Published on 12, July, 2020
I have struggled with depression for at least 5 years and only more recently diagnosed as autistic. I’ve been on two different antidepressants- Sertraline and citalopram- and I’m not sure if I can even tell anymore if I feel any better.
I’ve been told that I’ve most likely been in a state of burnout for a long time so i now don’t know if autism is the root cause of all the depression I’ve felt ( I know it has definitely contributed) so would antidepressants just not work in this situation? Or am I just finding it harder to tell if I’m doing better because I can’t identify may own emotions as easily? I know that I don’t feel ‘happy’ or stable yet but I can tell if my mood has improved at all because I feel like my depression has caused so much brain fog.
has anyone had similar experience ?
I've been on a long list of anti-depressants, along with a few anti-anxiety meds and mood stabilisers. None of them have ever made a marked difference for me, to be honest. I saw a psychiatrist a couple of months ago and he said that we could try x, but he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't work for me either given that none of the others have made much difference. Everyone is different though, some people find them helpful and if you've done your research on side-effects etc. and want to try them, it's worth a go.
I think with burnout, it seems like drugs aren't going to help much and you'd need to properly rest, indulge in your special interests if you have them and they'd help, and reduce demands if you can. That's the advice I've seen around anecdotally, anyway. I'm very bad at recognising burnout in myself though, I think. I did identify it earlier this year though, which is progress.