Antidepressants are the third most frequently consumed medication in the country, a fact that was revealed in 2014 and has since generated buzz about America's propensity for pills. But it's women in particular who are often judged for their use of the drugs.
Not only does the "crazy girl who takes meds" trope need to die, but the increasingly popular idea that women are stifling their "natural mood swings" with medication is sexist at best and irresponsible at worst.
Women who take meds aren't crazy or stifled, a fact that Lena Dunham just eloquently explained on Instagram. "Lately I've been noticing that nearly every pop cultural image we see of a woman on psychiatric medication is that of an out-of-control, exhausting and exhausted girl who needs help," she wrote in the caption of a recent post. "But guess what? Most women on meds are women who have been brave enough to help themselves. It's important that we see normalizing portrayals of people, women, choosing to take action when it comes to their mental health."
"Meds didn't make me a hollowed out version of my former self or a messy bar patron with a bad bleach job," Lena continues. "They allowed to really meet myself. I wish that for every lady who has ever struggled. There's really no shame."
Yep, pretty much.
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