Mom's Post About Antidepressants
1 Woman Says It's OK to Take Antidepressants If "Being a Mother Is Just Getting to You"
In a profound move toward normalizing the stigma of depression, particularly for parents, Laura Mazza — the Australian mom behind the hit blog, Mum on the Run — has shared a post about antidepressants that's going viral for all the right reasons.
"Maybe life has thrown some curveballs at you," she wrote in a Facebook post, dedicated to those women feeling resigned to taking medication to help deal with mental health issues. "Maybe it wasn't what you expected at this time. Maybe you're surrounded by assholes. Maybe everything is a little bit too much. Maybe getting out of bed every day is hard. Maybe being a friend, a partner, a mother, a father, a daughter, or a son is just getting to you. Maybe the wires in your brain have a hard time connecting to each other."
As someone who has been open about her own struggles with anxiety and depression, Laura recognizes that it doesn't make you — or your brain — "any less wonderful."
Although it's vital to consult a doctor before making any decisions, Laura maintains "there's nothing wrong with" needing medication.
"It's not your fault . . . and maybe you'll be on it for a few months or years or maybe forever, she wrote. "You have an illness. No one would tell a diabetic to just get off the medication and stop thinking about sugar, so it'll all go away. You wouldn't tell someone with heart disease to just snap out of it."
She added:
It might seem shit now, but I promise it gets better. I promise you're not annoying. You are definitely not alone. You don't have to be strong all the time. You don't have to sweep it under the rug, and carry on smiling for everyone else. It's not a problem to not be OK, it's only a problem to pretend to be OK when we are not.
