I know this is “just a joke” but I still think it’s harmful. Depression may be brought on by being in a bad situation but it isn’t simply unhappiness or dissatisfaction with being in that situation. Antidepressants don’t make a person artificially happy or numb. If you are clinically depressed because your life sucks, antidepressants may give you the mental fortitude needed to change your circumstances. There are drugs that people do use to try to cope which just make things worse, but you won’t get then from a psychiatrist. (You can get the most popular one at the grocery store.)
This is not at all what my take away from that comic is. I guess it is somewhat open to interpretation, but I think it rather asks what the underlying societal dynamics are that cause people to develop depressions in the first place.
The meme doesn’t stigmatize mental illness because it’s not talking about mental illness.
If anything, pathologizing the predictable and inescapable results of living under oppressive systems designed to keep you as down and alienated as possible as a mental illness, instead of a perfectly valid reaction to living in dystopia deeply and negatively impacts how we treat actual mental illness.
The idea that pointing out that we have societal problems pills can’t solve is somehow stigmatising actual mental illness (which pills can help) just goes to show how deeply indoctrinated society is in to toxic individualism.
This was also my takeaway. The comic isn’t making a value determination for medication in any form, but instead commenting that we as a society would rather address symptoms rather than address any root causes.
Thank you for saying something. The saying “suffering isn’t noble, just take the damn pills” has been floating around lately, and I think it’s been changing my mind. I should probably be on something.
I worked at a Psych hospital for a while, it’s pretty well accepted that most people could benefit from something sometimes, even if it’s just a Valium or a pot brownie.
It absolutely matters whether you’re managing your depression with alcohol or antidepressants because one of those two is enormously more dangerous than the other
Ehh, depends on what you’re taking and why. I like alcohol (in moderation, of course) but when I wasn’t properly medicated for my depression, I’d find my mind wandering to dark places if I had some. Now that I’m doing a bit better thanks to the medicine, and the medicine in question doesn’t have any bad interactions with alcohol, I can actually enjoy a drink again.
I know this is “just a joke” but I still think it’s harmful. Depression may be brought on by being in a bad situation but it isn’t simply unhappiness or dissatisfaction with being in that situation. Antidepressants don’t make a person artificially happy or numb. If you are clinically depressed because your life sucks, antidepressants may give you the mental fortitude needed to change your circumstances. There are drugs that people do use to try to cope which just make things worse, but you won’t get then from a psychiatrist. (You can get the most popular one at the grocery store.)
It’s not cool to stigmatize mental illness.
This is not at all what my take away from that comic is. I guess it is somewhat open to interpretation, but I think it rather asks what the underlying societal dynamics are that cause people to develop depressions in the first place.
The meme doesn’t stigmatize mental illness because it’s not talking about mental illness.
If anything, pathologizing the predictable and inescapable results of living under oppressive systems designed to keep you as down and alienated as possible as a mental illness, instead of a perfectly valid reaction to living in dystopia deeply and negatively impacts how we treat actual mental illness.
The idea that pointing out that we have societal problems pills can’t solve is somehow stigmatising actual mental illness (which pills can help) just goes to show how deeply indoctrinated society is in to toxic individualism.
This was also my takeaway. The comic isn’t making a value determination for medication in any form, but instead commenting that we as a society would rather address symptoms rather than address any root causes.
I concur
Thank you for saying something. The saying “suffering isn’t noble, just take the damn pills” has been floating around lately, and I think it’s been changing my mind. I should probably be on something.
I worked at a Psych hospital for a while, it’s pretty well accepted that most people could benefit from something sometimes, even if it’s just a Valium or a pot brownie.
Can confirm, took a lot of antidepressants, didn’t make me artificially happy nor numb.
You know what else is not cool? Overreacting and willfully misinterpreting comics just to jerk oneself off.
People who are unhappy with their life tend to medicate. Whether that’s alcohol, weed or antidepressants doesn’t matter that much.
It absolutely matters whether you’re managing your depression with alcohol or antidepressants because one of those two is enormously more dangerous than the other
Especially dangerous together.
Ehh, depends on what you’re taking and why. I like alcohol (in moderation, of course) but when I wasn’t properly medicated for my depression, I’d find my mind wandering to dark places if I had some. Now that I’m doing a bit better thanks to the medicine, and the medicine in question doesn’t have any bad interactions with alcohol, I can actually enjoy a drink again.