Pearl - March 11, 2025


This Is Why Modern Women Are On Antidepressants ｜ Pearl Daily


Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

180.56398

Word count

3,176

Sentence count

294

Harmful content

Misogyny

39

sentences flagged

Toxicity

31

sentences flagged

Hate speech

24

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

One in four women in the United States are on some type of psych meds. During the pandemic, the rise of antidepressants prescribed to young women between the ages of 12 and 25 jumped by 130%. Why is this happening?

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.040 Okay, so today we're talking about antidepressants.
00:00:03.960 So I want to give you guys a tip that I've heard from PUAs. 0.74
00:00:07.720 Oh, what's up with the mattress actress trying to sue me? 1.00
00:00:10.400 I haven't heard back since I told her, take me to court, bitch. 1.00
00:00:14.300 I got to stop swearing. 1.00
00:00:15.720 I meant that.
00:00:16.700 I meant to take me to court, lady. 0.99
00:00:19.800 But do you know what?
00:00:22.080 A PUA told me that when you're at a girl's house, 0.98
00:00:25.480 you want to look in her medicine cabinet.
00:00:27.220 You can find herpes drugs.
00:00:29.840 You can find SSRIs. 0.99
00:00:33.200 And this is really important because there's a lot of women that are mentally ill. 1.00
00:00:38.400 They're mentally ill. 0.99
00:00:39.320 So, you know, when we think about drug abuse in America, 1.00
00:00:43.340 most people picture heroin junkies in Portland,
00:00:50.200 opioid users in the Midwest, and cocaine users in Miami.
00:00:54.580 That's what's pushed in the news and through our phones on social media.
00:01:00.360 But what's not talked about is modern women's depression.
00:01:04.180 One in four women in the United States are on some type of psych med.
00:01:08.380 During the pandemic, the rise of antidepressants prescribed to young women
00:01:12.740 between the ages of 12 and 25 jumped by 130%.
00:01:17.580 So I came up with the modern woman life cycle here on Pearl Daily. 1.00
00:01:22.400 And I want to recap the life cycle.
00:01:25.660 And modern women taking psych meds fits in perfectly. 0.99
00:01:29.500 So number one, modern women will go to a high-priced institution to get a degree 1.00
00:01:33.620 nobody cares about and put themselves in a whole bunch of debt
00:01:36.480 that will be a burden to them for the rest of their lives.
00:01:40.040 And all they learn in school is how to be disagreeable and how to use men.
00:01:43.960 Then modern women will get a job that's too stressful and doesn't care about them. 1.00
00:01:48.540 In reality, the job is not that hard or stressful,
00:01:53.660 but the women convince themselves that it is. 1.00
00:01:56.260 Modern women feel entitled to a certain lifestyle 1.00
00:01:58.780 because when they begin their careers
00:02:01.440 and will buy houses and cars they can't afford
00:02:04.520 and spend money and travel while ignoring their student loan debt.
00:02:08.240 Modern women wake up at the age of 33 to 37 1.00
00:02:11.020 and rush to have kids, find a husband or both.
00:02:14.340 Modern women hit their late 30s and early 40s 1.00
00:02:16.580 and try to get pregnant by some loser or through IVF. 1.00
00:02:20.500 Modern women will start on antidepressants and become alcoholics. 1.00
00:02:24.580 And then modern women do what we do best, 1.00
00:02:27.920 buy a dog, which I already have.
00:02:31.280 Ellie, come here.
00:02:32.620 Come here. 1.00
00:02:33.380 And die alone. 0.97
00:02:35.400 Step five and seven is usually when 0.63
00:02:37.500 modern women start taking their psych meds.
00:02:40.240 Although there has been an increase in teenage girls
00:02:43.060 being prescribed psych meds because of social media.
00:02:46.740 Steps five and seven is usually when a woman 1.00
00:02:48.720 has entered her mid-30s and has smashed into the wall. 0.98
00:02:53.100 They get less attention from men.
00:02:55.180 They realize that their jobs can care less about them.
00:02:58.880 And they look back at all the time and money
00:03:01.080 they wasted in school to get their degrees.
00:03:03.600 Many of them have no relationship skills
00:03:06.340 and no longer want to be alone,
00:03:09.400 but have no idea and no longer want to be alone,
00:03:12.540 but they have no idea how to go about it.
00:03:14.340 Their situation is so bleak that they turn to psych meds
00:03:17.340 to numb the pain of what they finally realize
00:03:20.280 is a wasted life.
00:03:22.240 Now we have some clips that demonstrate this.
00:03:25.160 Now we have a GMA health alert,
00:03:27.000 a headline we first saw in the Wall Street Journal
00:03:29.260 asking why more women in middle age
00:03:31.860 are turning to antidepressants than ever before.
00:03:34.820 Our ABC News chief medical correspondent,
00:03:36.720 Dr. Ashton's here, going to break it down.
00:03:38.460 So this is startling.
00:03:39.840 According to the CDC,
00:03:41.080 approximately one in five women 0.60
00:03:43.020 between the ages of 40 to 59
00:03:45.220 and one in just four women over 50
00:03:48.120 are turning to antidepressants.
00:03:49.940 That's compared with one in 10 women 1.00
00:03:52.600 between 18 and 39 using this kind of medicine.
00:03:56.100 Why is this happening?
00:03:57.480 Well, the short answer is we know why it's happening.
00:04:01.380 Women don't know how to handle getting old alone. 1.00
00:04:05.160 I don't know, Robin,
00:04:05.920 but the first step is making this observation.
00:04:08.060 The second step is talking about it,
00:04:10.440 which is why I'm so glad we're having this conversation.
00:04:13.000 But yes, there definitely seems to be some differences
00:04:15.600 in the rates of depression in women versus men.
00:04:19.360 And as women age,
00:04:20.840 whether that's a hormonal contribution,
00:04:23.320 as women get to menopause
00:04:24.520 or just more lived life experiences,
00:04:26.480 life stressors.
00:04:28.180 We know what kind of life experiences they mean.
00:04:32.240 World events, things that we've all been through,
00:04:34.480 we don't know,
00:04:35.420 but those numbers,
00:04:36.680 absolutely jaw-dropping
00:04:38.120 when you see how common this is.
00:04:40.640 And of course there's concern.
00:04:41.680 You don't want to over-prescribe
00:04:42.860 this type of drug.
00:04:44.820 So who are they really intended for?
00:04:46.740 Well, I think that's the key.
00:04:47.820 When people hear this,
00:04:48.840 they tend to go all to one extreme or another.
00:04:51.380 It's not all bad or all good.
00:04:53.080 For the right person,
00:04:54.500 antidepressants for a certain period of time
00:04:57.440 or even a prolonged period of time
00:04:59.100 can be incredibly beneficial.
00:05:00.880 They can help with a depressed mood.
00:05:02.800 They can help with a loss of interest
00:05:04.980 in daily activities
00:05:06.240 and activities that previously used to give joy
00:05:09.160 or pleasure to someone.
00:05:10.620 And they can restore the sleeping,
00:05:12.140 eating routines
00:05:12.760 that are so often disrupted
00:05:14.500 in people and women
00:05:16.760 who suffer from depression.
00:05:17.940 But they can also have risks.
00:05:19.260 So those need to be discussed with the patient
00:05:21.380 before you write that prescription.
00:05:23.140 Science for depression.
00:05:24.400 I think we all need to recognize this, Robin.
00:05:26.760 Which one do you think is on antidepressants? 0.98
00:05:30.740 Not me, crazy ladies. 1.00
00:05:33.960 They are subtle, 0.89
00:05:35.260 but then when they're happening to you,
00:05:37.220 they don't feel so subtle.
00:05:38.760 So chronic sadness,
00:05:40.300 what we call somatic effects of depression,
00:05:42.960 which is physical pain,
00:05:44.320 headache, body aches,
00:05:45.640 where you can't find another attributable cause.
00:05:48.400 Change in sleeping and eating habits are big
00:05:50.600 and anxiety coming from depression.
00:05:52.920 There is no shame in the game.
00:05:54.600 Speak up, get help.
00:05:56.260 Thank you for saying that no shame in the game.
00:05:58.600 Speak up.
00:05:59.260 Thank you.
00:05:59.920 I don't know.
00:06:00.440 There is kind of shame in the game.
00:06:02.000 I wouldn't go around telling people
00:06:03.320 you're on antidepressants.
00:06:05.360 Like this lady right here. 1.00
00:06:07.400 Okay, wait, let me see.
00:06:08.960 Sound on.
00:06:10.340 It's so hard to know who to trust
00:06:12.800 with this whole SSRI thing
00:06:14.500 because like on one hand,
00:06:16.320 they've saved millions of lives.
00:06:18.260 But on the other,
00:06:19.800 this girl I went to high school with
00:06:21.220 who only did butt stuff 1.00
00:06:22.360 so she could still be a virgin, 0.97
00:06:23.700 she thinks we just need to eat clean
00:06:26.620 and get some fresh air.
00:06:27.980 So like, who's to say to Tuffy?
00:06:30.920 Who is to say?
00:06:32.700 Okay, we got a stay-at-home mom who's on meds. 1.00
00:06:35.720 We all love those wine moms. 1.00
00:06:38.040 There's so many wine mom alcoholics out there. 1.00
00:06:40.500 What doubles when we go from our 20s and 30s
00:06:43.040 to our 40s and 50s?
00:06:45.020 It's our use of SSRIs.
00:06:46.840 One in 10 to one in five.
00:06:49.000 What also changes when we go
00:06:50.680 from our 30s to our 40s
00:06:52.240 is our hormone called progesterone.
00:06:54.920 And we get ugly.
00:06:57.280 I know we talk about the wall a lot.
00:06:59.520 Now, women do drop significantly 1.00
00:07:02.240 in attractiveness around 30.
00:07:03.980 As you guys can see,
00:07:05.240 I'm aging out.
00:07:06.500 Dang it.
00:07:07.240 But, you know, we do drop, right?
00:07:10.200 I mean, you guys see it.
00:07:11.860 It's like subtle.
00:07:12.960 But then you look back
00:07:14.000 at like a picture of me at 18 or whoever
00:07:16.800 and it's like, wow, you're hot.
00:07:18.700 You know, can't.
00:07:20.580 I was a little fat when I was younger, thank God.
00:07:22.900 Because then I'd be really sad.
00:07:24.840 Thank God I'm thinner now, you know.
00:07:26.820 And anyways, long story short,
00:07:29.880 long story short,
00:07:30.820 but 40s is the real wall for women 1.00
00:07:33.100 because there are some 30-year-old women. 1.00
00:07:35.420 Can we just keep it a buck?
00:07:36.500 There's some 30-year-old women 1.00
00:07:37.820 that look like five years younger
00:07:39.340 that can pass for mid-20s
00:07:41.060 and don't really have a difficult time.
00:07:43.520 But there are no 40-year-old women 1.00
00:07:46.020 that pass for mid-20s.
00:07:48.040 That just does not happen.
00:07:49.860 Tell me if Ellie's distracting you guys too much. 0.92
00:07:53.020 I'll put her down. 0.98
00:07:54.560 Let me read the chat on the website.
00:07:55.940 If you guys do want your chat read.
00:07:58.620 Yeah, it's all about the why.
00:08:00.540 Oh, wait, hold on.
00:08:01.260 I read the wrong chat.
00:08:02.440 That's from last show.
00:08:03.820 Okay.
00:08:04.500 Oh, no, the live chat disconnected.
00:08:07.120 What?
00:08:07.740 Oh, no.
00:08:08.660 Oh, that was from last show.
00:08:10.140 Hold on.
00:08:10.840 Okay, I'm going to play this again.
00:08:11.980 It's depression, anxiety,
00:08:14.160 not being able to sleep at night,
00:08:15.780 insomnia, any of these things.
00:08:18.300 It probably is just your progesterone.
00:08:20.320 Turn up the volume.
00:08:21.320 I can't turn it up.
00:08:22.220 It's just the girl's audio.
00:08:24.540 I'm dropping.
00:08:25.320 Producing less progesterone.
00:08:26.400 So right now she's saying it's the progesterone.
00:08:28.880 But really, it's, I mean, we all know it's getting ugly.
00:08:33.640 I'm going to be depressed at 50.
00:08:36.340 40s, these are the occasional hot mom. 1.00
00:08:38.780 There's no hot mom at 50. 0.98
00:08:41.380 I don't want to get older.
00:08:43.400 Make it stop.
00:08:44.740 Women are binge drinking more than men. 0.99
00:08:56.840 No, this is my pet.
00:08:58.380 I bought her off a Craigslist when I was 21.
00:09:00.920 My mom was pissed and she was right. 1.00
00:09:03.060 You've been a pain in my ass. 1.00
00:09:05.220 Oh, do you know what it's like? 1.00
00:09:06.000 You guys know what it's like moving countries with a dog.
00:09:08.880 It's not fun.
00:09:09.960 It is not fun at all.
00:09:11.040 Progesterone is actually a supplement that you could feel relief from right away.
00:09:16.020 It's worth getting your levels checked.
00:09:18.080 It's a huge deal for me.
00:09:20.060 And I had a lot of resistance to taking this medication.
00:09:22.660 And a big part of it was around not feeling like I was being medicated so that I didn't,
00:09:27.540 I wasn't like hurting other people or bad to other people.
00:09:30.440 Or I wasn't taking it like to shut me up.
00:09:33.300 And I'm going to explain why.
00:09:34.740 So part of why I'm taking it is like I am someone, my kid is PDA autistic. 0.79
00:09:38.600 I for sure carry a lot.
00:09:39.620 Of course your kid is PDA autistic. 0.98
00:09:42.480 A lot of PDA traits. 0.57
00:09:44.400 I'm neuro spicy.
00:09:45.540 And when I'm upset, I yell.
00:09:47.400 I'm neuro spicy.
00:09:49.280 I yell at my family, mostly at my wife, in front of my kids.
00:09:52.080 Hopefully, usually not.
00:09:52.840 But sometimes I is in front of them.
00:09:54.400 And I blame.
00:09:55.960 And I'm like loud when I'm upset.
00:09:58.100 And I carry so much shame about that.
00:10:00.460 Translation.
00:10:01.100 I have no emotional control.
00:10:02.680 Sometimes I have envy for other people's mental health disturbances.
00:10:05.840 And they said, Ellie is the perfect female, quiet and chill. 0.98
00:10:09.620 She is quiet and chill, but she does breathe heavy. 0.99
00:10:11.820 That are like quiet, which is like fucked up. 0.97
00:10:13.400 But I'm like, well, at least on top of the disturbance, they also aren't like, like people 0.98
00:10:17.740 can't see it and think they look crazy.
00:10:19.820 Like I was screaming the other day and my neighbor walked by and I was like super like, oh my
00:10:24.280 God, like, hey, like, sorry.
00:10:25.920 Like, like, what does she think?
00:10:27.280 I don't know.
00:10:27.760 People scream.
00:10:28.380 But like, there's this way of like my bad stuff, even though externalizing is healthier
00:10:33.280 for you, you look like it's more, it's less socially acceptable.
00:10:36.740 And so there was this big part.
00:10:38.100 I don't even know what she's saying.
00:10:39.760 It's just, I'm hearing blah, blah, blah, blah. 0.99
00:10:42.140 So I stopped hurting people with my, like this fucked up part of me. 0.98
00:10:45.220 See, this is what I think. 0.97
00:10:46.200 I think women, we don't want to do the hard thing. 1.00
00:10:49.360 Okay.
00:10:50.140 Allie, this is the only show she's coming.
00:10:52.400 We don't want to do the hard thing.
00:10:53.820 Like controlling your emotions when you're upset is very difficult.
00:10:57.900 I mean, guys, I, I'll be the first to admit it.
00:11:00.600 There's times that I really regret.
00:11:02.760 There's one story, maybe if we get enough on the website and I really don't care, I'll
00:11:08.000 tell you, I'll tell you where I did not handle my emotions.
00:11:10.840 The most embarrassing thing I've ever done.
00:11:12.380 But, you know, where you learn is there's a time when you don't handle your emotions
00:11:17.940 well and you learn from it and you say, oh, I didn't like that.
00:11:20.540 And then you get better and you move on and you take accountability and you move on from
00:11:25.320 your actions.
00:11:26.600 But she, yeah.
00:11:28.820 Neighbor walked by and I was like super like, oh my God, like, hi, like, sorry.
00:11:33.340 Like, like, what does she think?
00:11:34.720 I don't know what people scream.
00:11:35.820 But like, there's this way of like my bad stuff.
00:11:39.100 But even though externalizing is healthier for you, you look like it's more, it's less
00:11:42.800 socially acceptable.
00:11:44.180 And so there was this big part of me that's like, everyone just wants me to take this medicine. 0.97
00:11:47.180 So I stopped hurting people with my, like, this fucked up part. 0.74
00:11:49.800 Have you guys ever dated a woman where you said you got to be on antidepressants? 0.88
00:11:54.760 Pardon me.
00:11:55.080 Even though I'm trying to love this part of me as I love my son and the ways in which he
00:11:58.560 can get really like extra, like externalized with his hitting, destroying, whatever.
00:12:04.020 Like that's helped me love this part of me.
00:12:05.520 And then I still have so much shame because I was raised that this was an awful part of
00:12:08.460 me and I'm a bad person in this part of me.
00:12:10.360 So part of taking medication, I really had to start to feel like I was doing it for my
00:12:15.260 own wellbeing, that my dog, my wife wanted me to feel better inside.
00:12:19.540 And that's why she had me on this or was suggesting.
00:12:22.520 She should try eating less.
00:12:24.500 And same for my doctor.
00:12:25.680 Like I'm not taking it to be quieted down for my hard time.
00:12:28.760 I'm taking it to be supported and like feeling okay.
00:12:32.840 So that like these hard times that are like, she sounds like 17.
00:12:37.200 I don't think we mature past 17.
00:12:39.380 So one year on Prozac.
00:12:40.860 Let's see how she did. 0.70
00:12:42.020 And also I'm going to do a call in at the end.
00:12:44.480 So I need you guys to tell me if you've dated women on antidepressants.
00:12:48.600 I want to hear your stories.
00:12:50.060 It has officially been one year on Prozac.
00:12:52.760 Let's talk about it.
00:12:53.920 Many of you have been here since I first shared me starting my Prozac journey.
00:12:59.700 You know that it was very anxiety inducing for me, which makes sense because I was getting
00:13:04.640 on Prozac for anxiety.
00:13:06.940 And I have done some updates before, but now that it's been a full year, I feel like I really
00:13:12.660 understand the benefits and things that it has done to better my life and impact my life.
00:13:20.080 So I wanted to share some of those things.
00:13:22.440 Something I've learned is that Prozac works best for me in conjunction with therapy.
00:13:29.360 If I am only taking the medicine and not in therapy, then I still feel like I can't
00:13:37.580 function sometimes.
00:13:39.720 And that is also why maybe I showed up my dosage a little bit.
00:13:43.260 But now that I'm back in therapy, I'm starting to...
00:13:45.620 Therapy and antidepressants.
00:13:47.920 What a time.
00:13:48.560 With therapy, there's any chance that I might need to up that dose.
00:13:52.440 Ever since that initial GI issues with the first few days of taking it, I have not had
00:13:59.060 any issues or side effects since then, even when I upped my dosage earlier on.
00:14:06.400 When it initially started working, part of me was like, oh, do I even need to keep taking
00:14:12.040 the medicine?
00:14:12.560 Like, I feel good.
00:14:13.560 Like, do I need to keep going?
00:14:15.560 And the answer is yes.
00:14:17.560 Yes.
00:14:18.560 Even when you start feeling better, that doesn't mean you should stop taking the medication.
00:14:23.180 Last thing I will say is that medication and your mental health are more important than
00:14:30.180 worrying about if your body changes while taking these medications.
00:14:35.180 For some people, I understand the fear of weight gain with this type of medication.
00:14:41.800 She clearly does not fear weight gain.
00:14:45.580 But I promise...
00:14:47.260 Look at all the times I've really matured in my life. 1.00
00:14:50.100 I had to eat shit. 0.99
00:14:51.520 I don't really don't think you mature from drugs. 1.00
00:14:55.460 I think you gotta take some L's.
00:14:59.160 In the long run, making your brain happier, your mental health...
00:15:04.860 Jen said, my ex-girlfriend got on Lezapro, completely ruined her life, suicidal, murder
00:15:09.400 attempts, fights with everybody, ruined all careers and friendships, gangbanks and incurable
00:15:14.620 STDs.
00:15:15.960 Call in.
00:15:16.440 Tell me that story.
00:15:17.300 Like, your overall well-being happier will be way more worth it than what's happier.
00:15:25.580 Misery loves company, so she's telling everyone else to get on. 0.98
00:15:29.220 You girlies are on antidepressants? 1.00
00:15:31.480 Let me know if you feel the same.
00:15:32.700 If I drink, like, I literally drink that much, right?
00:15:36.000 I already feel it.
00:15:37.540 Like, my...
00:15:38.200 I have to pee.
00:15:39.040 Like, it's burning down there.
00:15:40.900 Like, I can't...
00:15:41.760 Drinking on antidepressants.
00:15:44.160 Wow.
00:15:44.760 I have to pee.
00:15:45.980 Like, it's burning down there.
00:15:47.620 Like, I cannot control myself.
00:15:50.020 I can't...
00:15:50.620 That's how much I drink and I...
00:15:52.340 Oh, if you eat foods that are high in protein, you're not hungry as often.
00:15:55.460 You don't have to go to the cabin every 35 seconds to get a snack.
00:15:58.560 Groundbreaking stuff.
00:15:59.600 Pottage cheese?
00:16:00.960 I don't know.
00:16:01.360 I just shove it in my mouth.
00:16:02.440 I'm not hungry anymore.
00:16:03.740 Tuna melt?
00:16:04.460 This will satiate me all night long.
00:16:06.760 Who knew?
00:16:07.780 I'm so lazy.
00:16:09.680 So, I want to do the least amount of work for the highest payoff at all times.
00:16:14.020 And it turns out, protein does that for me.
00:16:17.380 Oh, my.
00:16:18.640 Getting a balanced meal in.
00:16:19.960 A little sparkling water.
00:16:21.220 A Petro Crisp. 0.54
00:16:22.300 Maybe.
00:16:22.660 Maybe my antidepressants are starting to kick in.
00:16:24.740 Because I feel alive.
00:16:26.340 I feel electric.
00:16:26.800 She feels alive on antidepressants.
00:16:30.020 What a time.
00:16:31.400 Okay, wait.
00:16:31.940 It's work day.
00:16:33.440 But I also found out...
00:16:34.800 I just had a really intense work day.
00:16:37.860 But I also found out from my psychiatrist that debakote causes PCOS in women.
00:16:43.340 So, now it's leading me to think, how many psychiatric medications are causing adverse effect in women?
00:16:52.240 I heard like 15% of women have PCOS.
00:16:55.400 Isn't that nuts?
00:16:56.640 And are the women that are on psychiatric medication receiving it because there's actually something wrong with them?
00:17:03.960 Or is it because they live in an environment where there's emotional abuse and neglect, narcissistic parents, etc.?
00:17:10.500 Right?
00:17:11.100 Is it hormonal?
00:17:11.900 And then we think they're crazy and then we're just giving them a psychiatric medication.
00:17:15.320 I have so many questions.
00:17:16.880 And I have questions for you guys.
00:17:18.980 So, have you ever dated a woman on SSRIs and what was your experience?
00:17:24.360 And what would happen if she stopped taking them?
00:17:26.860 So, I'm going to do the call-in link.
00:17:28.760 Give me a second.
00:17:29.760 But I'd love to hear your personal stories.
00:17:32.660 Give me one.
00:17:33.760 One second.
00:17:35.020 One.