Balancing Symptoms and Side Effects

Mania and anxiety can increase one's sexual drive.
Depression can zap one's sex drive.
Antidepressants can zap one's sex drive.
Lack of antidepressants can increases one's mania and anxiety (as well as depression).
No antidepressants can make one feel like crying at anything and everything.
Antidepressants can make one feel numb to all of it.

The list just goes on and on. This is the all too common balancing act for those living with depression and anxiety. Through in some bipolar disorder just for fun and it's a lot. To treat or not to treat. Are the symptoms worse than the side effects of the medications? Do the medications take away good things in your life that have nothing to do with your mental health (SEX!)?

Mental illness and the symptoms of treating or not treating do not care if you're rich or poor. They do not care if you have a college degree or don't. They do not care if your life is typical a stress ball or if your life is super calm. They do not care if you have 1 kiddo or 8 kiddos. They do not care if you are a man or a woman, homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual. They don't care if you're a Christian, Muslim, atheist. They don't care if you "come from a good home/family" or if you are "street rat (Aladdin).

None of the ways you use to identify yourself matter when it comes to mental illness and the symptoms of treating or not treating. Obviously those stations and identities can play a part in mental illness, but they don't cause mental illness and they don't protect you from mental illness. They can determine the type of treatment you get but they can't keep you from experiencing side effects that are often unpleasant to live with.

Welcome to my reality for the day. I'm going to bite the bullet and increase one of my meds. I know what to expect. The side effects are annoying but not worse than the symptoms at this time.