‘Part of maintaining my mental health is through medication – but it took over a decade for it to be prescribed’
Instead of receiving care, Irish people seeking antidepressants often find themselves consulting with GPs who haven’t been adequately trained in offering information or support.
I call them my “crazy pills”, even though they’re what help me feel sane.
Having experienced severe bouts of depression since my teens and a late diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, I’ve long ago abandoned any embarrassment around discussing my mental health. I believe it is vital to break the silence and stigma that can surround mental health so that it’s easier to ask for and receive support, and so people know what help is available.
Part of maintaining my mental health is through medication – though it took over a decade for it to be prescribed to me. Sadly, however, it continues to be a struggle to find GPs who are informed and engaged when it comes to mental health medication. Recent personal experiences and new research shows that the HSE needs to provide GPs with more training so that patients seeking medication to help their mental health feel safer and more supported.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my most informed, helpful and engaged doctors when it comes to antidepressants have been American. When I lived in San Francisco in my twenties, I visited the doctor on my college campus and mentioned the usual problems that had been plaguing me since my early teens: bouts of insomnia; constant fatigue and low energy; and low self-esteem and social anxiety. When I told her I had seen a few therapists and doctors over the years, she asked if any of them had suggested antidepressants, and looked utterly bemused when I said no.
“You’ve been dealing with this for over a decade, it’s not been improving with therapy and none of your doctors ever suggested trying medication to help?” I began to cry. I was crying because finally someone was taking me seriously – and I was crying thinking of all the years I spent depressed, when I could have been feeling normal.
For all the rhetoric around American doctors over-prescribing drugs unnecessarily, what is often overlooked is their comfort in discussing medications and their side-effects. My San Francisco doctor prescribed me Lexapro, warning me that side-effects like weight gain and a loss of libido were common, particularly in the first three months, but should settle.
“If they don’t, or you don’t feel like they are working for you, come back to me – after all, if the side-effects are making you unhappy, that’s defeating the purpose, isn’t it!” she said cheerfully. “We can try something else. There can be a bit of trial-and-error to find the right fit for you, but that’s what I’m here for – to find the right medication for you. It can take time, but your mental health is worth it.”
