Way back in high school, when reading "Brave New World" I was positively alarmed at the description of somas in the novel. A few weeks later a male friend mentioned wishing he could get some somas and quoted "Brave New World" because he liked the idea of numbing everything, and I was shocked. He was smart but he didn't seem the understand or care that there were consequences to numbing the unpleasant emotions, as BNW describes. In the 20 years since, it has gotten easier and easier for young people to get on antidepressants and antianxiety meds. And I think the attitude of my friend shows what we're going up against here. I think a lot of people don't care what they lose in the bargain, they just want to stop feeling, which is sad.
This is weird. When I was growing up, I thought that I just didn't have a libido and I accepted it. Later, I realized that it was a result of growing up in a fundamentalist religion where we were taught that sex before marriage was evil and also my mother convincing me that "there is nothing about you that anyone would ever want." I realized that I totally suppressed any possible libido. Years later, I was fighting depression and my doctor prescribed SSRIs and it changed my life. I felt like myself and enjoyed interacting with friends. Still no libido. Even later, I was an atheist and got some of my religious teachings behind me. I finally figured out why I had no libido and, while still on a relatively high dose of SSRIs, I found my libido. Now, I never miss an episode of Wider Lens, but every time I realize that I react oppositely to most of their descriptions. I've never fit any mold. But this one, finding my libido while on SSRIs still surprised me. Thank you, Stella and Sasha. Love you.
The Hims and Hers commercials are infuriating! Companies are behaving unethically under the guise of "better access" and "less stigma". It really amounts to indifference. This seems to be a common theme in many of the "movements," it's much easier to say caring is supporting uncritically every thought and action than taking the time and sincere effort, and to offer a gentle challenge to someone. Particularly with children and adolescents.
I’ve been disturbed for over a decade by the exploding prescribing of SSRIs and ADHD medications to kids. I’m not surprised it’s likely linked to GID. Only SSRIs were discussed in your talk but I also wonder about ADHD meds.
I do consider myself asexual - I'm a woman, 27 year-old, no history of sexual violence - and I've never, ever fallen in love. Discovering the concept of asexuality brought me a lot of peace so I do think it's a useful label. Before, I was litteraly being told that it was impossible. It was painful to me to feel like such a freak, or a sort of emotional cripple. But even if I use the label and am grateful for its existence, I've never been convinced by the activist discourse that it's normal, not hormonal imbalance, or dysfunction, or a result of medecine. We're suppose to experience sexual attraction and romantic love !
It's clear to me that I had a late sexual awakening as a teen, when I compare myself to my girl friends. But I was also taking the pill at 14 because of pain and losing to much blood, and we know that it can dicrease libido and pleasure. And at seventeen, I was put on antidepressant - the fault of my doctor who was quite bad when it comes to mental health. I believe now I should have been sent to a therapist and given time to see if I could get better without medications. But the goal was, I think, to send me back to school as fast as possible.
Anyway, by the time I was an adult, I had taken two medications (the pill for years and antidepressant during six months) which affect sexuality. I've been off the pill for several years now and didn't take SSRI for ten years and I saw my libido come back... but no attraction, no falling in love and no orgasm !
Way back in high school, when reading "Brave New World" I was positively alarmed at the description of somas in the novel. A few weeks later a male friend mentioned wishing he could get some somas and quoted "Brave New World" because he liked the idea of numbing everything, and I was shocked. He was smart but he didn't seem the understand or care that there were consequences to numbing the unpleasant emotions, as BNW describes. In the 20 years since, it has gotten easier and easier for young people to get on antidepressants and antianxiety meds. And I think the attitude of my friend shows what we're going up against here. I think a lot of people don't care what they lose in the bargain, they just want to stop feeling, which is sad.
This is weird. When I was growing up, I thought that I just didn't have a libido and I accepted it. Later, I realized that it was a result of growing up in a fundamentalist religion where we were taught that sex before marriage was evil and also my mother convincing me that "there is nothing about you that anyone would ever want." I realized that I totally suppressed any possible libido. Years later, I was fighting depression and my doctor prescribed SSRIs and it changed my life. I felt like myself and enjoyed interacting with friends. Still no libido. Even later, I was an atheist and got some of my religious teachings behind me. I finally figured out why I had no libido and, while still on a relatively high dose of SSRIs, I found my libido. Now, I never miss an episode of Wider Lens, but every time I realize that I react oppositely to most of their descriptions. I've never fit any mold. But this one, finding my libido while on SSRIs still surprised me. Thank you, Stella and Sasha. Love you.
The Hims and Hers commercials are infuriating! Companies are behaving unethically under the guise of "better access" and "less stigma". It really amounts to indifference. This seems to be a common theme in many of the "movements," it's much easier to say caring is supporting uncritically every thought and action than taking the time and sincere effort, and to offer a gentle challenge to someone. Particularly with children and adolescents.
Marketing is out of control and actually raising our kids. There is no safeguard. We’ve allowed this unethical marketing scam to get completely mad.
I’ve been disturbed for over a decade by the exploding prescribing of SSRIs and ADHD medications to kids. I’m not surprised it’s likely linked to GID. Only SSRIs were discussed in your talk but I also wonder about ADHD meds.
I do consider myself asexual - I'm a woman, 27 year-old, no history of sexual violence - and I've never, ever fallen in love. Discovering the concept of asexuality brought me a lot of peace so I do think it's a useful label. Before, I was litteraly being told that it was impossible. It was painful to me to feel like such a freak, or a sort of emotional cripple. But even if I use the label and am grateful for its existence, I've never been convinced by the activist discourse that it's normal, not hormonal imbalance, or dysfunction, or a result of medecine. We're suppose to experience sexual attraction and romantic love !
It's clear to me that I had a late sexual awakening as a teen, when I compare myself to my girl friends. But I was also taking the pill at 14 because of pain and losing to much blood, and we know that it can dicrease libido and pleasure. And at seventeen, I was put on antidepressant - the fault of my doctor who was quite bad when it comes to mental health. I believe now I should have been sent to a therapist and given time to see if I could get better without medications. But the goal was, I think, to send me back to school as fast as possible.
Anyway, by the time I was an adult, I had taken two medications (the pill for years and antidepressant during six months) which affect sexuality. I've been off the pill for several years now and didn't take SSRI for ten years and I saw my libido come back... but no attraction, no falling in love and no orgasm !