Looking through some old documents the other day, I saw a letter from a psychiatrist who referred me to him in 2012.

There, in black and white, a rigorous analysis of my mental state, the emotional vortex I experienced, confusion, anxiety, guilt, panic, and worry—all of which were recorded in clear, neat, and clinical language.

She wrote: "I am sorry that things are so difficult at the moment." "But I do hope you will find this new medicine helpful."

I did it. In fact, it is very helpful. Honestly, it's kind of life-saving. At the time I had a challenging new job with two young children, one being the husband of a rising star in politics. Life is fun, fulfilling, fulfilling-at least on the surface. 

However, deep in my heart, I felt overwhelmed and uncontrollable, as if I was hobbled every day without any real sense of purpose.

Around me, everyone seems to be so good, so organized, and so successful; and I think getting up in the morning is an arduous effort.

Drugs calm these emotions. It stabilized my emotions and soothed my crazy, messy mind. 

My energy level has improved, and I have become more peaceful and organized. As a mother, I feel less incompetent. As a wife, I am more useful and able to better meet the needs of employers.

Sarah Ven: You will never find that I am judging anyone who is taking or has taken antidepressants, or doctors and mental health professionals who prescribe them when facing patients (file photo)

Of course, all my worries still exist. But the volume has gone from a deafening ten tones to two or three more easily controlled.

So you will never find me judging anyone who is taking or has taken antidepressants, or doctors and mental health professionals, who will prescribe them when they face patients.

But this week’s announcement from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence issued new guidelines to professionals asking them to consider other options, such as treatment, meditation or exercise, before prescribing antidepressants. If you ask me, it should have been done. NS.

This recommendation comes at a time when the UK is facing a wave of mental illness, partly because the pandemic has triggered a sharp increase in drug use.

Even between 2017 and 2018, there were still about 7.3 million people in England taking one or the other antidepressant, and a staggering 15% of adults took five or more drugs a day.

Of particular concern is the record number of children receiving chemotherapy for depression. In 2020, 231,791 prescriptions were issued to children between the ages of 5 and 16. In the past five years, the number of prescriptions issued to elementary school students has increased by 20%; among middle school students, the proportion is 23%. 

Never in history has a generation of people been treated with such a large number of drugs; our young people have never changed their minds in this way (well, anyway, this is legally illegal). And the potential impact is huge.

What we are seeing here is an epidemic that, in its own sinister way, may be as vicious as Covid. Only this, not threatening our body, threatening our thoughts, and ultimately threatening the way we operate as human beings on an emotional and intellectual level.

Even in 2017-2018, about 7.3 million people in England took one or the other antidepressant, and a staggering 15% of adults took five or more drugs a day (stock photo)

How we solve this problem is important: drugs should be the last resort—not the first goal we want to achieve as we are now. Because although these drugs are important tools for the treatment of mental illness, they also have serious shortcomings.

The most obvious and widely reported is the effect of withdrawal. This is something I have written before, and indeed I have experienced it myself.

About four years ago, after taking various NHS antidepressants for nearly ten years, I decided that I had had enough. 

I have started to explore different ways to treat neurosis, from diet to exercise and treatment, and am ready to experience life without-in my case-SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) again.

But the process of stopping is much more difficult than I thought, or anyone has warned me.

If depression makes it difficult for me to work normally, it is almost impossible. It was like a dam bursting in my mind, releasing a group of violent, suppressed demons.

Of particular concern is the record number of children receiving chemotherapy for depression. In 2020, 231,791 prescriptions were prescribed to children aged 5-16. In the past five years, the number of prescriptions prescribed to elementary school students increased by 20%; among middle school students, it was 23% (stock image)

At the same time, it triggers a series of debilitating physical symptoms. Many people who try to quit these pills are familiar with these symptoms, ranging from general inability to concentrate to memory loss, mild hallucinations, terrible dreams, and extreme anxiety. , Insomnia, fatigue, tinnitus, neuralgia and a strange vibration sensation appear whenever I move my eyes.

I tried, I failed, I tried, I failed. I will persist for two or three days, and then the symptoms will become unbearable. The only thing that can make them disappear is the little blue pill. This relief is so happy.

Nevertheless, I persisted. In the end, I dropped to the lowest possible dose—and then I stayed there. I still can't completely break free. 

Every time I try, the side effects come back vindictively. Indeed, some people have been with me now, the most serious of which may be tinnitus-the internal sounds behind the ears range from a deep hiss to a sharp whine, depending on my overall stress level-and nerve pain. It will show up whenever I am particularly tired.

But none of this can be compared with the effect that my long-term use of these drugs has on my personality and my ability to function emotionally as a healthy person.

These drugs deformed me in a way I couldn't imagine, allowing me to do things I shouldn't do-things I might never do if I were not emotionally numb.

One example is the death of the father of a close friend. She was frustrated, frustrated, and at a loss. 

I know she needs my support, but to the best of my ability, I just can’t empathize. Of course, I understand her pain abstractly, but I just can't feel it the way she needs me, can't touch her emotionally.

I think it was only then that I realized for the first time: antidepressants restored my ability to work, but somewhere in the meantime, they made me lose myself.

I used to dream that the roof of the house leaked. The leak was small at first, I would ignore it and hope it would go away. 

But the situation will get worse and worse, until the water runs down the walls and drips from the ceiling. Eventually, a huge crack will appear, and the entire front of the house will fall onto the street.

For me, this is the feeling of depression. The role of the drug-brilliantly-is to prevent the metaphorical house from collapsing when you let the metaphoric builder in.

But if you don’t do this work, if you don’t make the necessary repairs and address the root cause of your unhappiness, then under all these clever chemistry, you will still feel frustrated.

Eventually, just like that wall, you will break-your whole world will collapse around you.

Why are people so surprised at the Prime Minister's obsession with Peppa Pig? He is the father of a toddler. 

As we all know, Peppa Pig is like cocaine to young children. 

This is of course the only thing that can give you 20 more minutes of sleep on Sunday morning. I dare say he can do this.  

From the standpoint of Saudi Arabia, Lewis!

I don't know much about Formula One, but even I know that Lewis Hamilton has been known as an excellent driver in the past few weeks. 

He is a great encouragement to young people all over the world, and he has not hesitated to support Black Lives Matter. 

Lewis Hamilton after winning the Doha Grand Prix over the weekend

This is why in order to express his sympathy for the oppressed, he should boycott the Grand Prix in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this weekend. 

We have lost Beckham to the Qatars, which is bad enough; it is good to know that some British athletes still have principles. 

After the non-violent version of Assassin’s Creed successfully taught high school students the knowledge of Vikings, some people called for video games to replace school trips. 

This is obviously a terrible idea. Before touring the Iron Age replica in the mud and rain, spent seven hours in a foul-smelling carriage, or lived in a desolate hut on the outskirts of Dieppe, drinking the contraband Pernod and using Gauloises Tear your lungs to pieces, this is everyone's coming-of-age gift for young people. And it's more interesting than staring at some damn screen. again.

You learn new things every day. 

The term "Doxxing" is used to describe the practice of posting someone's personal details online so that others can take action against them-inevitably negatively -. 

The latest victim is JK Rowling, who called the police after three transgender activists revealed her home address in Edinburgh. 

This incident happened to my family last year and caused my 17-year-old child to receive death threats on the job. 

As we have seen from the case of Sir David Ames remembered this week, all it takes is a nut. Or in this case, three.