It's frustrating when people say that mental illness is "made up" or "all in someone's head." Research has given us insight into how mental health conditions develop, and we now know that they are influenced by or linked to physical changes inside the body, just like with other illnesses. It's thought that most mental health problems are associated with an imbalance or absence of certain brain hormones and neurotransmitters, just as [for example] Type I Diabetes is caused by a lack of the hormone insulin. The specific chemical imbalance is unique for each mental illness and varies from person to person, but since Depression is the illness I know and understand the most I will focus on that throughout this post. I am not belittling or ignoring other mental illnesses, I just don't feel qualified to talk about them.
There's a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger in the body) called serotonin that influences good moods, good emotions, and good sleep. The brain releases Serotonin so it can carry messages between nerves, and once it is finished transmitting the messages it is reabsorbed in a process called "reuptake." With an ideal level of serotonin in the body, mood and sleep might not be a problem for a person and they probably won't suffer symptoms of depression. If there isn't enough serotonin in the brain, then the person may present symptoms including low mood, feelings of worthlessness, and sleeping too much or too little. It isn't clear from research whether low serotonin levels cause depression or if depression in fact causes low serotonin levels, but we do know that increasing the levels of serotonin in a depressed person can relieve some symptoms.
One cause of low serotonin levels is the reuptake happening too soon, meaning that there is less of it available to transmit messages along the nerve cells. Some anti-depressants, called SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) work by blocking or slowing the reabsorption of the serotonin in the brain. This means that there is more of the neurotransmitter available, and so more chemical messages can be passed on to nerves; this in turn is thought to raise mood, improve quality of sleep, and relieve other symptoms associated with depression. Fluoxetine, citalopram, and sertraline are the most commonly prescribed SSRI's in the UK, if you want to look them up.
Telling a person that they "shouldn't" or "don't" need anti-depressants to function is like telling a Type I Diabetic that they don't need their insulin. Saying that someone should be avoided or ignored just because they're on medication for depression (or other mental illnesses) is like saying that people with any illness requiring treatment should be avoided and neglected. Making or allowing such remarks only contributes further to the stigma surrounding the topic of mental illness, and since 1 in 4 of us will experience symptoms of mental illness at some point in our lifetime, we really need to work to end that stigma.
I should make it clear that anti-depressants are not a "solution" to depression, nor do they work for everyone. Some people try several different types of medication before finding one that works, if they find one at all. For most people, a combination of medication and talk therapy is the best treatment for depression and other mental health problems. Personally, I've tried 4 different types of anti-depressants all at varying doses since being diagnosed, I've attended counselling sessions, and am currently on a waiting list for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Anyone who wants to talk about any of this with me is more than welcome to send me a message.
I hope that this post is able to educate those who don't have an understanding of mental health conditions and associated treatments, or at least prompt them into looking into it further. I also hope that anyone who reads this will think twice before judging or discriminating against someone who is on medication for their condition.
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