There’s an important man in my life, Chad, who’s been battling depression for years now. Chad is a husband and a father of three boys, and he’s been a huge influence on my life. But one thing that people don’t know about Chad is that he’s been taking antidepressants on and off for years now. After working several years in the stressful casino industry, and having been there for his wife battling breast cancer, I can somewhat understand his reasons for taking antidepressants. Although it may seem tempting to take these medications during stressful times, DON’T!! These pills cause people to feel ‘numb’ from the real world distancing them from their relationships, goals, and dreams. When antidepressants aren’t being taken, individuals who have become dependent of these pills will become highly irritable. Time away from these medications will result in damped high’s and magnified lows. As a result, this usually leads to addiction, which happened to Chad.
Chad has taken medical leave from work, to recover from his problem. He’s been suffering, living day by day feeling as though he’s lost his purpose in life, despite his family’s support. His wife is upset because he’s spent a majority of his day’s lying on the couch sleeping and watching TV. Whether Chad knows it or not, he’s been influencing his youngest son’s life by setting a terrible example of being a man and more so being a father. I believe fathers are responsible for two things; supporting their families and living by example. His medical leave from work draws him back from both of those responsibilities.
The only way that people can battle this illness, is essentially finding the motivation within themselves to recover from depression. Moral of the story: theres no need to break the addiction if you never develop it.. So don’t take antidepressants, people!
Whiskeyed Away 