It's amazing how much smarter everyone else gets when I take antidepressants.

It makes sense that the drugs work on other people, because there's nothing in me to fix. I am a perfect and wise arbiter of not only my own behavior but everyone else's, which is a heavy burden because some of ya’ll are terrible at life. You date the wrong people. You take several seconds longer than necessary to order at the bagel place. And you continue to have terrible opinions even after I explain the right one to you. But only when I’m depressed. When I’m not, everyone gets better at merging from two lanes to one.

This effect is not limited by the laws of causality or time. Before I restarted Wellbutrin, my partner showed me this song.

My immediate reaction was, “This is fine, but what if [...]

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Outline:

(04:39) Caveats

(05:27) Acknowledgements

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First published:
October 9th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/FnrhynrvDpqNNx9SC/i-take-antidepressants-you-re-welcome

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Pink prescription bottle containing rose-colored glasses with Rx label.

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“I take antidepressants. You’re welcome” by Elizabeth

LessWrong (30+ Karma)