Antidepressants, anti anxiety medication or happy pills. Call them what you want – Dr Alex George is encouraging you to Post Your Pill.
While the topic of mental health is gaining more coverage than ever before, we’re still plagued by a stigma around taking antidepressants. There are many ways to begin treating mental health, and medication is just one of them. However, if you and your doctor feel that medication is the most appropriate route for you, you should be free to pursue that treatment without any shame or stigma.
Who is Dr Alex George?
If you stay out of politics, you’re not on Instagram and you don’t watch Love Island, there’s a slim chance you won’t have heard of Dr Alex George. Dr Alex is an A&E doctor at University Hospital Lewisham. In 2017, he decided to temporarily hang up his scrubs and try his luck in the Love Island villa. Since leaving the villa, while his counterparts have pursued traditional post-reality TV careers, Dr Alex has caused quite a storm in UK healthcare and politics.
Having worked in A&E, Alex was keenly aware of the widespread mental health epidemic we have on our hands. Already heavily invested in this matter, Alex tragically lost his younger brother to suicide in 2020. Informed by his loss and his first hand experiences as an A&E doctor, he decided that more needed to be done to support young people’s mental health. His campaigning led the PM to appoint him as Ambassador for Mental Health for the UK government; a role that didn’t previously exist.
Dr Alex George and the Post Your Pill social media movement
While campaigning for better mental health provisions for young people, Alex has also been struggling with his own anxiety, following the loss of his brother. After giving his treatment a lot of thought, he decided to take antidepressants. While content with this decision, he knew that a stigma still existed around taking medication for your mental health. Given his public involvement in the topic, Alex felt nervous about opening the conversation around medication, but decided to do it anyway.
On Alex posted a picture of his daily dose of his medication on 27th November 2021, and since then, the post has been liked over 275,000 times, with thousands of people taking to Instagram to share a picture of their medication too.
The caption reads: “I have been thinking quite hard about whether to post this, but I feel it’s the right thing to do. So many people live with medication stigma everyday, a fear that they will be judged as being weak or discriminated against, simply for taking a pill to help with their mental health. The other day I did a pole on my stories and 75% of you have faced medication stigma. That is so sad.
I take medication, alongside therapy and self care, to help with my anxiety. I really needed this treatment but for years I didn’t access it, on reflection I was worried about what people would think. I can tell you now, I am not ashamed. I AM PROUD to take control of my own health. This does not make me weak or less able, it makes me stronger.
How many people are not getting the treatments they need AND deserve because of this very stigma? This HAS to change. This post is not about saying medication is the ‘answer’ for everyone, rather to say that for those who need it should have access without barriers or shame.
If you feel you can, join me with #postyourpill to take a stand against medication stigma 💙”
Making waves in mental health
The reception of Dr Alex’s campaign has been amazing. Would you be willing to #PostYourPill?
Where does the stigma come from?
A lack of understanding
There is an age-old lack of understanding about mental health, and the impact it can have on someone’s life. Those who don’t understand the importance of mental wellness may be sceptical about taking medication for ailments that they can’t quantify visually. E.g. if you had a broken leg, no one would tell you not to put it in a cast.
A fear of over-prescription
Because of the long waiting lists for alternative therapy in the UK, there is concern that GPs may prescribe anti-depressants as a first option, rather than considering the holistic picture. If a person is struggling and is in need of immediate support, a GP may understandably hesitate to put them on a long waiting list for other therapies (such as CBT or talking therapy), if there is a danger that their mental health may put them at risk in the meantime. You can read more about the debate in the British Medical Journal, where Des Spence argues that mental health is being overmedicalised, to Ian Reid’s rebuttal that prescribing is cautious and appropriate.
A fear of addiction
Those who are sceptical about taking antidepressants may worry that they’ll become addicted. However, antidepressants are not addictive medications. Your body may become accustomed to taking them, and because of that, your doctor will advise you on lowering your dose gradually when the time comes to stop taking them.
Are you struggling with a mental health issue?
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression or any thoughts and behaviours that don’t feel comfortable to you, please seek help from your doctor. There are so many routes to improving your mental health, and medication is just one of them. For more information about different mental health treatments, please see the information listed on Mind.org.