(after experiencing postpartum depression...)
Is it wrong to take antidepressants???? Is it really a sin problem or is it a hormonal/physical problem??? Can a pill PREVENT you from sinning??
Sometimes I feel guilty taking it, thinking that Im not a good enough Christian or not "strong" enough, KWIM?
34 comments
"Is it wrong to take antidepressants????"
Yes, very wrong! ... However, it is permissible for you to take massive quantities of arsenic.
I agree with Zeus A. Massive quantities. ASAP
massSIVE!
Enough to stun a Norwegian Blue parrot.
And I'm a doctor, you can trust me
P. McAdamia, B.S., M. S., Ph D.
I am takings meds for depression also and I can definitely relate to what you're going through. Would it be more of a sin to not medicate and end up hurting yourself or someone else?
This has nothing whatsoever to do with not being christian enough and everything to do with your personal biology. Take the meds and stop feeling guilty over it. You haven't done anything wrong.
I... I don't really know what to say.
Tell me, what kind of sin makes you want to possibly hurt your own children? How can you be "Christian" enough and/or "strong" enough to overcome your own body's chemistry that's out of whack? And why would it be wrong to take a pill that stops you from possibly hurting or killing your children?
I just really, really wish you had never had children. And that opinion has nothing to do with you postpartum depression.
It's okay to admit you're not strong enough to deal with it. It's okay to take meds -- trust me, they can be a real life saver. Without mine, I'm useless, and I've seriously considered taking my own life. Depression is not a rational disease, there's no logic to it, it makes you feel like a failure at life, when you're not. All it takes is a couple of pills, sometimes the right combination of pills, and therapy, to get you back on your feet.
I sincerely hope hilhill gets the meds and therapy she needs to get out of this funk.
Depression is not sinning, nor is it a result of sin, unless of course you are so obsessed with obtaining an impossible standard of perfection in a set of arbitrary things that you get depressed, and it's still not sin that caused it. Think about it. Do you get a little (or a lot) moody or grouchy near your period? You know that hormones fluctuate then, right? Ok, so logically that means hormones can affect mood. You're perfectly fine taking the meds, and hopefully you'll only need them for a little while.
Have you been talking to Tom Cruise?
If you need help for a little while after your baby is born, then by all means get the help. I'm not saying that you should use it forever, but until you can get yourself on you feet, take the pill!!!
Please keep taking the pills as prescribed until your health care professional says otherwise.. for you and your childrens sake.
P.S. - stop obsessing over it as well..no sin..okay, you have a chemical imbalance - dont be ashamed.
I agree with Shifty Eyes - but that could probably be because I've had several Drs try to "fix" me using SSRIs no matter how bad a reaction I've had to the last one. (Try a 6 week constant mirgrain, "But that's not one of the listed side effects.")
If they help for EVERYONE'S sake take them, but counseling is sometimes enough too and there are a lot of things to think about before taking any medication. But I'm sure the thread sounds more like Cruise than rational...
You're on RR, you should perhaps bump up to anti-psychotics?
On a plus side, nobody over there is saying it's a sin. Some are absolutely useless answers (just pray and god will heal you) but they don't say to go off the meds.
I really was expecting them to say so.
I have to say, in their defence this is one of the most positive threads I've seen on RR. On the first page at least, everyone seems to be supporting the person and advising them to keep taking the meds as long as they need them
It's definitely not wrong to take anti-depressants, any more than it is wrong to take asprin for a fever. Depression is a physical, medical problem. However, a lot of people, including some people who have depression, don't realize this because they are used to emotions having clear outside causes. You assume it's sin, other's assume other people hate them, or that their endeavours are doomed, or a million other things. Try not to worry about it, and take your pills.
This sounds identical to my experience as a clinically depressed Christian teenager.
I ended up quitting Zoloft because I didn't like the idea that I couldn't function unless I popped tiny blue pills everyday. I control my emotions--not something the size of a grain of rice that I put into my body.
I hope that hilhill gets over her PPD soon; however, she really does need to work out this whole "sin" issue one way or the other.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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