ALL: Anti-Depressant Storylines on the Soaps

[Gray Bunny]

Judging by my peek at B&B, it looks like Ridge is going to go all crazy on anti-anxiety pills. I'm pretty sure ATWT's Jennifer was on anti-depressants a few years back and went batshit crazy. And if memory serves me correct, OLTL and AMC have done stories like this in the past. Didn't DAYS briefly have someone take anti-anxiety pills last year?

Point is: Has any soap opera EVER portrayed the use of anti-depressants / anti-anxiety medications CORRECTLY?!?

This has bothered me for a long time now, and with B&B currently showcasing one, it's relevant again....

Soap operas are constantly showing the OPPOSITE effects of these medications! A person who is on these medications do not become doped up zombies or irrational manic-depressive batshit crazy psychos.

By correctly taking these medications (you know, once a day, every day consistently... not popping more pills every 10 minutes every time someone utters Rick's name!) your mood is elevated (i.e. consistently stable, not bouncing off the walls on a high and then on a low).

This has always bugged me about the soaps. Especially when you consider that soap operas are often watched by people who aren't so happy about their own lives so they use soaps as an escape... and what do these shows tell them? That taking anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications are going to make them worse? Cause them to behave out of control? Lose their minds?

This is so innaccurate. The writers in all of daytime need a crash-course lesson on this topic so that they stop using this device as an easy way of making their favorite hero or heroine temporarily nuts.

End of rant (no pun intended! haha)

[MarkH]

In this case, with Ridge, they SPECIFICALLY addressed that Ridge was popping Valium (Diazepam). Taylor did the wrong thing, sharing her prescription (twice). But at least both pills were given by a psychiatrist who observed Ridge in what she determined to be an anxiety attack (I didn't really see that but...).

Ridge's

Nonetheless, let it never be forgotten that Taylor's illegal prescription sharing was his gateway. She enabled him. On top of her alcoholism, I hope what they show is Taylor losing her license. THAT would be realistic!

[RoseVioletDaisy]

Soaps should probably just stop handling anything related to mental health and/or psychiatric treatment, they always screw it up SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO badly that it's insulting to the audience and embarrassing for the show.

[Cat]

There is a place for PSAs on anti-depressant drugs and their addictive properties. But is B&B the place to do them? I don't know. I'm also bracing myself for some majorly funky Ronn Moss emotin' when Ridge has withdrawl symptoms/total breakdown.

Remember Ronn. Drake always let his eyebrow do the acting.

[rsmith2k2]

It wasn't a full fledged storyline, but AMC made a point to tell us that Bianca had to go on anti-depressants after her baby "died"/was lost (ie stolen) along with therapy. It was presented as helpful. That was probably 2004.

[MarkH]

Just to be clear...this is NOT about an anti-depressant.

On B&B, Ridge is apparently developing a dependency to a tranquilizer. Big difference!

[Gray Bunny]

My bad... Obviously, I don't watch much B&B (or any soaps) these days. At least he's not talking to a chipmunk

[MarkH]

Or stroking his dead stuffed kittycat. Or burning up his step-mother's misscarriage blood.

[leevo64]

Taylor should lose her license.

Soaps have not done a good job of relaying antidepressant information, but GH has done a more admirable job of it. Robin is on antidepressants and doing much better because of them. Sonny was also prescribed mood stabilizers for his bipolar disorder and the show respected the reality of the disorder. While much smaller in scale, Dr. Joplin prescribed antidepressants for Starr after "losing" the baby.

I tnink that if soaps are going to address depression and treatment options, they should research the reality of the drug and not alienate viewers who can relate to mental illness. That said, I expect nothing of B&B but pure camp, so Ridge abusing Valium is nothing too offensive :-p

[MarkH]

But I mean, this is SERIOUS. She seriously breached a line of ethics that she should have known about.

My interpretation: Taylor is still off the rails (like she was during alcoholism, etc.). She is willing to sacrifice everything about her profession, and to become a pusher/enabler, if it gets her "Ridge" back. Because, fundamentally, she is still addicted to the memory of what Ridge was to her.

In the long run, if B&B were a good show, Taylor WOULD permanently lose her license...and that would be an okay thing. It would lead to the reinvention of the character...a new path...which could really be a good thing.

If there are any Ridge-Taylor lovers, they are about to be as disappointed as Nick-Sharon lovers on Y&R. In both cases, the "reunion" finally happened in a haze of sickness, substance use, insanity, lack of commitment, lack of consideration for the partners they were with.

The Bell soaps have definitely become the ANTI-"destiny-westiny" romance shows. Here Ridge, take another Valium.

[JackPeyton]

I dont know what pills Stephanie is taking on Days, but i have a feeling its going to turn into an addiction.

I think they are anti anxiety pills tho, and not anti depressants.

[Southofnowhere]

Kendall was also on anti-depressants after she tried to kill herself at the Miranda Center funraiser. That comeout during the whole Greenlee goes nuts deal-eo.

If coudn't be a Shrink u know they would make her a freakin-Fashion Designer!

[Harmony233]

Well Robin on Gh is on antidepressants for PPD.Sonny is supposed to be but the odd thing is the other day Robin was talking about how she couldn't drink alochol with them but yet Sonny is always drinking.