Trigger warning discussing of suicide and mental health treatments

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I’m going to be very transparent here. I was floored by what the new DHHS Secretary had to say about his take on SSRIs and other psychiatric medications such as prozac, zoloft, and celexa (to name a few).  I have been sitting with it for awhile and today as I sat at home in the sunshine I felt called to write this. 

I’m going to start here.  In 1997 my cousin died by suicide.  He was 20 years old. He had his entire life ahead of him, a family who loved and loves him, and a world that even at my tender age then understood would have been better with him in it.  

I don’t openly discuss this loss or other losses my family has experienced but I felt like I couldn’t not share this at this moment in time.

I was young when his death occurred but I remember that it was the first time I heard the terms Bi-Polar and Prozac.  These were whispers I heard from the adults in hushed voices.  At that point in my life I remember being confused and not really understanding what happened but also hearing things like “he was sick”.  

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My experience, unfortunately, is not that unique. In 2022 the CDC reported that 49,000 people died by suicide and 1.6 million attempted.  That is 49,000 lives lost and millions of family and friends impacted.  There are rooms all over America where others are hearing those same words and phrases that I did.

It’s his story and all the millions of other stories like it that is why I am so upset by the words of a man that liken medication that literally saves lives to heroin.  

As a mental health therapist, a family member survivor of suicide, and someone who takes an SSRI I can tell you this is bullshit.  I’ve sat in rooms with people who have been impacted by the opioid crisis and lost in a world of addiction. It is not the same thing. I have sat in rooms as loved ones share about their loss to suicide.  I have held space and witnessed those who have survived an attempt. I have celebrated with individuals how much better they feel and in their life they get to be due to medications like SSRIs and ADHD medication.

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Do you know why we have medication?  Do you know what the world looked like before psychiatric medications became available?  It looked like people living in asylums, having lobotomies (mostly women), people dying, and basically being tortured with ice baths, electric shock therapy, and other gruesome treatments.  

Do we have room to grow as a mental health field? Yes.  Do we have room to continue innovating, researching, and developing treatments that have less side effects and provide even better outcomes? Yes.  I firmly believe we have only begun to scratch the surface of what we understand and how we can continue to improve how we take care of others.

SSRI’s are imperfect like most things.  They are also not a cure all but damn they really can significantly help. Studies have consistently demonstrated that combining SSRIS with therapy have better outcomes for depression and anxiety management, the combination of treatments provide higher remission rates, and when you address the neurochemical imbalances and then therapy for the cognitive patterns you create a synergistic effect leading to more comprehensive treatment.

Why would we ever compare such a thing to heroin? Which In the last two decades, the opioid crisis has killed over 564,000 people from overdose deaths alone. 

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 I will never stop advocating for my clients right and access to life saving and life improving medication.  We all deserve to be in our life and if you are experiencing thoughts of death or suicide please get help. 

Help is available

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or SMS:

988