Words by Alyson. Illustrations by Kendra.
Rookie is no longer publishing new content, but we hope you'll continue to enjoy the archives, or books, and the community you've helped to create. Thank you for seven very special years! ✴
Words by Alyson. Illustrations by Kendra.
11 Comments
This is perfect!!! It’s so sad there’s such a stigma attached to antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds, as they can really make a difference. Mental illnesses are just as important as physical ones, and they need to be treated, they won’t just go away if you really want it, and I wish more people understood that.
This is perfect and I can relate to it so much, I’ve been on various medications for my mental health for many years and it’s still something I feel like I have to largely keep to myself due to people’s ignorance. I’ve been told that happiness isn’t real if it’s provided by pills, which is just the stupidest idea ever. I don’t understand why people have such stigmatised views against taking medication for mental health issues but don’t apply those ideas to medication for physical ailments. You wouldn’t tell someone to positive think their way out of a migraine but there’s no difference.
This is an interesting perspective.
For me, medication has never worked, and it probably never will. And I’m ok with that. Taking pills just felt like a placebo. I couldn’t see any effect, good or bad. And I was worried that they would make my depression worse, or even take away every emotion along with sadness. I’m also a believer in holistic thinking. I want to find the root cause of my depression and anxiety, and eradicate them by changing my thought processes and lifestyle.
But I also understand that meds are essential for so many sufferers of mental illnesses. I think it’s incredibly brave to face the stigma and use them as a tool to get better. I’m really glad that these worked for you! :)
Glad you’re feeling better :)
People always view mental illnesses as something to not be talked about, something completely wrong, when it’s just another disease written in the genes that can be cured with medication.
-M
Thank you so much, everybody. The point of doing this was to hopefully help someone(s), so im glad if you could relate ;) don’t give up
I’m glad medication has been helping you. I also began taking anti-depressants in high school and remained on one for the next 10 years although I think my experience was closer to Wenryrose’s in that they never really helped me. Some of the ideas here are familiar from pharmaceutical advertising, especially the diabetes analogy which gets used a lot to suggest scientists have isolated a biological cause of depression (which they haven’t) and to normalize the idea of depression as a chronic disease requiring long term medicating. At 16 I found being told I had a disease that was out of my control(chemical imbalance and serotonin were the culprits then) a relief and, for me, being on a pill seemed cool, not stigmatizing (this was just a couple years after Girl, Interrupted came out), but 15 years of viewing myself as sick and ill has done harm also. I hope I am not attacking your experience, I think the more people share and talk about this the better. I guess I am still struggling to understand and untangle my own feelings about my time in the mental health system and certain ideas I’ve come to see as myths and your story struck a chord. Thanks for sharing.
this is so beautiful. and relatable to 90000000 degree. beautiful artwork. thank you.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have been taking anti-depressants as well and feel as if the stigma that comes with them is greater than that of depression. Thanks for sharing your experience and helping the rest of us feel a little less alone in this.
Wow,
Thank you! I have been dealing with anxiety and similar problems for quite a while now, but never allowed myself to seek help, because of exactly what you said, the fear to make it worse by doing something about it. Also, it was extremely awkward talking to my parents about it and I was/ am still afraid of the effects medication will have one me. I can especially understand the thoughts of it being normal and everyone going throught the same things, which is true on a level, but not so much that you/I don’t deserve help.
Thanks again!
M
P.S.: beautiful art ;)
Yes to this! I spent so long beating myself up about having ADHD, and not being able to start things or follow through on plans. I thought that if I just TRIED harder, if I was less “lazy” then I would be a good person and magically get things done – and it would work for a day, maybe two, tops, before I burned through my naturally-low dopamine and was running on straight self-loathing alone. I can tell you, it is not premium fuel. The resulting depressions spiralled me even father down, and I got more behind on school and more self-loathing and it just got worse and worse. Concerta actually saved my life. I hated myself so much that i figured i couldn’t sink any lower, and finally resigned myself use the “crutch” of drugs – can you tell I’m a perfectionist? Anyway, I’m so glad I did, because my entire life turned around. Being able to say “here is a thing I would like to do” and actually be able to get up and do it without a 20 minute wrestling match with my brain chemistry makes it much easier to feel good about myself. I’m cleaner, I have more energy for friends and projects, everything is just easier. I hate it when people say its just like meth or that ADHD is a made up disease to sell pills, because for me getting a diagnosis and taking medication was literally life-saving, and the shame and stigma attached to this disorder cost me years of my life and happiness. I wonder what I could have accomplished if I had been diagnosed in high school, but I will never know because “its fake” and “those pills are just for cheaters”