I have dealt with depression, anxiety, PTSD and panic disorder from a young age due to childhood sexual assault. I began to take medication my sophomore year of high school and switched from Prozac to Zoloft my senior year. It worked phenomenally and allowed me to be functional, happy and stable again.
I have seen this photo being shared by friends on Facebook:
Seeing this kind of stunned me, and offended me as well.
Although going outside and partaking in activities you enjoy is a great way to feel better, it cannot cure the chemical imbalance in your brain like a prescribed medication can. Without my medication, I wouldn't even want to go outside. It is the reason I do anything at all.
Why do we feel so strangely and negatively towards mental health medications, but don't think twice about things prescribed for physical illnesses? I've never heard anyone say "Just go outside, it'll make your broken leg feel better" or "You have the flu? Just get over it."
What is a "stigma"? The Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Freiburg describes it as follows:
"Stigmatizing attitudes contain some core assumptions. Media analyses of film and print have identified three common misconceptions about people with mental illness: they are homicidal maniacs who should be feared; they are rebellious, free spirits; or they have childlike perceptions of the world that should be marveled."
I know for a fact that I would never kill anyone, I make good decisions and I view the world as any other 19-year-old adult should.
"Survey research suggests that a representative 1996 population sample in the US was 2.5 times more likely to endorse [danger] stigma than a comparable 1950 group, i.e. perceptions that mentally ill people are violent or frightening substantially increased." The University of Freiburg claims in their research study. This surprised me as well, considering mental health has been improved (or so I thought) since 1950.
These are some things I've been told about my illness, and the stigmas I fight daily.
1. It's just a stage.
2. You don't need to be on medication, you'll be a zombie constantly.
My parents told me constantly that they refused to have a child on drugs, and that I needed to function on my own. A common misconception about anti-depressants is that a lot of them are non-recreational, and cannot be used to get high and are non-addictive. Zoloft, the current medication I take, is a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which means that it only increases the levels of serotonin in my brain. It is the most commonly prescribed medication for depression and anxiety.
3. You should just try therapy.
