Is it ok not to take antidepressents

[Relay_for_life]

Hi all , can my first mild depression episode go away without taking antidepressents . I am seeing a counsellor now . I am trying to pull myself together . The emotional mess that I was experiencing is improving for sure , but still I feel like I can't find my old me . Can I pass this without medication . I don't want to use the medication path now . I want to work on my life and try to fix the causes of my frustration . 

[Alexei]

Hi, if it's only your first episode, it may be your only one. A great number of people experience depressions at least once in their life. You're saying you are working though your issues and things get better. It does take time and, unless its a chronic illness, it always, always goes away eventually. If you can manage your daily life, you can do without antidepressants. In my case, antidepressants helped me to survive very severe episodes which I had in the last few years. About a year ago I got off the medication, and I have been great for 2 years until recently. But some very stressful events triggered a new episode, and I am right in the middle of it now. I must admit, my symptoms were slow in coming, but I refused to recognise them and hoped I could get through by dealing with the issues that were causing my distress. First, it was "morning blues", then sporadic bouts of anxiety. Ironically, after I've dealt with the issues one by one, the depression and anxiety, instead of disappearing, hit me in full force. Truly, you can't plan these things. I wish I had taken meds at the earlier stage, I might have avoided my current episode.  This is my experience. Generally, antidepressants are helpful, they have some unpleasant side effects in the first weeks but its often worth it to bite the bullet to get well.     

[Patrick_F_]

Hi Relay,

Medication doesn't work for everyone. I'm no expert, but I can tell you that from my experience, antidepressants helped when my emotions were really in turmoil, but they didn't fix my problems. I had to do that myself with the help of psychological professionals and people close to me. For me, it was a crutch that actually caused more problems for me in the long run, but I can't say whether it will be the same for you. I would strongly recommend consulting with at least one professional whom you trust. If you do decide to forgo medication, then ensure that you have people who can help you through the hard times. Standing up for yourself doesn't mean standing alone.

Good luck.

[Relay_for_life]

Thank you , you made me feel better, my depression episode is a result of my some life choices and circumstances . I think I need time and all will be good . Thx 

[geoff]

dear Relay for life, if I could encroach on this topic, and I do accept what has been said as everyone is different, and where people stop and then start medication once again, so in reality they shouldn't have stopped.

How can we measure what 'mild' is, where a person could consider their condition as mild compared to someone else who believes it's merging towards serious, and please note that I'm not trying argue on this, but just another point of view.

What does worry me is that you maybe able to work through this mild depression, which would be great for you, however it can leave you open to falling back into it, so you're always susceptible.

Medication can have varying degrees of success, such as the antidepressant (AD) I now take and have been for about 15 years or more, didn't start to work until a few years later, but I had to be taking something because my depression was serious.

It's always good to discuss this with your doctor, because there maybe other alternatives to take. Geoff.

[Cherpieus]

Hi Relay for life. I can only speak from personal experience - I got through my first bout of depression without medication but I had to make some serious changes to my life - mainly change my job/career (I worked in advertising) and go to counselling for about a year. 

Much to my distress it did come back as post-natal depression. I couldn't go on medication for a year as I was breast feeding twins. I thought it would pass but it didn't. I eventually relented and went on medication and it saved my life.