MovieChat Forums > Shopgirl (2005) Discussion > the antidepressants

the antidepressants

posted 17 years ago by cadm14
12 replies | jump to latest

it would have been nice to see the background of why mirabelle takes antidepressants... it was a story that wasn't told.

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[–] mitcheroo 16 years ago

Haven't read Martin's book, so for all I know the meds might be a screen-treatment add-in to let us know there *is* a background, and a dark one at that.

And what would that background be? For the screen, only a remnant of whatever shadow there was that swayed over Mirabelle's life. It goes away when Ray comes into her story, and that is all we need: Mirabelle is definitely on the first steps on what is--for a little while--a bright shining path.

I was on Prozac for about 9 years. Very little of what came before is worth telling. Nothing dramatic, just a growing mountain of little things with a sadly profound origin. Origins are their own story. This is Mirabelle's story. And Ray's, and Jeremy's.

Of course, we might be reading too much into the medication. Just the elusiveness of success can prompt a need for therapy.

[–] jhunter_314 16 years ago

IIRC the book elaborated on her antidepressant use, but the gist of it eludes me right now...

[–] jennbird 16 years ago

I didn't really need a backstory on the depression. The scene with her parents was pretty telling for me. Her mom was basically sitting at the table emotionless, and since depression often runs in families, it made sense to me.

[–] hdatobe 14 years ago

I was thinking of that very scene, jennbird. I felt it quite painful to watch.

[–] fearforthefuture 12 years ago

I didn't think the mother seemed emotionless - I saw her as silently watching and having an idea of who it was on the phone, and the reason Mirabelle was back home visiting, and that was why she was so tense.

[–] spookyrat1 12 years ago

Living with a spouse who's had almost lifelong depression, it was encouraging to see a film treat the illness both in a realistic and non - sensational faction. As one of the earlier posters mentioned and as my spouse has found out, it's never a good idea for the patient to take themselves off the medication without professional advice, as Mirabelle did. In my case the movie very much reflected real life occurrences, which can take quite a deal longer to repair than was perhaps inferred in Shopgirl.

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[–] lifelikeweeds 16 years ago

SPOILERS about the book...

when mirabelle was 15, she found out her father had a seven year affair, and was very affected by this. this was not the only reason for her depression, but it was the only "main event" the book focused on. also, the book mentioned that she was always emotionally underdeveloped (i.e. - finding out about her father's affair at 15, was taken in as if she were 12).

there are a few passages that detail what she is going through when the medication she takes stops working. paints a very dark picture.

[–] always_keep_fighting 16 years ago

There doesn't always have to be a "reason" for depression. Sometimes it's caused by a chemical imbalance, and the meds correct that imbalance.

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[–] linzee_014 16 years ago

You don't take antidepressants to correct your sad feelings about one horrible event... You take them when you have medically diagnosed depression, a mental illness, not just the blues.

Kind of like if she had an inhaler, we'd go, Oh! She has asthma. No backstory needed.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] always_keep_fighting 16 years ago

No, the chemical imbalance doesn't have to be caused by any event. This is called a clinical depression. In this case, meds are more important than behavioral therapy because they correct the imbalance; tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil (Amitriptyline), an older antidepressant, are especially good for clinical depression.
However, if your depression stems from a certain event, such as a child's death, divorce, etc., behavioral therapy is used in conjunction with a temporary round of antidepressants.
If your brain chemistry is off, and you don't fix the problem, the depression will not go away. It's very much like being diabetic. Take your insulin or face the repercussions. In the case of depression, if you don't take your med(s), I hope you're a very strong person, because depression, especially a clinical one, is a terrible thing to live with.

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[–] dini0519 16 years ago

Many people take anitdepressants, for various reasons. It's never a good thing to get off of them cold turkey as Mirabelle did.
Dini