Better Living Through Chemistry

Today, I am taking my sad 16-year-old daughter to see a psychiatrist. I am going to ask him to put her on an anti-depressant. She has been in cognitive-behavioral therapy since August and has shown improvement for her telephone-phobia, but she still has that persistent low-level feeling of sadness.

I know how she feels! I had dysthymia for the first 36 years of my life and didn't know it. I just thought that "everybody" felt that way. By 1989, I was so incredibly miserable that I decided to try psychotherapy. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. At that time, an anti-depressant was suggested to me, but I was afraid of drugs. so I refused to try one.

In 1997, I suffered not one but two major depressive episodes. I was desperate so I decided to try Zoloft. And, the rest of the story is that, with the exception of a few minor dips in mood, I've been happy and well ever since. I wish that I'd tried an anti-depressant sooner. There's no question in my mind (pun intended) that, at least for some of us, depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. In my family there's also a huge genetic component -- both parents were depressed for most of their lives.

My daughter wants to try an anti-depressant. I am concerned about all of the stuff in the news about children and anti-depressants but I can't let my daughter suffer when there's a chance that an anti-depressant will help her.

My other "problem" is that my dear husband doesn't agree with me. He agrees that our daughter is moody and sad but he says that she just needs an activity to distract her from her feelings. I've told him that I know more about mental health stuff than he does and that he needs to trust my judgement on this one. He doesn't want our daughter taking a "happy pill." Sigh ... he just doesn't understand.

It takes 2-3 weeks for an anti-depressant to kick-in. I'm hoping that by mid-December, our daughter will be feeling better. I'll keep you all posted.