According to the book “Anatomy of an Epidemic” SSRIs (antidepressants) improve patient symptoms slightly in the short term compared to those who are not medicated. However, in the long term:

1. They do not solve the problem of anxiety/depression at the symptomatic level.

2. They hinder the patient’s recovery and turn them into a chronic depressive or anxious individual.

In my experience, since I started taking SSRIs, I have been having more panic attacks, even though initially, about 5 years ago, they seemed to improve my symptoms of social anxiety and sadness.

Check this out: https://robertwhitakerbooks.com/anatomy-of-an-epidemic/antidepressantsdepression/

Me too. I started smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol until I got sick with schizophrenia; it was then that I had to stop using cannabis. Now I occasionally drink beer; but above all, I consume a lot of caffeine, in my case in the form of energy drinks.