A Brief Look into Antidepressants

Introduction

This post contains information concerning antidepressants, such as their chemical structures and mechanism of action, as well as why I became interested in learning about how they function physiologically.

Motivation

Occasionally, when I close my eyes in the school library near my home, that scorching summer of 2021 comes flashing back to memory.

Back then, COVID-19 was at its height in South Korea, and I spent my time reading books or writing blog posts in the completely empty school library. The university was closed due to online classes, and as a first-year student, I, along with other friends from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 classes (the so-called “COVID classes”), had to endure meaninglessness, loneliness, and a solitary struggle.

I still remember what the professor said during a Zoom class.

“First-year university students should be making friends and freely experiencing and learning about university and society, but because of COVID, the school and close to all of society have closed their doors to you, which is truly heartbreaking.”

Perhaps because of this, there was a significant increase in depression among people in their early to mid-twenties during the COVID period.

I was no exception. It was the first time in my life that I voluntarily sought mental counseling.

Initially, I tried to get counseling at the school, but I remember that due to the overwhelming number of students like me requesting sessions, the Seoul campus counseling had appointments backed up by months. When I finally managed to get counseling at the school, it helped me more than I expected.