My LTR guy takes antidepressants and his libido went down a lot - he still had the desire, just not the physical ability to do anything about it. He also has other medical issues that also interfere with sex. I try to be supportive but also have to admit that it's frustrating for me.
well cbrmale, I would say that in some cases that might be true; a placebo can do wonders for the human mind and body, but I take lexapro for depression and OCD- which is definitely a chemical imbalance. It's my understanding that there's two types of depression: one caused by external stimuli- relationships, drama,etc. and another which is pure brain chemistry related. I mean if you look at a CAT scan of person's brain while chronically depressed versus none depressed, there's a big difference in chemical activity.
I'm not going to tell people not to take antidepressants - if it works better for them then that's what they should do. For me, it does me more harm than good. The major side effect I had from them that interfered with day to day life was not sexual, but that they made me so sleepy that I was unable to function. I would literally sleep 20 hours a day, and when I was working, I'd make mistakes at doing tasks that when I wasn't on antidepressants, I could do with no problem. So I had to go off of them in order to KEEP my job!
I also think there are two kinds of depression, although I will agree with cbrmale that depression symptoms can change brain chemistry as well. All kinds of things can change brain chemistry. Did you know that the MRIs of a brain of a person before and after that person learned a specific skill were different from each other?! The kind of depression I have is the result of external stimuli, and comes and goes depending on what I'm going through in my life. For instance, in my childhood and teens I was VERY depressed; in my twenties I was rather depressed too and into my early/mid thirties. Late thirties were the best time for me - I did not really exhibit any depression symptoms. In my early forties I had physical health problems but not really depression per se. However, now in my mid forties I have depression because of my financial situation.
Also, I'll admit that the idea that "what you go through externally, and what skills you're taught, can affect your brain chemistry" goes perfectly with my "Biology is not destiny" ideas... (Although those ideas have more to do with gender, but that also has to do with skills people are taught, and external stimuli that may cause depression symptoms.)
These days it's thought that the change in brain activity is the RESULT of depressed feelings, not the cause. There has been no scientifically proven research that has uncovered 'two' types of depression. The only guaranteed treatment of depression is electro-convulsive therapy, and we still don't understand why ECT works.
The research that was conducted on placebos and depresssion uncovered no statistically significant link between anti-depressants and recovery. It was not 'in some cases', it was in all cases.
One thing that seems to work for me to get over depression symptoms is organized, group physical activity. Unfortunately, I am unable to do this at this time for the same reason I'm currently depressed! I can't afford the fees for group physical activities! I'm having to seriously consider moving in with a roommate, which for someone who has difficulty with dealing with certain things about people makes it really hard for me, but I will probably have to in order to survive.
