Shades of Grey

If your car Mercedes needed new brakes, would you take it to the Ford dealership to be fixed?  If your arm was broken would you go to a Cardiologist to have it set?  No and No!  I make these comparisons in the same way I feel about going to your General Practitioner aka Primary Care Physician, instead of a Psychiatrist for anti-depressants.  I should add a disclaimer that this entry is strictly based on my opinion and experiences alone.  I don't claim to be a med guru or know what's best for everyone.  I can only relate what has not and what is working for me.      

Most everyone I know pops these pills like candy.  We all want a quick fix.  Heck, I wanted a quick fix and was starving to feel better.  Coping skills are not necessary anymore - you can pop a Xanax every time you feel "uncomfortable" or a Paxil when you are sad about something that actually should make you sad.  It saddens me to see children watching their parents manage their lives with pills.  I was fortunate to grow up in a house where my parents only took antibiotics when prescribed.  I didn't even know the terms Xanax, Hydrocodone or Prozac until I was in my thirties.  

I see the real problem here is that doctors are prescribing the meds but not making the diagnosis.  I'll tell you that I was on many different antidepressants over the years and was never told I was "clinically depressed", "severely depressed" or any type of diagnosis.  It was basically me walking in and saying I feel x, y and z and twenty minutes later I walked out the door with prescription "a" praying it worked with minimal side effects.  I saw the prescription as a possible ray of hope to help with my mood and I was raised to have respect for doctors and do what they recommend as a patient.  

I strongly believe that if your GP or PCP has given you a prescription for an antidepressant without a recommended follow up to a Psychiatrist, Psychologist or Licensed Counselor, they are providing you an inferior level of care.  I also believe if you aren't given a preliminary mental disorder diagnosis with your prescription, they have not completed their job.    

My two prescriptions I take every morning are not candy, nor are they cure-alls for my illness.  My Doctor and "The Peach" both echo the sentiment that the 2 tried and true aids in depression are pharmacology and forms of talk therapy.  How did I know I was on the right combination of medications along with the right therapy?  I can say I vividly recall the day I looked up and suddenly saw how blue the sky was and that I could see color again in the world.  How amazing to know the sky isn't always a shade of grey.    

Happy Monday....xo, n