>>17292332
The purpose of anti depressants isn't to fix your happiness problems, at best it's a mask. It's a mask that simply hides your problems, but if you do nothing about the cause of your depression, you can take the meds for years and still be sad when you go off them. You're using a crutch.

You're supposed to use them like this:
>Feel bad
>So bad you can't do anything
>Take meds
>Feel reasonably alright
>Use this as an opportunity to start habits that would kill off your depression like gym, meditating, therapy, journalling, enough sunlight etc
>Use it to fix the cause of your depression
>Go off the meds
End up being able to handle depression unlike before, eventually btfo it.

The whole muh chemical imbalance thing isn't as common as people make it out to be. For most people, the cause of their depression is behavioral problems and faulty mindsets and belief.

>>17292332

people dont use the word 'honor' anymore because it seems cheesy. but i would use it to describe you.

you know happiness is a pill away but you'd rather face your problems ,even though you might not even udnerstand them. i think having your mindset is the first step to getting better.

im a big believer that life is what you make of it. bad things will happen but its how you deal with those things that decide whether or not you are happy or not. i think you can be happy. i think you are leaving the phase where you want your depression to define you. you had a taste of happiness thanks to the pills and realize that depression isnt worth it as a persona, but are hoping to find happiness in reality.

cuz drugs only give you a hollow happiness. you feel content with the way things are. fix the things that make you sad anon. good luck.

>>17292332
protip: everyone is on drugs of some sort, anon. whether its pharmaceuticals or otc meds, dudeweedlmao, hard drugs, caffeine, sugar, jesus, etc etc etc
just do what works best for you. use it as a crutch until you can walk on your own.

>>17292385
Yeah last time I took meds it kind of worked that way. With less self-consciousness, self-pity and antisocial thoughts I actually was a charismatic motherfucker from times to times. I was able to make some new friends and for someone like me it was enough to make me nearly ecstatic. Eventually I dropped the pills, let my shitty thoughts in again, let my friends disappear and didn't make new ones.

>>17292423
I am not so sure about that but thanks. Me not taking pills does'nt mean I'm making progress either. And the more time I spend in this state the harder it seems to get out. The older I get the more apathetic I become, and that is a little scary.

>>17292488
Yeah I tell myself that sometimes. I'm wondering if not taking pills couldn't be a sort of self-destructive behavior, I tend to do that sort of shit.

If prescribed, go for it.

I got some Zoloft from a friend (she tried commiting suicide about half a year later), and it really helped me with my stress.

However, whatever you do, DON'T drive. I almost ended in a ditch.

>>17292332
Well, it isn't taking drugs to be happy, it's more taking drugs to regulate an imbalanced nervous system and even out emotional states. SSRIs are not gonna make you happy. People would use them recreationally if they did.

There is a very common stigma against taking meds as "cheating" or "living a lie" but it's psuedo-Calvinist bullshit, often from people who never finished high school.

I like to think of depression more like diabetes. Some people have it really bad, through some unknown biological cause or genetics or whatever, and they're dependent on medications to keep them alive and in homeostasis (i.e. Type 1 diabetes). Other people acquire it through a series of lifestyle and physiological problems, that can be reversed and corrected for with exercise and better habits, but sometimes require medication as treatment aides or to avoid serious complications (I.e. Type 2 diabetes). Some people need more meds than others, but either way those meds can really be necessary for a healthy life.

Personally, though I think medication skepticism is often from people who don't know what they're talking about, I do think SSRIs are overprescribed at the expense of other necessary supportive treatments. At some point your system will adjust to them, which makes them inherently unsustainable as a long-term solution. A combination of cognitive strategies (e.g. CBT), better behavioral habits (like exercising and getting out of the house more), and medication as needed (but as a tool rather than a crutch), strikes me as the most holistic way to deal with depression.

Here's something to chew on: what if depression is a state of being on "drugs" made by your own brain, that are robbing you of real experiences? Is taking meds to fix that giving you a more or less real experience?

>>17292332

I think it's really fucking difficult to live a 'happy' life. I don't think that should be the goal either. Happiness as an end goal is kinda useless. Try to find a deeper meaning in your life. If you need antidepressants to extend the time that you have (like you're suicidally depressed) then use that time. Antidepressants aren't a long-term solution. They're a way to kerb your urges and show you that life CAN be better.