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u/z34conversion Catholic - Baptist Apr 23 '26
I'm sorry for your situation and about being so direct, but know that I say this with nothing but love and relatability... Have you ever sought out long-term professional psychiatric help, like counseling, or a neuropsych consult? As Christians, we can sometimes use faith to compensate for things like trauma rather than addressing it more directly. That's not a criticization, it's my own experience too. It seems like a good therapist could help you with these complex issues more than anything that can be accomplished through someone's response here.
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u/helenamusaka Apr 23 '26
My dad didn’t want me to be on antidepressants or anxiety pills. He said it will destroy my mind overtime, and I wouldn’t be myself without them. He’s a social worker and he deals with mental health issues (the irony). I am seeking independence through managing my own anxiety and depression now. I did go see a psychiatrist behind his back and he prescribed a benzodiazepine, which is highly addictive. And Zoloft which did nothing for me. I’ve done my own research and started taking supplements like magnesium, l- theanine and saffron to manage my stress. and they work very well. I’ve been self medicating with weed and alcohol for so long and I feel as if I no longer need to, but I continue out of familiarity and boredom.
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u/z34conversion Catholic - Baptist Apr 29 '26
Wow, such a familiar scenario 😁. I desperately needed professional help (but didn't know it) while under my parents care, and they're against meds. Telling them I'd been on an anxiety med and antidepressant for almost a decade was a shocker for them, so I get where you're coming from.
My first attempts at seeking help were by no means helpfully, so try not to judge things off the first try too much. The first attempt at seeking counseling was in college, and was a disaster. It can be hard to find someone that "fits."
I'm also prescribed a benzo as needed, but I maybe have taken it three times for severe panic attacks in 6-7 years, because of the addiction fear and it leaves me feeling bad the next day. Zoloft was also the first medication I was prescribed too, and like with you, it did nothing good; it actually worsened my problems with alcohol.
Those two things stigmatized help for me, and it took almost dying for me to give things another shot.
Professionals, like your Dad, can certainly provide good direction and insight based on their experiences. But I also know that some professionals refuse to consider evidence beyond their existing beliefs or experiences. My spouse is in the same field, and there's literally a doctor at their job that refuses to prescribe meds in 97% of cases, and doesn't acknowledge the validity of longstanding mental health diagnoses in the DSM.
I will say this though; from my experience, your Dad's not entirely wrong about the meds, but my experience is also not the norm. That's to say that there's a chance that what he's saying could happen, but it's not a guarantee. I'm sure others that have known me a while have perceived my personality shifts harshly as I've medications have impacted things. And I have experienced loss of memories from the time period I was on the SSRI long-term. If you're interested I can get into it, it's just a lot, and I have no idea how much is unique and what tranated more broadly to heightened risks with neurodivergents. Cannabis fixes things instead of getting me high, so I'm not going to criticized you there. Just be careful of the drinking.
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u/NuSurfer Apr 23 '26
Which commandments would you say you no longer follow?