i need your opinions.

[Access_Flux]

ok. this might not seem like the right place for this thread, but its serious enough to trouble me, so i thought that this would be the right place for it to be.

I'm Straight edge. for those who don't know what this means, read this.

i choose to live this lifestyle, and i believe in it quite strongly. strongly enough that i've gotten into proper fights over it.

but on the other hand, of late i've had some quite serious depression. its been bad enough that its started affecting my relationships, and as much as i think about this i don't know whats bringing it on. i'm afraid if i go to a doctor, they'll tell me that i need to go on some sort of medication, and if that happens, i won't feel like i'm keeping true to myself. but also in saying that, i am on some medication that i have to take occaisionally due to a set of funny valves in my stomach. and i don't see that as breaking edge taking that, as its to keep me healthy and good.

what do you think? would i be breaking my beliefs if i was put on medication? i dunno, it stresses me out, and doesn't make the situation easier.

[txa1265]

Make it clear to the doctor that you are generally against taking any form of medications such as those they might prescribe, make them go the therapy route rather than easy pill-popping ... it is a tough, but long term solution. Drugs work for some depression, but therapy and self-healing are the only long term solutions.

[Mich]

make them go the therapy route rather than easy pill-popping ... it is a tough, but long term solution. Drugs work for some depression, but therapy and self-healing are the only long term solutions.

I must respectfully disagree. I have...something...and therapy utterly failed me. Went to therapy, usually twice a week, except for when I was in the hospital and had to go every day. After 3 hospitalizations (I, too, was against medication) they put me on a pill. I got well immediately, and have been fine ever since. Now I'm not saying that pills work for everybody - but neither does talk therapy. Just wanted to toss that out there.

I would have to say that in my opinion, the best thing to do is a short-term medication while you go to therapy. Then you can be taken off the medication, and see if the therapy works. While I am by no means a doctor or psychologist or what have you, I do have a fair amount of experience with this type of thing (see above). The benefit to doing medication with therapy, then removing medication, is that the therapist can see you as you are while you are "well". When they remove the medication, he will be able to quickly notice if you are sliding back to where you were.

would i be breaking my beliefs if i was put on medication?

That depends on you. Do you believe that medication is a good choice? If you do, then it is not against your beliefs. Is it un-straight-edge? Maybe. But should you be putting yourself at risk just to be able to claim a title? If you still do all of the straight-edge things but also take medication, you'll still be true to yourself. You might not be able to claim the title, but is that really so important?

[InsaneSith]

Straight-edge, at least back in the day, wasn't about NO chemical use. It's anti-substance abuse.

So by helping yourself through the use of medication, you are not breaking any straight-edge moral values, as long as your intention is to help yourself and eventually live a normal life without any assistance from anything.

[Mike Windu]

Yeah uh, I was pretty sure SxE was always about not abusing drugs, not no drugs at all.

Meds should be fine.

[Ghent]

I would think that medication only works properly if your problem is chemical, so if your brain is pumping the wrong things into you, for instance. Medication will, however, only work as a temporary patch if you have suffered trauma as a child, for instance. This type of problem requires therapy or self-assisted healing in order to mend.

That's just my bid on the difference between the two; I am by no means sure about it.

But assuming that I'm right, since your depression seems to stem more from psychological stress from those fights'n'stuff, therapy would probably help you more.

Assuming that I'm all on the wrong tracks regarding your problem or my theory on when to use what treatment, disregard this post.

As others in the thread have already said, as long as you don't take anything you don't need or abuse something, you should be fine. In any case, I hope you get well.

[Taki]

I remember in my teenage years I had these morals, deep sense of codes and clear views about myself, like what sort of person I was. And I allways thought I was never gonna change, but as years past I strayed away from that. I'm still in the same road, just a slight different direction. Sometimes I would just forget my views and when I remembered I would wonder shockingly if I really had changed. I remember it was hard staying true to your ideals when things were tough, but it's those critical moments that show character and strength.

I'm against seldom use of medication aswell. Unless it was a question of life and death, I'd rather go to work sick and/or with a headache. But when you're in a depression like you say, you have a tendancy to close yourself up to the world and it's hard to break out of without the help of someone or something. And you don't want to stay depressed for long.

I believe therapy works, but it's a cooperation of the two people involved, willingly involved. Friends give me therapy all the time, set me straight and get me going, and I do the same to them. So luckily I've haven't had the chance of going to a real one yet

[Jae Onasi]

It's normal to grow and change and have some ideals change in your life. There are some things that you'll keep and some things that you won't as you and the world around you changes.