what are my thoughts on anti-depressants? I can't really say because i've never had thoughts on anti-depressants, having never taken them.

what do i think about them? thats a multi-part answer.

first part:
anti-depressants, as people generally consider them (pharmaceuticals) do have a valuable role in our modern world. I've seen people close to me having severe psychic trauma and unable to function in day to day life. simple things like eating and bathing, and driving were impossible under the weight of depression ( and anxiety, it's sister condition ). As a short term aid anti-depressants can act like a tourniquet and stop bleeding and perhaps save a life, or mind. As a long term solution, i'm not sure support that.

having said all that there are other factors at play in most cases--non emergency situations.

part two:
I think people often choose medication over learning. they choose fixing over experiencing. have a pimple, eradicate it. have a hang nail, clip it. job isn't making you happy. swap it. partner is getting fat, throw them out.

as a byproduct of our disposable-convenience focused culture people have lost the ability to withstand situations they dislike. or tolerate less than they want, and can't find satisfaction without every want and whim tended to. in losing this skill, they literally collapse when faced with any sort of legitimate psychic agitation. and through the many mechanisms available today, anti-depressants being one, they can easily spend their entire life avoiding discomfort rather than developing skills and philosophies to cope with, or even grow from it.

it's the mental equivelant of why would you take the stairs when theres an elevator there? because taking the stairs is work. might stink up your pretty dress-shirt with human smells like sweat. might take longer. might make your legs ache. it's just easier to take the elevator.

there's a secondary argument playing in the background for this entire strategy, and that's one of productivity. one of the main motivators to relieving stresses and discomforts immediately, without any inspection, or experiencing them, is it distracts you from being a productive human being in the workforce. and if you're too distracted, you lose your earning power, and the consumer economy loses part of it's lifeblood. so there's immense societal pressure to always be happy, always be moving forward, and always be a fully functioning person. you can't slow down, stall, laze, introspect, or you'll miss the next episode of the bachelor, or worse, under produce in your job for a brief period.

given this pressure, it's not unnatural people respond to disruptions in what they feel is their contentment and their security in life with some anxiety, and a want to end it as quickly as possible.

however, as one ages, the complexity of the problems we face in our lives mature, and if our coping skills fail to mature at pace--when the really big problems come up ( aging, sexual irrelevance, death, sickness, coming face to face with the pointlessness of most of what they lived for ) many of these people are going to be entirely unable to withstand the onslaught and having already spent most their lives on medications, i wonder how they may survive.

you can push the garbage under the bed but eventually it's going to have to be dealt with. and in cases of moderate disturbance i think there are things to be learnt that could prevent or mitigate major disturbances.

third part:
while i don't have time to explain why i think modern culture is creating so many unhappy people, and so many neurotics, I would like to briefly point out that there are many forms of anti-depressants that don't come in a bottle.

living more in line with your bodies original design (exercise), taking care of the physical body (good eating), meaningful relationships with people, fostering curiosity, learning, and really learning to live with fear, hopelessness, and the weight of life, face-kisses, finding a place in your life where you feel you belong and are using your greatest strenghts to their full, and fostering high level neural paths like compassion, empathy, connection, oneness. your brain is a chemical stew, without question, but your thoughts and actions have a direct and tangible impact on what chemicals are in that stew. learn the value of community. learn the power of living in accordance with your body's needs. develop those connections in your mind that release the right chemicals, regularly, and half the battle is won.

i've lived with periodic depression all my life. It has come at a cost to me financially, and probably emotionally. But it's also given me many of my current beliefs, and strengths. and moreover, with each cycle I learn more about myself, my weaknesses, fears, and my understanding about what sort of life i actually want strengthens. The depressions are hard, and i dislike them, but they can still have positive aspects to them.

in the end though, each person must decide where their priorities lie, and while I know i flirt with the devil being an admitted periodically depressed person and not medicating myself.. my priority is on my experience. and that includes the sweet,and the sour.