I use anti-depressants, gratefully.

[Hekate]

32. Wellbutrin here. I identified that on my mom's side of the family...

... people really seemed to fall apart in midlife, with alcohol the main medication. How did I find this out, since I didn't live anywhere near these relatives? I called mom frequently and listened to her complain and complain and complain about them. (She was one of those "pure" ones who would neither medicate nor self-medicate, and honestly her life would have been far better -- and mine too -- if she had been willing to try something pharmaceutical. edited to add: In all fairness, she was born in 1924, and she really felt there was a stigma attached to anything that might conceivably have to do with mental illness or defect. But it made it quite hard to deal with her on the subject.)

The lightbulb went on one day, and it helped both my sister and myself. At the time my sister was suffering from migraines and severe social anxiety disorder, both of which interfered very badly with her life and career. I went down the list with her: uncle A had to retire early from his professorship because he was crippled with social anxiety disorder, aunt B was a secret drinker, uncle C was a drunk and had a temper and his family finally had one of those interventions, aunt D was very depressed and could hardly leave the house.... How many of the drinkers were self-medicating, I wondered? What kind of biochemical disaster kicked in in midlife in our family? Mind you, the information from our mother was not in those terms -- she complained about their perceived weakness of will, their inability to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and if only they would do this or that. In her mind, medication was one of those weak-will things, just like alcohol.

The insight did help my sister get the help she needed; even if in the end it was not enough to make life normal, at least it has made it bearable. For myself, I finally got an antidepressant, and it has helped. Again -- not normal, whatever that is, but a lot better.

The ranting and raving here around guns has been bizarre enough on so many levels, but the part where people started going off on absolutely everyone who has ever taken or is taking a psychoactive medication had my jaw dropping. WTF is it with people?

Anyway, thanks for posting your experience -- and thanks to the rest in this thread likewise. All the best in the New Year.

Hekate