EPISODE 9: THE LABYRINTH

The SSRI episode (sort of).

In this stage, we're finally covering the ubiquitous serotonin hypothesis—the once-widespread (and still very influential) understanding that depression arises from a dysregulation of serotonin in the brain. More specifically, we cover how the narrative created by this understanding of depression impacts an individual's conception of self, authority, and "illness." Our conversation winds between meditations on current research, the "labyrinth" as an analogy for an encounter with mystery, and a long-form story intended to illustrate how medical narratives might impact a patient's direct, lived experience. Finally, we end with a brief meditation on "inner authority," to be more fully fleshed out next episode. This episode is a bit longer than usual but may be one of the more accessible ones so far. 

A quick disclaimer: 

As is stated in the first part of this episode, I am not a medical professional. Moreover, the purpose of this episode is not, by any means, to increase stigma around psychiatric medication.  While I hope the contents of this episode are helpful to an individual considering medication (particularly, SSRIs), I did not create this with the intention of it being used as medical advice. I highly encourage listeners to continue this conversation with a psychiatrist or licensed professional. If anything is to be taken from this episode, from a medical standpoint, I would say two things. First, if you are currently on an antidepressant, and are seeking to get off of it, please make sure that you do so with medical oversight. These medications should NEVER be quit cold turkey. Second, if you have the resources to do so, I do encourage looking for a psychiatrist who is willing to *have* a conversation about the relative merits and efficacy of SSRIs, and who actively pursues informed consent around the prescription of psychiatric medication. I am including these last two points not because it is my desire that someone should come away from this episode with the thought "I need to discontinue my medication." In all honesty, I simply failed to include them in the recording but felt that they were important final words to this discussion. As I mention in the episode, these medications can be life-saving for some people, and my sole goal is to empower you, as patient and fellow sufferer, to make your decisions with as much nuance and information as possible. I am here for you completely.

A final word: 

It is my goal to get the transcripts from all previous episodes up by the end of the month. I wanted to get this episode up as quickly as possible, but am unfortunately still working on putting together a document of all the studies cited in this particular episode! My intention is to post this alongside the rest of the transcripts. In the meantime, if you'd like more information on any research cited here, please feel free to message me either on Patreon or Instagram. Thank you again for all your patience—this particular script was probably the most time-intensive to write so far. Work on the Nekyias series, as well as episode 10, will resume as soon as the transcripts are up.