Those Crazy Women: Scary Pills and Terrifying Therapy

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health issues in our world. It seems like everyone either suffers from one themselves or is connected personally with someone who does. It sucks, as I have stated in my previous posts, but surely does not need to be a lonely death sentence.

Therapy and prescription anti-anxiety or depression medications are saving lives, especially those of women, who tend to suffer twice as much as men.

Looking at pills first, everyone has an opinion on whether they are effective at what they are supposed to do or dangerous to one’s psyche. The human brain is a scary thing to mess with. All of the stuff going on up there makes us who we are, moves our bodies and helps us think. Taking a pill that is changing something in our brain sounds terrifying, but it is just as safe as taking an Advil for a headache. Well, almost.

To better understand this, let’s look at an impromptu biology/psychology lesson and learn about the human brain with anxiety or depression real quick. We have these things called serotonin, little neurotransmitters that jump around, transmitting data in our brains. They keep us happy and level, ready and able to operate at a normal level and regulate our moods. Once serotonin levels biologically change, usually lessen, many experience depression. The same sort of thing surrounds anxiety as well. So, “crazy” pills enter our bloodstream and flock to the brain, where they fiddle with these neurotransmitters and make the whole process run more smoothly. Tada! More than likely, the individual begins to feel happier and more like herself.

Crazy pills are not about lobotomizing the individual taking them, removing all former personality traits and sense of self. What they are really doing is removing bad “stuff” in exchange for new, positive emotions. The pills do not go into one’s brain and rip out a personality or take away intelligence. They are only there to help. Not cure, but help.

One of the oldest solutions to “the crazies” is to simply talk it out. Watching the stomach-clenching end of the epic schizophrenic tale Sybil and you will have all of the evidence you need for trusting therapy. As women, we tend to be more open with our emotions, much more eager to talk things through and open ourselves up to difficult memories. By working through our issues one by one, pushed by the analysis and intelligence of a therapist, we can learn and discover ways to cope. No pill needed. Natural, calming discussion can cure, or at least help, even the harshest of mental illnesses.

Once anxiety or depression have engulfed a brain, it feels as though it will mean the end of the world, a constant burden forever. The feeling can’t be shaken, but medication and psychotherapy can lessen the blow. A mental disease may never completely heal, but there are ways around them. You will not feel this way forever.

Contact the author here: crazycolleen@morningquickie.com