Re: “I’d Rather be Unhappy than Unconscious”
Mr. Reis’s claim that depression is “feeling sad” completely undermines what depression is. Depression is a physical problem caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals. The sadness of depression is characterized by a greater intensity and duration and by more severe symptoms and functional disabilities than is normal. There is a huge difference between feeling sad sometimes and being depressed. Depressive signs and symptoms are characterized not only by negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors, but also by specific changes in bodily functions such as crying spells, body aches, low energy, low libido, weight changes and problems with eating and/or sleeping. The functional changes of clinical depression involve nervous system changes in the brain that cause many physical symptoms that result in diminished activity and participation. Subsequently, one can conclude that depression is not only an emotional problem, but a physical problem, as well.
Depression can go as far as to cause an individual’s complete withdrawal from society, activities, interests, hopes and aspirations. Mr. Reis’s argument that family and friends, not medication, are one’s most valuable assets when dealing with depression does not take into consideration those who do not live with their families and/or those who have no friends. If one is away at college, how can one solely rely on one’s family for help? Or even if you live with your parents, it is important to note that, in the case of depression, parents generally have an inclination to be negligent because they do not know how to deal with the illness. Also, if one has a bad friend circle, filled with individuals who are self-absorbed, how could one rely on them for help? Or even if one is friends with good people, it is often the case that, when one gets extremely depressed, her friends do not know what to say or how to act in order to offer comfort.
Those who have depression and go untreated often tend to develop substance abuse problems via alcohol or other drugs or, in the most extreme cases, commit suicide. It is true that most antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are habit forming; however Mr. Reis’s claim that they are equivalent to heroin or cocaine is extreme. If taken through a syringe, heroin can kill instantaneously—I haven’t heard of any antidepressant doing that. Mr. Reis’s friend clearly had a substance abuse problem as noted by his self-imposed dosages and alcohol consumption. Medications such as Xanex and Colonopin have labels that clearly state that they should not be taken with alcohol and that they should only be taken in the dosages prescribed. Hence, misuse is not the fault of the medication, but of the individual misusing it. Depression is a debilitating illness and Mr. Reis’s final assertion that medication causes one to be “unconscious” fails to address that the illness, more so than the medication, is what really changes the individual and causes her to become “unconscious.”
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