This post kicks off Depression Overawareness and Overmedication Week.
Two weeks ago, CLPsych and Gianna, among others, celebrated Bipolar Overawareness Week. To cap off Mental Health Awareness Month, I’ve declared this last week of May Depression Overawareness and Overmedication Week. Use this checklist to identify whether you may possibly be “overaware” and “overmedicated” for depression:
- If you’re on Zoloft because you’ve never been sad or anxious.
- If you get a prescription for Lexapro on Thursday because you had a bad day on Tuesday.
- If you take Paxil because you’re never restless or irritable.
- If you are on Pristiq as a result of sadness and guilt over your Wii-related injury (eg, throwing your shoulder out or tripping over the coffee table).
- If you are on Celexa because you hate the job that you disliked anyway before you began the medication.
- If you are on Cymbalta because you are tired after normal long, exhausting days at your job(s).
- If you are on Effexor only because you overate during the holidays.
- If you take Prozac because you’ve never had passing thoughts of suicide.
If you meet any of the criteria above, this is a medical emergency. You are overaware and overmedicated. Go see your doctor immediately and discuss treatment options that involve non-medication and/or talk therapy.
Now, the disclaimer.
The checklist above is satire. It is not intended to poke fun at those who suffer with real clinical depression (of which I am one). It is intended to mock the extremely high number of people in the U.S. who are diagnosed with depression and medicated with antidepressants. This is not a medically based checklist for anything. It is not a professional recommendation or intended for professional use. It is not intended to be serious. In fact, it is not intended to be seriously serious. If you take this to your doctor, he or she will probably diagnose you with something other than depression. If you have been offended by this post, don’t be; you shouldn’t come close to meeting the criteria above. And if you do, then you really should go to a doctor. While I meet the criterion for sadness over my Wii-related injury, I don’t take Pristiq for it. If you have something nice to say, click on the Comments link below. If you don’t have something nice to say, click on the Comments link below.
(comic from problogs.com)
depression introspection 
ha…my favorite part is the small print…it made me think of the side-effect crap at the end of a pharma commercial…is that what you were going for?
Thanks for posting on my website, and keep up the great work on this site. I have been reading for a week and love your work. Best of luck with everything and keep up the blog, we all need it.
Gianna – you got it!
I think that whoever never restless or irritable,you hate the job that you disliked anyway before you began the medication. So we have to take care of our health and responsibilities in lighter way and perform well with cool mind…so that we don’t feel stressed.
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Anthony
Clinical Depression
I think this is a good idea and brings up a lot of good points because I’ve seen some people on these medication for no reason at all which gives a bad name to those of us who do actually need it. Love the ones who ask are you going off your meds during pregnancy, newsflash, if I could go off then I wouldn’t take them at all. Should also only be prescribed in cases after all physical causes have been ruled out. Hmm let’s stop putting a bandaid and find a persons issues. I would also reserve these medications for people who are severely depressed and their anxiety is severe enough to affect everyday function.