Bad Ad: Dexedrine Mommy Scrubs and Scrubs!
Remember the good old days, when men were men and moms were prescribed antidepressants so that instead of feeling lonely and trapped by work they could keep on moppin’ with a smile and a happy tune?
“Why is this woman tired?…because she is mentally “done in.” many of your patients–particularly housewives–are crushed under a load of dull, routine duties that leave them in a state of mental and emotional fatigue…Dexedrine will give them a feeling of energy and well-being, renewing their interest in life and living.”
Yup. Those days.
Now I have the Happy Working Song stuck in my head.
I wonder what else could have renewed her interest in life and living? Maybe if we looked at the things that were causing her “mental and emotional fatigue?” I’m imagining the doctor’s visit now :
Mom: “Doctor, I have so much to do every day, I think it’s getting to me. I feel crushed under a load of dull, routine duties. It’s almost like I’m mentally ‘done in.’”
Doctor: “The answer is simple. I help moms like you all the time.”
Mom: “Should I re-prioritize so I can find time to recharge during the day?”
Doctor: “Goodness no. Amphetamines will do the trick.”
Or, we could, you know, lighten mom’s workload and make sure she gets regular time away. Maybe send her out for a break when dad gets home this Friday and let him put the kids to bed.
Oh, wait. Never mind. I forgot about this part:
Stuff like dinner and bed–that’s her kind of pressure, and it lasts all day. So Dad can’t help. Tranquilizers make more sense.
Though I guess we could maybe make a few changes around the house. You know, dust less, get mom to drop the PTA, have Dad fold his own shirts. Just to free up some of her time.
“You know this woman.
She’s anxious, tense, irritable. She’s been this way for months.
Beset by the seemingly insurmountable problems of raising a young family, and confined to her home most of the time, her symptoms reflect as sense of inadequacy and isolation.
Serax (Oxazapam) cannot change her environment, of course. But it can help relieve anxiety, tension, agitation, and irritability, thus strengthening her ability to cope with day-to-day problems.”
Oh, right. We can’t set her free. That would involve breaking with social norms.
Well, Serax can’t change her environment, that’s true. But couldn’t we? Many moms really do need medication to help them with their depression, but it sounds like this mom’s troubles are caused purely by her environment. If her symptoms “reflect a sense of inadequacy and isolation,” maybe that means she’s, oh, I don’t know, overburdened and isolated? Wouldn’t it make more sense to readjust our expectations so she’s not struggling to meet impossibly high standards, and make sure she has friends and time away from the house during the day, rather than just filling her up with drugs so that she thinks everything’s peachy?
Sure. I guess.
But then she’d get less vacuuming done.
How wonderful that modern medicine lets her to keep doing the things that matter most.
Did you miss Saturday’s post on Good Enough Mothers? Click Here
Image 1: http://www.decodog.com/inven/MD/md28731.jpg
Image 2: http://www.practiceofmadness.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/vintage-meprospan-ad.jpg
Image 3: http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/201202201058.jpg
Image 4: http://www.practiceofmadness.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/vintage-dexamyl-ad1.jpg
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The flip side, of course, being the stigma attached to those of us who *need* medication. I have a brain disorder. My medication fixes a chemical imbalance. But I still get “you just need to get out more” and “why don’t you find a more meaningful job.” Getting out more helps. Doing something I find personally meaningful helps. But they don’t make the panic attacks go away. Zoloft does. A lot of people think that the only reason I need *drugs* is because I’m a repressed house wife, when really I need *medication* because my brain doesn’t work quite right. My chosen work has little to do with it in my case.
I’m actually going on Cymbalta this week; mainly for chronic pain, but as I also deal with depression and anxiety, it’s probably going to help in more ways than one. I definitely don’t want to imply that depressed moms don’t need medication. I actually mention in the article that most of them do. This is supposed to be about the attitude that it’s better to take drugs than make the changes necessary to fix a bad situation. I hope that came across. If it didn’t, please let me know what I need to change. In Utah (where I’m from) there’s a big problem with prescription drug abuse, particularly among moms. I’ve known people personally who had this problem, and from what I could see, their drive to take the drug was greatly worsened by their home life. They felt stressed, overburdened, and restricted to family-related activities. These ads mention the causes of depression as being stuck inside, having constant housework, isolation, and feeling inadequate as a mom. These are all things that can be fixed by changing our point of view, and using drugs as a solution so that mom can continue overworking in isolation is a horrible thing that people still do.
Also, I’m planning on dedicating at least one post to combating the stigma associated with antidepressants, etc, and the idea that if you “just got out more” or “did more service” or “read scriptures/prayed/asked for forgiveness better/were a better mom” (I’ve actually gotten that one) that you wouldn’t be depressed. It’s a really important subject to me.
Oh, you did fine… just, the two issues are sides of the same coin to me, and it is hard to bring both of them out without your posts getting ridiculously long. So I’m trying to help.
Loved this post. And I’m looking forward to your future one on antidepressant stigma.
That is amazing! I didn’t know but I am not surprised either.