Depression, a heavy burden. A bit about depression and weight gain

both!

This is something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately.  I feel very strongly that psychiatric medications are necessary and life-saving for certain people and there is far too much stigma surrounding taking them.  That being said, there's no denying that they have undesirable side effects for many, weight gain being one of them.  This has definitely been the case for me and this reason I would like to be on the lowest dose that is sufficient to stabilise me. I've been fairly stable for a good few months now and recently went to my GP for a review to discuss reducing my dose.  I mentioned my weight gain and so the doctor asked me to get on the scales.  I happened to sneak a glance at their screen and saw that I've put on 11kg since being on the medication.  It's no real shock, I had definitely noticed it in myself and in the way my clothes fit (or don't fit!) me.  I can't completely shirk responsibility. I'm not sure how much of that 11kg is down to the medication and how much is just me eating too much but there has been research that has demonstrated a link between antidepressant use and weight gain.  With depression usually adversely affecting people's self-esteem, you can imagine that putting on weight isn't exactly helpful in most cases.

So what's the answer?

all too familiar!

I don't know. I wish I did. I have been going to the gym and eating healthily (without being overtly strict).  When you have recovered from a depressive episode and are just starting to enjoy life again you don't want to deprive yourself of one its main pleasures! (Food glorious food!) I do like healthy and nutritious food but I also like indulgent treats and alcohol! I've been incorporating exercise into my lifestyle also but I know that if I put myself under immense pressure to lose the weight, that will not be helpful for my mental health.  There have been times where I've really put myself down about the weight gain and binge eating. I've felt like I 'should' know better, having a degree in nutrition and I 'should' be using a dietary approach to help alleviate my depression.  There are some people who have managed to see significant improvements in depressive symptoms through changing their diet but each person is an individual and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another.   A severe depressive episode can feel a bit like a tornado and all you can do is seek shelter and refuge and wait for it to pass.  If your home town was hit by a natural disaster and your life was turned upside down, eating a healthy diet would probably not be your highest priority and you would seek solace in any way possible.  I'm not trying to deny that binge eating is unhealthy but when depression is severe, that momentary calm that overeating brings can help people get through the toughest of times.

Obviously not all people with depression binge eat and/or gain weight.  Some lose their appetite, hardly eat at all and end up losing weight.  Others have different coping mechanisms that affect them in different ways.  However, with so much focus on obesity in the media and in NHS campaigns, people who are classified as overweight or obese can feel a great deal of shame and I think it's something that needs to be talked about.

What's the lesser of 2 evils?

The decision of whether to take medication for depression or not can be very difficult and should not be taken lightly (and I don't think most people do!)  I get quite irritated when I hear people say things like 'antidepressants are way over-prescribed' and 'Doctors hand out antidepressants like candy'.  I have yet to see any evidence of this and I think it's just the case that depression is very common and there are a lot of people who do genuinely need it. I personally suffered (on and off) from depressive episodes for well over a decade before plucking up the courage to go to a GP about it and I think there are a lot of people out there suffering in silence. There are often undesirable side effects so it's just about weighing up whether the benefits of medication outweigh the disadvantages.  I have struggled with my weight a lot and so I don't exactly welcome the medication with open arms. But after trying therapy several times, exercise, reading goodness knows how many self-help/positive thinking books, eating a nutritious diet and ensuring I'm not deficient in anything with no lasting effect on suppressing depression, it's something I definitely felt was necessary for my well-being even if it does mean a bit of weight gain.  I'm not saying that therapy, exercise and a healthy lifestyle aren't important or helpful, of course they are, but in some cases it's insufficient to alleviate depression.

So what to do if medication makes you gain weight?

I can attempt to lose weight through diet and exercise but I think what's most important as I've said in my post about body image: http://samanthathesanevegan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/the-girl-in-mirror-2-all-about-that.html is to focus on building self-esteem.  Our society puts a lot of pressure on people to look a certain way or to weigh a certain amount in order to be considered healthy but there is so much more to a person than the number on the scales.  It's really not in my nature to say positive things about myself, it feels very unnatural to me but what I've done sometimes is ask people close to me what they think are my strengths or what they admire about me. There are so many people who might not fit society's typical health or beauty ideals but who are extremely talented or kind.  A person's weight does not and should not define their worth! 

Aretha's voice is a lot more important
than what she weighs!