A friend gave me a copy of Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff yesterday. I picked it up last night and read the cover and the first 15 pages. I was startled at some of the statistics she shared in the Introduction:
One out of every five women in America is on antidepressants, and 6 million men start taking antidepressants every year.
Less than 30 percent of people report being deeply happy.
Twenty-five percent of Americans and 27 percent of Europeans claim they are depressed.
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease in terms of the global burden of illness.
Wow, that’s a lot of depression! I don’t know all the reasons for depression, but I know there is one kind that can be fixed…that associated with hormone imbalance. Here is a section out of my upcoming book, The Awakened Body, A Woman’s Guide to Feeling Biologically Vibrant…Naturally:
Hormone Imbalance: a Psychiatric Disorder?
I conducted a series of classes at a company that employs a large number of women. I was advised, “You cannot believe the number of women here who are on anti-depressants.” I didn’t want to believe that statement and couldn’t help but think surely this is not true. I was soon to learn by the sheer number of female employees confiding in me that it was absolutely true. It seemed that in that community, common medical protocol consisted of synthetic hormones and anti-depressants.
These women expressed the same overriding feeling: “I am ashamed that in the peak of my life, after having lived a very productive, happy life, I am now taking anti-depressants.” Not only do these women have to deal with the hormone imbalance causing their depression-like sensations, now they also have to cope with the effects of the antidepressants, which can often cause even more problems. It breaks my heart to see what is happening to women at a time which can and should be the invigorating prime of their lives. It is time to lift this veil of shame.
I personally escaped being given an anti-depressant because I was too ashamed to express my feelings to my doctor. I thought something was wrong with me, that I was “weak.” I always prided myself in being strong…and now this. I thought it was just another cross to bear of growing older. I didn’t realize I was experiencing symptoms of being out of balance. One of the greatest blessings I received was to get my old energetic self back once my hormones were balanced.
It can happen for you too. You have nurtured and cared for everyone else your entire life. You have earned the right at this point in your life to experience the confidence and the magnificent, effervescent life that you so deserve.
However, one word of caution: please work with an experienced health care provider to balance your hormones, and never ever quit taking your anti-depressants “cold turkey.” Doing so can cause devastating effects. Work with your health care provider to know how and when to start weaning off the anti-depressants, should that be the decision the two of you make.
