My Opinion Writing
My Opinion Writing
Aussie Lura
The internet can be a wonderful place. Technology has allowed modern teens to open up and learn about many topics that were less talked about in earlier generations. However, along with this comes a wave of stories, labels, and medication for mental health right at a teenager’s reach. An adolescent tells their mom or dad that they’re feeling depressed or anxious, and in a few months, they’re on medication.
It scares and saddens me how many teenagers, as well as full grown adults and young children, are put on medication for mental conditions.
Teenagers have developing brains that are growing and finding ways to cope with emotion. Putting them on meds at a young age can stump their ability to become emotionally independent and cause them to rely on drugs later in life.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3 million American adolescents had at least one depressive episode in 2015. Many commonly used drugs for depression actually make the worst side effects of depression more frequent or chronic. In fact, in 2004, the U.S. FDA issued a “black box” warning for all antidepressants in young people up to the age of 24 because there’s a possibility of the drugs increasing suicidal thinking and behavior. I’ll say that again, all antidepressants are required to state they may increase suicidal thinking and behavior.
How could antidepressants possibly increase suicidal thoughts and behavior? This happens because the drugs start by making someone feel more energized and lighter, but it doesn’t rid them of their depression. Due to this, the first few weeks of a suicidal person taking antidepressants is very dangerous. If someone suicidal starts feeling freer but is still suicidal, they may suddenly feel the surge of energy they didn’t have before to act upon their feelings. This makes me think, is the risk really worth it?
As for adults on antidepressants, there are many. Majority of people who start out on antidepressants at a young age continue to use them through adulthood. This happens because antidepressants change the way the neurotransmitters in your brain communicate. Your brain becomes accustomed to this new way of living and without the drugs, it doesn’t know what to do. In 2016, the medical journal Patient Preference and Adherence published a paper about what people taking antidepressants long-term had to say. The results were scary and startling. 74% said there were withdrawal systems and 43% said they felt as if they were addicted.
Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for this story, I am very close to the topic of people coming off of meds and having withdrawal symptoms. I have an aunt who I’m not actually related to, but she’s my mom’s best friend. This woman, who I called Auntie Nina for my entire life, was like a second mother to me. When my parents weren’t raising me, she was. I specifically remember going to her house and eating toaster strudel as a child. Imagine how heartbroken when I learned that this woman who I held so dearly to my heart tried to commit suicide after finally deciding to come off of her antidepressants. I didn’t even know my aunt was depressed. My mom explained to me that she had been taking the medication for many years and when she got off of it all she could think about was suicide. My mother was torn as she told me, “It was not the human part of her. It was those drugs.” she emphasized. This stuck with me. If the period right when you go on antidepressants and anytime you try to get off of them make you want to die, are they really worth it? Are they really helping?
I don’t believe that antidepressants should stop being sold or stop being used. I think all the research done on them including the negatives should be released. I wouldn’t have anything against this medication if it weren’t for how expensive it is and how badly it can affect your life in the long run. Imagine that teen, the one who told their mother or father that they were depressed. Around 25 years old they try getting off the meds because they don’t want to keep paying for them or better yet, they’re at a really good place and they think living without relying on drugs would be beneficial for them. So this bright young adult gets off the antidepressants, and they are worse than they were at age 15 when they asked their parents for a solution. They feel worse than ever and decide quickly to go back on the drugs. Do you see this infinite loop? It’s terrifying and deeply saddening to me.
It really scares me how many Americans are on antidepressants, and how dangerous the meds really are. I hope what you take away from this is a new perspective on what was previously only seen as a trustworthy solution.
Aussie Lura
The internet can be a wonderful place. Technology has allowed modern teens to open up and learn about many topics that were less talked about in earlier generations. However, along with this comes a wave of stories, labels, and medication for mental health right at a teenager’s reach. An adolescent tells their mom or dad that they’re feeling depressed or anxious, and in a few months, they’re on medication.
It scares and saddens me how many teenagers, as well as full grown adults and young children, are put on medication for mental conditions.
Teenagers have developing brains that are growing and finding ways to cope with emotion. Putting them on meds at a young age can stump their ability to become emotionally independent and cause them to rely on drugs later in life.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3 million American adolescents had at least one depressive episode in 2015. Many commonly used drugs for depression actually make the worst side effects of depression more frequent or chronic. In fact, in 2004, the U.S. FDA issued a “black box” warning for all antidepressants in young people up to the age of 24 because there’s a possibility of the drugs increasing suicidal thinking and behavior. I’ll say that again, all antidepressants are required to state they may increase suicidal thinking and behavior.
How could antidepressants possibly increase suicidal thoughts and behavior? This happens because the drugs start by making someone feel more energized and lighter, but it doesn’t rid them of their depression. Due to this, the first few weeks of a suicidal person taking antidepressants is very dangerous. If someone suicidal starts feeling freer but is still suicidal, they may suddenly feel the surge of energy they didn’t have before to act upon their feelings. This makes me think, is the risk really worth it?
As for adults on antidepressants, there are many. Majority of people who start out on antidepressants at a young age continue to use them through adulthood. This happens because antidepressants change the way the neurotransmitters in your brain communicate. Your brain becomes accustomed to this new way of living and without the drugs, it doesn’t know what to do. In 2016, the medical journal Patient Preference and Adherence published a paper about what people taking antidepressants long-term had to say. The results were scary and startling. 74% said there were withdrawal systems and 43% said they felt as if they were addicted.
Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for this story, I am very close to the topic of people coming off of meds and having withdrawal symptoms. I have an aunt who I’m not actually related to, but she’s my mom’s best friend. This woman, who I called Auntie Nina for my entire life, was like a second mother to me. When my parents weren’t raising me, she was. I specifically remember going to her house and eating toaster strudel as a child. Imagine how heartbroken when I learned that this woman who I held so dearly to my heart tried to commit suicide after finally deciding to come off of her antidepressants. I didn’t even know my aunt was depressed. My mom explained to me that she had been taking the medication for many years and when she got off of it all she could think about was suicide. My mother was torn as she told me, “It was not the human part of her. It was those drugs.” she emphasized. This stuck with me. If the period right when you go on antidepressants and anytime you try to get off of them make you want to die, are they really worth it? Are they really helping?
I don’t believe that antidepressants should stop being sold or stop being used. I think all the research done on them including the negatives should be released. I wouldn’t have anything against this medication if it weren’t for how expensive it is and how badly it can affect your life in the long run. Imagine that teen, the one who told their mother or father that they were depressed. Around 25 years old they try getting off the meds because they don’t want to keep paying for them or better yet, they’re at a really good place and they think living without relying on drugs would be beneficial for them. So this bright young adult gets off the antidepressants, and they are worse than they were at age 15 when they asked their parents for a solution. They feel worse than ever and decide quickly to go back on the drugs. Do you see this infinite loop? It’s terrifying and deeply saddening to me.
It really scares me how many Americans are on antidepressants, and how dangerous the meds really are. I hope what you take away from this is a new perspective on what was previously only seen as a trustworthy solution.
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