--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I actually have a great deal of respect…" description: "\"I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.\" — Elizabeth Gilbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg" --- # I actually have a great deal of respect for… ![“I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.” quote by Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg) > “I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.” [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Antidepressants can be powerful aids in mental health recovery when used responsibly. **In simple terms:** Medication can support healing. Key Takeaway Drugs are tools, not cures. Themes mental health recovery pharmacology stigma self‑care Mood hopeful pragmatic Type statement advice When to use this quote - clinical treatment planning - patient counseling - public health messaging - support group discussions Key Concepts neurotransmitter regulation clinical efficacy patient agency Practical Applications - prescribing guidelines - educational workshops Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance medication with therapy? - What factors decide when to start antidepressants? A Different Perspective Some argue medication alone cannot address underlying causes of depression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Medication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medication/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) ## Related quotes > [I think of myself as an enormously lucky person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-think-of-myself-as-an-enormously-lucky-person/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Like most people, I woke up one day to find that everyone I knew was taking antidepressants, and since I wasn't, I figured that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/like-most-people-i-woke-up-one-day-to-find-that-everyone-i-knew-was/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [In my view, prescribing antidepressant drugs is too often a quick and easy substitute for developing treatment plans that address the totality of health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/in-my-view-prescribing-antidepressant-drugs-is-too-often-a-quick-and/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [“You know,” Hallie said, “they make all these antidepressants. They should make a pill that stops you from loving the people you can’t have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caren-lissner/you-know-hallie-said-they-make-all-these-antidepressants-they-should/) [Caren Lissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caren-lissner/) > [Antidepressants. The thought of this girl actually being depressed made me want to grab the whole planet and throw it into the sun. Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/antidepressants-the-thought-of-this-girl-actually-being-depressed/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [I'm very anti-antidepressants. It's not the chemicals of my brain that's a problem; it's reality. I don't think tricking my brain into reinterpreting reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-knox/i-m-very-anti-antidepressants-it-s-not-the-chemicals-of-my-brain-that/) [Amanda Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-knox/) > [I've came into realization that drugs antidepressants/narcotics or any of the above is just a easy way out to deal with everyday life. Grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ctate/i-ve-came-into-realization-that-drugs-antidepressants-narcotics-or/) [CTate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ctate/) > [Suicide rates have not slumped under the onslaught of antidepressants, mood-stabilizers, anxiolytic and anti-psychotic drugs; the jump in suicide rates suggests that the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonella-gambotto-burke/suicide-rates-have-not-slumped-under-the-onslaught-of-antidepressants/) [Antonella Gambotto-Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonella-gambotto-burke/) > [The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-iron-is-the-best-antidepressant-i-have-ever-found/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [These were the days when I powerfully believed Breyers and Entenmann's to be pioneers in the field of antidepressants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/these-were-the-days-when-i-powerfully-believed-breyers-and-entenmann/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“Those antidepressants Dr. Huang gave her were some kind of miracle drug. I considered giving them a try, but I didn't think they'd work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-standiford/those-antidepressants-dr-huang-gave-her-were-some-kind-of-miracle/) [Natalie Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-standiford/) > [The recent discovery of highly specific antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications would not have been possible without the use of animal models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-pardes/the-recent-discovery-of-highly-specific-antidepressants-and-anti/) Herb Pardes > [All the commercials on TV today are for antidepressants, for Prozac or Paxil. And they get you right away. "Are you sad? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/all-the-commercials-on-tv-today-are-for-antidepressants-for-prozac-or/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I notice a lot of people think they can solve their problems with antidepressants. That, I noticed, being like a bigger issue, like, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-notice-a-lot-of-people-think-they-can-solve-their-problems-with/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Antidepressants can have troubling side effects and are addictive for some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/antidepressants-can-have-troubling-side-effects-and-are-addictive-for/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) ## More by Elizabeth Gilbert > [That's your friend. My husband is my best friend. He's not the mirror that holds up my flaws. He's just the guy who's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/that-s-your-friend-my-husband-is-my-best-friend-he-s-not-the-mirror/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Not to mention that I have finally arrived at that age where a woman starts to question whether the wisest way to get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/not-to-mention-that-i-have-finally-arrived-at-that-age-where-a-woman/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“The Buddha taught that all human suffering is rooted in desire. Don't we all know this to be true? Any of us who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-buddha-taught-that-all-human-suffering-is-rooted-in-desire-don-t/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/learn-your-way-around-loneliness-make-a-map-of-it-sit-with-it-for/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls, Miss Whittaker," he continued, as though he had not heard her. "We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-will-tell-you-why-we-have-these-extraordinary-minds-and-souls-miss/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/clearing-out-all-your-misery-gets-you-out-of-the-way-you-cease-being/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [The ingredients of both darkness and light are equally present in all of us,...The madness of this planet is largely a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-ingredients-of-both-darkness-and-light-are-equally-present-in-all/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I was full of a hot, powerful sadness and would have loved to burst into the comfort of tears, but tried hard not to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-was-full-of-a-hot-powerful-sadness-and-would-have-loved-to-burst/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-live-in-nature-where-everything-is-connected-circular-the-seasons/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“His spelling was several degrees beyond arbitrary, and his punctuation brought reason to sigh with unhappiness. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/his-spelling-was-several-degrees-beyond-arbitrary-and-his-punctuation/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Before you realize this truth, say the Yogis, you will always be in despair, a notion nicely expressed in this exasperated line from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/before-you-realize-this-truth-say-the-yogis-you-will-always-be-in/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“He kept begging God, “Please, please, please open my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/he-kept-begging-god-please-please-please-open-my-heart/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) [Explore all 1,156 Elizabeth Gilbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More Antidepressants quotes > [Antidepressants are the biggest fraud in the world. Number one, Prozac gives you a royal soft-on like you wouldn't believe, and number two you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-evans/antidepressants-are-the-biggest-fraud-in-the-world-number-one-prozac/) [Robert Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-evans/) > [Antidepressants sure kill your sexual life...Now, THAT'S depressing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/antidepressants-sure-kill-your-sexual-life-now-that-s-depressing/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [“Sylvie wishes the anti-depressants had been around when she was in her early twenties, not only to rescue her from the dark tunnels that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/sylvie-wishes-the-anti-depressants-had-been-around-when-she-was-in/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [One the one hand, the simple fact that there are children and that I do have an effect on them has been one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-the-one-hand-the-simple-fact-that-there-are-children-and-that-i/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [“Lord. How many antidepressants can one person take? However much it is, I'm going to need the maximum dose if I make it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baylee-crush/lord-how-many-antidepressants-can-one-person-take-however-much-it-is/) Baylee Crush > [Like most people, I woke up one day to find that everyone I knew was taking antidepressants, and since I wasn't, I figured that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/like-most-people-i-woke-up-one-day-to-find-that-everyone-i-knew-was/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [I notice a lot of people think they can solve their problems with antidepressants. That, I noticed, being like a bigger issue, like, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-notice-a-lot-of-people-think-they-can-solve-their-problems-with/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [All the commercials on TV today are for antidepressants, for Prozac or Paxil. And they get you right away. "Are you sad? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/all-the-commercials-on-tv-today-are-for-antidepressants-for-prozac-or/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Imagine a society that subjects people to conditions that make them terribly unhappy then gives them the drugs to take away their unhappiness. Science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/imagine-a-society-that-subjects-people-to-conditions-that-make-them/) [Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/) > [Nature is often overlooked as a healing balm for the emotional hardships in a child's life. You'll likely never see a slick commercial for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/nature-is-often-overlooked-as-a-healing-balm-for-the-emotional/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [I was terrified when my doctor told me that I had a unique and interesting personality trait, but then he told me about new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-was-terrified-when-my-doctor-told-me-that-i-had-a-unique-and/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [The recent discovery of highly specific antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications would not have been possible without the use of animal models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-pardes/the-recent-discovery-of-highly-specific-antidepressants-and-anti/) Herb Pardes > [“Those antidepressants Dr. Huang gave her were some kind of miracle drug. I considered giving them a try, but I didn't think they'd work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-standiford/those-antidepressants-dr-huang-gave-her-were-some-kind-of-miracle/) [Natalie Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-standiford/) > [“We have pills for headaches. We have antidepressants for sadness. We had God for believers. We have nothing for autism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-genova/we-have-pills-for-headaches-we-have-antidepressants-for-sadness-we/) [Lisa Genova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-genova/) > [These were the days when I powerfully believed Breyers and Entenmann's to be pioneers in the field of antidepressants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/these-were-the-days-when-i-powerfully-believed-breyers-and-entenmann/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) Browse all 71 Antidepressants quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Gilbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Antidepressants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_antidepressants_i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect_56133.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools…” — Elizabeth Gilbert", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Gilbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I actually have a great deal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```