Do you find that anti-depressants kill your creativity and drive?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for depression. At the heart of CBT is an assumption that a person's mood is directly related to his or her patterns of thought. Negative, dysfunctional thinking affects a person's mood, sense of self, behavior, and even physical state. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to help a person learn to recognize negative patterns of thought, evaluate their validity, and replace them with healthier ways of thinking.

So yes what younsaifpd it makes sense that you don't feel as creative on AD.  Mabe try a good therapist to give you coping tools for creative thinking positive thing and learning the tools to help control your depression rather than meds. 

For me you sre opening a who can of worms on the mature of humanity. WHAT is depression and we we as those who have are supposed to simply get on with it. My experince of life is that people simply dont want to know. If you are different like I am then over my lifetime I have learned to block out the negative reactions to people over my behaviour. I have learned to discipline myself to be acceptable in how i respond to people. Sertraline has helped me make sesnse and digest a whole world of pain and suffering for me. Understand what the drug does to you and you realise why you cant perform in other areas. My nature is rather like van gogh I create something but because i think others dont like it then i go into self harm mode except for me at was depression. to to outward appearances then my life has been one of mediocrcy. So meds have a different impact depending on the person but similar traits. Yes i use alcohol as well. I am a christian and have spiritual experiences  so thats part of the mix. hope this helps. So on an artistic level and a human level i have found in my life its almost impossible to be normal.

Okay so the nhs i geared up to giving you a pill and sending you home. if you are unstable enough then go and visit the mental health services and get yourself checked out by a head doctor get an accessment and stick to the treatment. the package is designed to help you become a fucntioning member of society. Depending on your condition and how much love or help you need you may get through it. so basically the nhs to a reactive service its not there to care about you. Though some people do.

On the sex drive part then my experience is that sertraline prevents you from getting an orgasm. solution. Self acceptance and that includes how depression impacts you as a person. learn how to relate to people to achieve least amount of abuse and dont expect much sympathy. Its a hard mean and un loving world thats broken. people dont need an excuse to hurt you.

For me being depressed at the moment is like painting a picture of self awareness. Learn to look at the picture as a whole and then work out where its going to be put and how much you want to look at it. Maybe this is helpful and maybe not.

Hi Marius - yes i believe the meds play with creativity. I have been very creative in my life including with writing, techniques I have used life-long to battle depression. I found after taking meds I had little interest in arty things - the effort was too much and the road too long. Many of the most revered works of art, whether painting, drama or music etc, have back stories that are rooted in angst and loss and pain. Meds for depression can have a positive effect, and for some people it dulls the senses. There is quite a variety of meds out there and sometimes it's a hit and miss affair. Taking them is entirely up to you. Congrats on publishing your book.