness with community reintegration.  I've also worked as a mental health counselor for three agencies which includes the adult psychiatric units of two Chicago Metropolitan hospitals. I've worked with literally thousands of clients being treated with psychiatric medications for all sorts of mental issues including depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and delusional disorders, substance abuse of all types, personality disorders, chronic homelessness or incarceration, etc.

Are you on this board because you're getting ready to bag us up? Make sure you save me a good seat for when I'm hooked up to a drip and dribbling down my chin. Thanks.

[b!z]

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I have. Other than an upcoming vacation, all my money goes into bitcoin. Really hoping this bear market continues for another half year too, don't have the coins I want yet.

That's an extremely high risk. Hope it works out well for you. Fortunately it hasn't been steadily declining.

No risk at all, in my case. I had nothing when I first heard about bitcoin. No savings, no real income, no nothing. Either the price will rise and I will have enough money to last a lifetime, or I will be back where I started - except with more savings than I ever had before, even if the price halves from where it is now. Bitcoin has been nothing but good for me.

Ever heard the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket"? Why anybody would want to take the risk you described is beyond me.

If price goes down, get more bitcoins.

Is hard to think price will be on $1000 again, but at last is posible

"oh, bitcoin is losing value? better buy more"

put your money where your mouth is; have you spent all your savings on bitcoin yet?

I still having 3 btc in cold wallets. The magic of gambling you know, start from 0, make more than 5...

the OP spent all his life savings on bitcoin; he even sold his son's bike

and you're suggesting him to buy more BTC? why don't you try the same?

When i say "get more bitcoins" i dont mean BUY MORE...

I mean, drop 25 bitcoin on the blue line at Luckyb.it and and get easy 2.5 bitcoins.

With bitcoin gambling you can easy seat on a poker table with 0.1 and go with 1 bitcoin.

Are you trolling? Because you don't seem to be doing it very well.

No sir, im not trolling, i am sharing my perspective. If at any time was offensive, I offer you an apology.

Hope the OP recover the money... No more comments. I dont want to offend any one.

Have a great day.

You've probably just been lucky with your bets, but just keep in mind that for every winner, there are even more losers.

[dank]

Tell me how well antidepressants worked out for those people (kids included) that go on shooting rampages after being 'treated' with them.

Pharmaceuticals are basterdized versions of nature's healing plants, all so they can make ridiculous amounts of money off people's suffering and demise.

But put your faith in the trillion dollar pharma industry if you want.  Just remember, antidepressants 'may cause suicidal thoughts'.

Throwing a bandaid on something doesn't heal the wound.  Only you can heal yourself.

[the joint]

Tell me how well antidepressants worked out for those people (kids included) that go on shooting rampages after being 'treated' with them.

Pharmaceuticals are basterdized versions of nature's healing plants, all so they can make ridiculous amounts of money off people's suffering and demise.

But put your faith in the trillion dollar pharma industry if you want.  Just remember, antidepressants 'may cause suicidal thoughts'.

Throwing a bandaid on something doesn't heal the wound.  Only you can heal yourself.

Nothing you said here takes away anything from what I said in support of psychiatric medications.  Basically any psychiatrist is completely aware that the only real difference between most medications and poison is the dosage.  But, that's why we have controlled regulation, supervision, and monitoring of these substances.

You have a nasty habit of viewing almost every imaginable topic as all-or-nothing scenarios.  You basically assert that working is 100% bad, pharmaceuticals are 100% bad, natural drugs are 100% good, etc.  This is a childish, immature perspective.

You need to snap out of such a paralyzing view of the world.  Like I said previously, there is absolutely no denying that psychiatric medications have helped millions of people to improve their mood so that they can function better.  You didn't even deny this!  I never denied that psychiatric medications unfortunately cause serious side effects in some people, but so does pot and LSD (which you yourself have demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt), fatty foods, hell even water.  You can overdose on water.  It's happened to people.

But you go on saying things which clearly indicate that you didn't actually read anything you're responding to, because all of your stated concerns were already conceded to you -- there's no reason to keep beating a dead horse.  Everyone knows that antidepressants are not ideally intended as a permanent fix, so why keep stating the obvious?  

The point is that, again, there are undeniably millions of people who have benefited from psychiatric medications despite many who have not,  and although it can't be stated for all cases, many of the serious side effects are the result of poor medication management on behalf of either the patient or the psychiatrist.

Edit:  Sometimes a band-aid prevents an unanticipated infection that could result while your body tries to heal itself.

[bornil267645]

The first mistake was to put your life savings in it. So no regret now.

[AnonBitCoiner]

Tell me how well antidepressants worked out for those people (kids included) that go on shooting rampages after being 'treated' with them.

Pharmaceuticals are basterdized versions of nature's healing plants, all so they can make ridiculous amounts of money off people's suffering and demise.

But put your faith in the trillion dollar pharma industry if you want.  Just remember, antidepressants 'may cause suicidal thoughts'.

Throwing a bandaid on something doesn't heal the wound.  Only you can heal yourself.

Nothing you said here takes away anything from what I said in support of psychiatric medications.  Basically any psychiatrist is completely aware that the only real difference between most medications and poison is the dosage.  But, that's why we have controlled regulation, supervision, and monitoring of these substances.

You have a nasty habit of viewing almost every imaginable topic as all-or-nothing scenarios.  You basically assert that working is 100% bad, pharmaceuticals are 100% bad, natural drugs are 100% good, etc.  This is a childish, immature perspective.

You need to snap out of such a paralyzing view of the world.  Like I said previously, there is absolutely no denying that psychiatric medications have helped millions of people to improve their mood so that they can function better.  You didn't even deny this!  I never denied that psychiatric medications unfortunately cause serious side effects in some people, but so does pot and LSD (which you yourself have demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt), fatty foods, hell even water.  You can overdose on water.  It's happened to people.

But you go on saying things which clearly indicate that you didn't actually read anything you're responding to, because all of your stated concerns were already conceded to you -- there's no reason to keep beating a dead horse.  Everyone knows that antidepressants are not ideally intended as a permanent fix, so why keep stating the obvious?  

The point is that, again, there are undeniably millions of people who have benefited from psychiatric medications despite many who have not,  and although it can't be stated for all cases, many of the serious side effects are the result of poor medication management on behalf of either the patient or the psychiatrist.

Edit:  Sometimes a band-aid prevents an unanticipated infection that could result while your body tries to heal itself.

Again, this perspective trumps dank's opinion. I have friends who have been helped significantly by antidepressants. They have a supplemental effect rather than a masking effect.

[yefi]

Let's say we are in a concentration camp, and many of the prisoners are suffering from depression. By administering antidepressants that interfere with the natural pathways in their brains, we are able to make them happier and fully functional, so they can continue the slave labour we have set them.  Perhaps the unspoken purpose of such medication is not to make people happier per se, but to make them compliant.

[AnonBitCoiner]

Let's say we are in a concentration camp, and many of the prisoners are suffering from depression. By administering antidepressants that interfere with the natural pathways in their brains, we are able to make them happier and fully functional, so they can continue the slave labour we have set them.  Perhaps the unspoken purpose of such medication is not to make people happier per se, but to make them compliant.

So when someone who is suicidal is put on antidepressants it makes them compliant with what?

[bitcoinbelieve]

All my life savings is in bitcoin , I even sold my son's bike to buy bitcoin.
My mental health is based on the btc market. So I'm very bipolar.
Today was a very depressed day , I tried to kill myself but now I'm a bit better.
For now I just lay in bed with a bottle of wisky trying to sleep.

Does anyone know if there is a small change we ever see 1000$ again?

thank you

Some people tends to hide true motives by covering it with something else and in this way it is easier to cope with it. In other words, I think you are not concern about the bitcoin price, in fact you are much worry about your insecurities and afraid to display it on public. You tried hide your weakness by masking it with something else and I must say there is nothing wrong with that to certain extend but (in the long run) this doesn't help you get on the right path. Like any recovery, you need acknowledge the problem (in which you did) and face your insecurities straight on alone or with somebody else.

To answer your question, no one can predict the future especially when it comes to bitcoin but in my opinion, the bitcoin will be next big thing in human history, I think this is once in the lifetime opportunities. I have invested lots of $$$.

[the joint]

Let's say we are in a concentration camp, and many of the prisoners are suffering from depression. By administering antidepressants that interfere with the natural pathways in their brains, we are able to make them happier and fully functional, so they can continue the slave labour we have set them.  Perhaps the unspoken purpose of such medication is not to make people happier per se, but to make them compliant.

Some common symptoms of depression include:  loss of energy, oversleeping or insomnia, loss of appetite, decreased libido, social isolation and withdrawal,  lack of motivation and/or enjoyment going about your daily routine, increased uncontrolled substance abuse, etc.

When your body is sick with a cold or flu, it provides an immune response.  If you have a fever, it's because your body is attempting to fight the illness.  Consequently, you feel like crap, which is actually a pretty good thing at least in the sense that it makes you want to lay in bed all day, which conserves energy and allows your immune system to do its thing as efficiently as possible.

When you have a mental illness (e.g. depression), there is a different type of immune response which may be described by some of the symptoms of depression I mentioned earlier.  However, they also have the effect of making you feel like crap, which is actually a good thing because, in an ideal world where we can freely choose when and how we address our problems, we most likely should be taking time to focus on ourselves in order to raise our awareness of the decisions we make which may cause or exacerbate mental illness so that we can likewise raise our awareness of ways we can better care for our mental state.  To this extent, Dank is generally correct.

However, we don't live in an ideal world, and we often don't get the chance to take as much time as we want when we want it to address anxiety and depression, or at least not without severe consequences.  We usually have so many other responsibilities that we simply don't have the luxury of dropping everything to take care of ourselves.  Additionally, when people do get time to themselves, most people do the wrong kinds of things.  I would define the 'wrong' kinds of things as passive/escapist activities like watching television, sleeping excessively, using drugs, etc.  Instead, active activities such as exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques or therapeutic exercises, hobbies, reading, learning, etc. are what help us to grow and progress towards self-actualization.

But, if you have a depressed person who already feels run down and worn out, and who does not have the luxury of dropping all of their other responsibilities, the problem is that it isn't very likely that after attending to all of their other responsibilities they're already struggling to manage that they are going to be motivated to consistently do these "active" activities.  Instead, people usually resort to the passive activities I mentioned because they constantly feel like they need a break from everything.

So, for those people who don't have the discipline or capacity in their current mental state to both adequately fulfill their typical responsibilities and also adequately take care of themselves, antidepressants can help elevate a person's mood throughout the day so that they feel motivated and energized.  

In many cases where antidepressants fail and you see people struggling to ever ween off of them, the problem often isn't the antidepressant itself, but rather that people don't often take advantage of the increased motivation, energy, and optimism and apply it towards engaging in those more beneficial, active activities.  Contrarily, those who do are usually the ones you see who are successfully weened off their medications and continue to maintain a positive mental state by abiding by new, better habits instead of the older habits.

Note*: I'm generalizing throughout.

[Lauda]

Do you not feel empathy?

Suicide is a byproduct of a society juices all they energy they can from people until they pop under stress.  It doesn't matter that he invested money frivolously.  What matters is that he is a human being deprived of love and we should not be ridiculing him in his time of depression.  I bet you most people in this western society have at least thought of killing themselves at one time.

Kids kill themselves over bad grades.  It's not the kids fault that they're raised in a society that doesn't value them as a person but what they can do for the system.

Show a little love, else you are just as responsible as any other factor that amounted to this.
OP, one recommendation, alcohol won't help anything.  It never has.  Perhaps learn about life from a more spiritual perspective.  When you realize negativity is a result of how you think, you can begin to change the way you think to a more positive spectrum.  Every negative has an opposing positive.

No, it's more like apathy there. Completely the opposite.
Well I do agree to some point here. Suicide is a byproduct of the society, but on the love part I don't agree. The weak feel the need for that much love.
Since you're against alcohol here, you're probably recommending some drugs am I right?

[yefi]

Let's say we are in a concentration camp, and many of the prisoners are suffering from depression. By administering antidepressants that interfere with the natural pathways in their brains, we are able to make them happier and fully functional, so they can continue the slave labour we have set them.  Perhaps the unspoken purpose of such medication is not to make people happier per se, but to make them compliant.

Some common symptoms of depression include:  loss of energy, oversleeping or insomnia, loss of appetite, decreased libido, social isolation and withdrawal,  lack of motivation and/or enjoyment going about your daily routine, increased uncontrolled substance abuse, etc.

When your body is sick with a cold or flu, it provides an immune response.  If you have a fever, it's because your body is attempting to fight the illness.  Consequently, you feel like crap, which is actually a pretty good thing at least in the sense that it makes you want to lay in bed all day, which conserves energy and allows your immune system to do its thing as efficiently as possible.

When you have a mental illness (e.g. depression), there is a different type of immune response which may be described by some of the symptoms of depression I mentioned earlier.  However, they also have the effect of making you feel like crap, which is actually a good thing because, in an ideal world where we can freely choose when and how we address our problems, we most likely should be taking time to focus on ourselves in order to raise our awareness of the decisions we make which may cause or exacerbate mental illness so that we can likewise raise our awareness of ways we can better care for our mental state.  To this extent, Dank is generally correct.

However, we don't live in an ideal world, and we often don't get the chance to take as much time as we want when we want it to address anxiety and depression, or at least not without severe consequences.  We usually have so many other responsibilities that we simply don't have the luxury of dropping everything to take care of ourselves.  Additionally, when people do get time to themselves, most people do the wrong kinds of things.  I would define the 'wrong' kinds of things as passive/escapist activities like watching television, sleeping excessively, using drugs, etc.  Instead, active activities such as exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques or therapeutic exercises, hobbies, reading, learning, etc. are what help us to grow and progress towards self-actualization.

But, if you have a depressed person who already feels run down and worn out, and who does not have the luxury of dropping all of their other responsibilities, the problem is that it isn't very likely that after attending to all of their other responsibilities they're already struggling to manage that they are going to be motivated to consistently do these "active" activities.  Instead, people usually resort to the passive activities I mentioned because they constantly feel like they need a break from everything.

So, for those people who don't have the discipline or capacity in their current mental state to both adequately fulfill their typical responsibilities and also adequately take care of themselves, antidepressants can help elevate a person's mood throughout the day so that they feel motivated and energized.  

In many cases where antidepressants fail and you see people struggling to ever ween off of them, the problem often isn't the antidepressant itself, but rather that people don't often take advantage of the increased motivation, energy, and optimism and apply it towards engaging in those more beneficial, active activities.  Contrarily, those who do are usually the ones you see who are successfully weened off their medications and continue to maintain a positive mental state by abiding by new, better habits instead of the older habits.

Note*: I'm generalizing throughout.

Our answer to problems is to blame the individual. If a fish is out of water don't put it back, but drive a cannula into its veins and pump it oxygenated blood. We treat people so they are functional in their environment, but maybe they should be dysfunctional, and maybe we shouldn't support that environment. Over one in ten Americans is on antidepressants I read. How did we ever cope in the past?

[Ibian]

Let's say we are in a concentration camp, and many of the prisoners are suffering from depression. By administering antidepressants that interfere with the natural pathways in their brains, we are able to make them happier and fully functional, so they can continue the slave labour we have set them.  Perhaps the unspoken purpose of such medication is not to make people happier per se, but to make them compliant.

Some common symptoms of depression include:  loss of energy, oversleeping or insomnia, loss of appetite, decreased libido, social isolation and withdrawal,  lack of motivation and/or enjoyment going about your daily routine, increased uncontrolled substance abuse, etc.

When your body is sick with a cold or flu, it provides an immune response.  If you have a fever, it's because your body is attempting to fight the illness.  Consequently, you feel like crap, which is actually a pretty good thing at least in the sense that it makes you want to lay in bed all day, which conserves energy and allows your immune system to do its thing as efficiently as possible.

When you have a mental illness (e.g. depression), there is a different type of immune response which may be described by some of the symptoms of depression I mentioned earlier.  However, they also have the effect of making you feel like crap, which is actually a good thing because, in an ideal world where we can freely choose when and how we address our problems, we most likely should be taking time to focus on ourselves in order to raise our awareness of the decisions we make which may cause or exacerbate mental illness so that we can likewise raise our awareness of ways we can better care for our mental state.  To this extent, Dank is generally correct.

However, we don't live in an ideal world, and we often don't get the chance to take as much time as we want when we want it to address anxiety and depression, or at least not without severe consequences.  We usually have so many other responsibilities that we simply don't have the luxury of dropping everything to take care of ourselves.  Additionally, when people do get time to themselves, most people do the wrong kinds of things.  I would define the 'wrong' kinds of things as passive/escapist activities like watching television, sleeping excessively, using drugs, etc.  Instead, active activities such as exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques or therapeutic exercises, hobbies, reading, learning, etc. are what help us to grow and progress towards self-actualization.

But, if you have a depressed person who already feels run down and worn out, and who does not have the luxury of dropping all of their other responsibilities, the problem is that it isn't very likely that after attending to all of their other responsibilities they're already struggling to manage that they are going to be motivated to consistently do these "active" activities.  Instead, people usually resort to the passive activities I mentioned because they constantly feel like they need a break from everything.

So, for those people who don't have the discipline or capacity in their current mental state to both adequately fulfill their typical responsibilities and also adequately take care of themselves, antidepressants can help elevate a person's mood throughout the day so that they feel motivated and energized.  

In many cases where antidepressants fail and you see people struggling to ever ween off of them, the problem often isn't the antidepressant itself, but rather that people don't often take advantage of the increased motivation, energy, and optimism and apply it towards engaging in those more beneficial, active activities.  Contrarily, those who do are usually the ones you see who are successfully weened off their medications and continue to maintain a positive mental state by abiding by new, better habits instead of the older habits.

Note*: I'm generalizing throughout.

Our answer to problems is to blame the individual. If a fish is out of water don't put it back, but drive a cannula into its veins and pump it oxygenated blood. We treat people so they are functional in their environment, but maybe they should be dysfunctional, and maybe we shouldn't support that environment. Over one in ten Americans is on antidepressants I read. How did we ever cope in the past?

In the past we didn't live in a dysfunctional society.

Stumbled over an interesting theory recently. Apparently, an underdeveloped amygdala is correlated with mental issues, such as narcissism and an inability to properly judge risk. And the amygdala is stimulated by adversity. Thus, a safe society breeds insanity.

If this is true it would explain most of the problems in modern societies. The increasing number of people on prescription drugs, the rise in mental problems over the decades, the fact that global warming is not being laughed out of polite conversation, the focus on political correctness over facts.

It also follows that the younger someone is the more likely they are to be mentally handicapped in this manner. And since the mind becomes less malleable with age, one could hypothesize that past a certain age there is no helping them.