FMG: White Lotus + My Antidepressants

What a combo!

Happy Friday!

If you have even one pinky finger on the pulse of the news right now, I don’t need to tell you that there’s a lot going on, specifically in terms of the reorganization of federal programming and federal positioning on a variety of initiatives I have previously taken for granted. There’s a lot to learn/read about in terms of current events/executive orders relating to national parks, educational funding, DEI, and more, but there’s one in particular I have personal experience with and that I’d like to share my thoughts on. I am incredibly aware that some of you reading this will think this is TMI, but I honestly don’t care — when something as critical as mental and psychiatric healthcare is being attacked, open conversations are crucial.

I was 15 when I first felt my brain turn on me — my sister left for college, I unceremoniously quit the sport I had loved and played for years, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep and yell at the world. I distinctly remember feeling both a deep sadness and an out-of-nowhere rage, and I’m immensely thankful to my parents for taking my feelings seriously. My high school experience was riddled with my “roller coaster of emotions,” though I didn’t yet have the language or understanding of what was happening chemically in my brain.

That was half my life ago — I have since been diagnosed with, treated for, and medicated for depression, ADHD, and OCD. While no medication is perfect, the combination of medications I’m now on (combined with therapy and regular visits with my psych) allows my brain to function more effectively than it would without these treatments.

That said — my antidepressant (an SSRI) doesn’t give me an advantage, it doesn’t make me “high,” and it doesn’t alter my personality, my morals, or my values. My antidepressant and my ADHD meds bring me to stasis, allowing me to approach my daily life with a perspective less marred by the chemical balance (or lack thereof) in my brain. Depression, ADHD, and OCD are illnesses that I have been diagnosed with, and my antidepressants and ADHD treatments allow me to show up in my life despite these diagnoses.

I am not an expert in the fields of addiction, pharmaceutical sales, or mental health, but there are many highly educated people who are — and it is their responsibility and right, along with other medical and mental health professionals, to make decisions with patients and affected individuals regarding appropriate prescription management. To hear government officials claim untruths about antidepressants as fact is disheartening at best and terrifying at worst. Addiction and over-prescription are serious problems — and as such, should be discussed and fought against by those who have spent their lives and careers studying them. The thought of losing access to the medications that allow me to show up for my family, my colleagues, my clients, my friends, and my community horrifies me — I can confidently say that antidepressants save lives, and it’s so dispiriting to hear people in power claiming otherwise. Do I think we should prescribe medications willy-nilly? Of course not, and I think the vast majority of people would agree. But the antidote to over-prescription is not under-prescription — it’s appropriate prescription, and that can’t come to fruition when the medications in question are being demonized.

Thank you for listening :) Now onto the fun stuff!

• TV: In general, I pride myself on being part of ~the cultural conversation~. I watch Oscar nominees! I read bestsellers! For some reason, however, when The White Lotus first came out in 2021 and captivated seemingly everyone in the world, I found myself uninterested. I never hopped on the bandwagon for literally no good reason — and (shocker!) I had no idea what I was missing. For those who don’t know (probably none of you!?), The White Lotus is an HBO comedy-drama series that takes place at various locations of a luxury resort (with a different location and cast of characters for each season). You can pick up each season without watching the others first, so earlier this week I propped up my feet and turned on the first episode of season three. I was entranced! Beguiled! Enraptured! I finished the episode and immediately started the beginning of season one. Between my White Lotus bingeing and my current Summer House viewing-from-the-very-beginning, your girl is booked and busy. In the words of Chandler Bing: “Don’t say I don’t have goals!”

• Food: I’m in the midst of a pickle hyperfixation! More accurately, I’m in the midst of a pickle-flavored hyperfixation, as I’m not necessarily jonesing for literal pickles at this time. As stated in a previous newsletter, I’ve been loving the Dill-icious Chopped Salad Mix from Trader Joe’s, and that became a natural segue to the Dill Pickle Chips just a few aisles over. Well, this week I took things a step further and tried the Caulipower Dill Pickle Cauliflower Crust Frozen Pizza, and dare I say I was taken once again. I’m a longtime fan of the Caulipower Buffalo Chicken Pizza (which was what I went into my local Whole Foods in search of) but instead came upon this little treat. In my experience, the Caulipower crusts are crispy and the flavors are so good — and in this case, it also helped me hit my pickle quota for the day. Wins all around!

• Books: I have many skills, but one skill I do not have is reading the full synopsis of a book before I commit to reading it. Upon cracking it open (digitally, on my Kindle), I quickly learned that Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane is not in fact a steamy rom-com and is instead the story of a 30-something woman whose best friend tragically and very suddenly dies. Once the shock of what I was reading wore off, I started to get SO into it, and it’s the easiest-flowing book I’ve read in a while. If you’re in the mood for a book that reads well, features really lovable characters, and will make you cry, give Just Last Night a read.

Have a great weekend!

XO,

Gail

---