Today, February 12, is the birthday of our 16th president whose Civil War order, the Emancipation Proclamation, freed the slaves from the Confederate states. In his theatlantic.com article, “Lincoln’s Great Depression,” writer Joshua Wolf Shenk proposes that the tall, frail statesman from Illinois experienced at least three stages of depression or “melancholy” as it wasContinue reading “The Depressed President”
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Mental Illness & the Oscars
Last night was a huge night for celebrating depictions of mental disturbance on the screen. Nominated Best Picture film “Pain and Glory” focused on a revengefully obsessed director looking back on his life and the slights he perceived from actors and lovers, as well as a traumatic childhood. The Best Picture winner “Parasite” revealed threeContinue reading “Mental Illness & the Oscars”
Depression’s Guru, Day 8
If there is a face to the story of mental depression in the past half century, it is that of William Styron, the great American novelist whose works include “Sophie’s Choice.” Mr. Styron brought depression into the open through his confessions and his writing. He suffered two severe episodes but also lived a brilliant life.Continue reading “Depression’s Guru, Day 8”
Can Pickles Perk Us Up? Day 7
First, I want to start off today by confessing that I personally am probably dealing with a milder form of depression than many people. I was able to alleviate most of my symptoms – anxiety and insomnia – pretty much right away and with a relatively low dose of 75 mg daily of Effexor. ThatContinue reading “Can Pickles Perk Us Up? Day 7”
Parade Therapy, Day 6
How Long Will This Take? Day 5
I have heard a wide range of how long tapering off an antidepressant will take. Before even jumping into this process, I had heard that Effexor is the hardest of its drug type to stop taking – this from a young ER resident. A retired physician friend also told me it took her a fullContinue reading “How Long Will This Take? Day 5”
Manic Monday, Day 4
This is not just another manic Monday for my hometown, a mid-sized city whose metropolitan area famously straddles the two states of Missouri and Kansas. Contrary to the president’s congratulatory tweet last night, the Kansas City Chiefs football team is based in Kansas City, Missouri – not Kansas! Last night in Miami, when they wonContinue reading “Manic Monday, Day 4”
Super Sleepy, Day 3
Today being Super Bowl Sunday 2020 and living in Kansas City, there is a lot of expectation to be up and ready to party!! My night, however, was energy depleting, waking partway and being trampled by a highway of zooming thoughts. I’ve decided to call this my de-cluttering period. Much of this thinking concerns theContinue reading “Super Sleepy, Day 3”
The Happy Chemical, Day 2
“Venlafaxine is used to treat depression. It is also used to treat general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. Venlafaxine belongs to a group of medicines known as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI). These medicines are thought to work by increasing the activity of a chemical called serotonin in the brain.” —Continue reading “The Happy Chemical, Day 2”
Getting Off Effexor, Day One
I have written 2 drafts for the first post of my new blog and lost both of them on WordPress! This may not be the best day to start – my first day of tapering off my antidepressant. But it’s a challenging journey I would like to share with others wanting to stop taking theirContinue reading “Getting Off Effexor, Day One”
Getting Off Effexor 