I recently realized that some people view me as being "against meds".   It's true I  refused anti-depressants for my PMS and again for my postpartum mood disorder (PPMD).  Finally at my wits' end with the PMS I took Zoloft for 6 weeks before throwing them out!  It may surprise you to know that I'm not anti-meds. What I am "for", however, is doctors providing patients <strong>all the alternatives.  I am for treating the cause. </strong>

Obviously many people are helped by taking anti-depressants.  Lives are saved by such medications.  But did you know about 1 in 4 people are made worse by taking SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors)? There are studies showing a placebo effect may be at play for some people - this suggestion is controversial.  But here's the thing - the number of SSRI's being prescribed for everything from acne to PMS to hot flashes has me concerned.  Anti-depressants aren't just being prescribed for depression.  Did you know they are even formulating a new SSRI specifically to treat low libido in women?

These stats may surprise you:
<ul>
	<li>Anti-depressant use in America is up 400 percent in two decades!!</li>
	<li>11% of Americans take an anti-depressant</li>
	<li>23% of women age 40 - 59 take antidepressants</li>
	<li>Anti-depressants are the third most prescribed drug in America</li>
	<li>14% of people taking an anti-depressant are taking more than one type</li>
</ul>
I don't think my situation is unique -  I wasn't offered alternatives and I was offered anti-depressants for PMS and later for PPMD.  So my position is that year after year, health issue after health issue I was never "treated" I was just "prescribed".  That's what I am against.

Women's health issues are being painted with a mental health brush all too often.   Here's how I know this to be true:
<ul>
	<li>Millions of women with hypothyroidism are being undiagnosed and misdiagnosed.</li>
	<li>Hormone imbalances can be the culprit in mood disorders</li>
	<li>New studies are showing that Postpartum Psychosis may be a symptom of an auto-immune thyroid disease (AITD) - a small study in the Netherlands in 2011 showed that 19% of women with postpartum psychosis had an AITD.</li>
	<li>Women, like my friend Courtney, are being misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder when, in fact, they have Hashimotos Thyroid Disorder.</li>
</ul>
Instead of opening the Endocrine Manual, doctors are scouring the pages of the DSM-IV searching for our mental illness.   Instead of investigating for hormone imbalance women are being prescribed anti-depressants.

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