Why “Treatment Resistant Depression” Is BS (My Story & What Finally Worked)
Today we are challenging the label treatment resistant depression. That’s what they told me that I had for years. And it sounds clinical, official, and permanent. But to me, it sounded more like a death sentence. And here’s my honest opinion. The term is complete BS. And not because I didn’t struggle. Trust me, I did. But because what I really needed, no one ever told me. And if you’ve ever been told the same thing, I want you to listen all the way through because you might see your story in mine. And before I dive into this, I just want to be clear. This is my story, my lived experience, and my opinion only. This video is for educational and awareness purpose purposes only. And I’m just here to share my journey to raise awareness, inspire, and give hope to those who need it. For over 20 years, depression was my shadow. I tried medication after medication. The SSRI, the SNRI, the mood stabilizers, you name it, I tried it. And let’s just be honest, some of those I didn’t even stay on long enough for them to even work. And some of them I stopped early because the side effects made life even feel harder. But every time another one failed, regardless of the reason, I heard the same saying from another like from a different provider, a different mouth. Some people just have treatment resistant depression. Do you know what it feels like to hear that? It feels like they just stamped unfixable on my forehead. Like my brain was broken beyond repair. And it sucked the hope right out of me. And I didn’t have a lot of hope. I had very little. And that’s just being generous. But what I did have, it took it all the way. If you’ve ever been told you’re treatment resistant and it left you feeling hopeless, you’re exactly who I write my free newsletter for. It’s called the chaotic letter and it’s where I share real behindthe-scenes truths about healing from depression that I can’t always post here. Links in the description. Go join and we’ll chat there. And you see, a few years ago, I met a doctor who honestly changed everything for me. And honestly, I thought that he was just going to be another stop on the merrygoround of disappointment. But from day one, he was different. He didn’t just tell me, “Well, nothing works for you.” When I expressed to him in appointment after appointment that it wasn’t working. He always just said that we’ll find a combination and dosage that works, but you have to give it time. And wow, that was the hardest part, time. And I wanted to quit so many times. There were weeks that felt like I was taking nothing but a sugar pill. The frustration was constant, but every time I wanted to stop, and I voiced it to him, he reminded me that we’re not done yet, and we will find it. And months later, and I mean months later, after countless adjustments, we found a combination that stabilized me. But here’s where the plot twist comes in. Even though my brain chemistry felt more balanced and I was able to like get through my day, I still felt the same heaviness in my chest. The sadness was still there. The emptiness hadn’t left. And I remember sitting there thinking, “So this is it? Is this really what success looks like? Is this really the other side of battling depression? It was like someone had taken the chaos in my head and turned down the volume, but the pain was playing in the background and it was loud. And that’s when the realization that I had changed everything. It hit me. Medication can help you function, but it doesn’t heal you. And this is where my opinion really formed. When people are labeled treatment resistant, it’s often because they’ve only been given one tool to fight a multiffront battle. That was what happened to me. I was only given medication. I was told medication is what you need. Now, it’s like having a broken leg and being told that if crutches don’t heal you, you’re resistant. That’s not reality. You might need surgery. physical therapy, rehab, nutrition, rest. It’s a combination. And you see, mental health is the same way. It’s not a one-sizefits-all. It’s not one pill fixes all. And if this is hitting home for you and you want to see exactly how I combined medication with holistic healing to finally feel alive again, I break it all down in the chaotic letter. It’s free. It’s raw. It’s full of things that I’d wish someone told me years ago. You can sign up through the link below in the description. I’d love to have you there. And you see, when I realized this, I decided this time I wasn’t going to go down without a fight, a true fight. And I started treating my life like a puzzle with missing pieces. And I had to find them all. And just to name a few, the trauma that I had never faced. I’d buried it for years, and I kept thinking that I could outrun it. The habits keeping me stuck in survival mode. The toxic environments draining me, the relationships suffocating me, the total lack of purpose driving my hopelessness, just a few of them. And I didn’t throw away the meds. The meds helped stabilize me so I could start doing this journey. I did, but what I did do is I stopped expecting them to do the work for me. Because let’s just be honest, that’s what I thought. That’s what I was told. I honestly thought I there was just a magic pill that I could take that would just make it all go away. That’s not reality. But I lived like that and I was stuck in that mind for a very long time. And to be honest, I tried therapy on this journey, but it didn’t work for me. And so I just started looking at my life, like I said, and all of those things and I started rebuilding my support system. I started healing my identity and I went after purpose, my purpose, and I started chasing it. and I worked on my body and my mind together. That’s when I finally started to feel different. Not just balanced, but alive. And I mean truly, for the first time in my life, feeling alive and feeling hope and aliveness in ways that I’d never experienced before or that I even thought was possible for me. So, here’s why I think treatment resistant depression is dangerous. That term is dangerous. In my opinion, it is dangerous because it plants the idea in your head that you are beyond help that nothing will ever work for you. That’s what it did for me and I understand everyone’s different maybe different for you. When that was planted in me and I started believing that, I stopped trying. I stopped looking for new solutions and I stopped fighting for myself. That’s it. It’s like I stopped. I didn’t even look at a holistic approach or looking at other areas of my life that I was so unhappy with that was causing me to be depressed because the term treatment resistant depression to me means that can’t treat it and it’s not. There’s nothing I can do to make it better. So that term to me is dangerous and I don’t like it. And I’m not saying that meds don’t work. They help me and they can be life-changing for people. But what I am saying is that they’re just one tool in a whole toolbox and you deserve access to the whole thing. And I can sit here and say this, I have now been off medication, all medication for two years. And I am able to function and get through my days. I don’t get me wrong, I still have hard days. I still have days where it can feel heavy and hard and sometimes I feel sad and all these things, right? But I don’t spiral. Depression doesn’t control me anymore. I’m the one in control. I’ve done the work and I continue to do the work and I’ve done like there’s things that I can use in my toolkit to help keep me balanced and grounded and anchored so I don’t spiral. It’s just a journey. So if you have ever been told you’re treatment resistant, I just want to say this. You’re not broken and you’re not a lost cause. You might just need a different approach. one that looks at all of you and not just your brain brain chemistry. That’s it. So, tell me in the comments what’s your experience been like with depression treatment. What has or hasn’t worked for you? I want to know. I Everyone’s journey is different. So, I’m just curious on what has worked for you and what hasn’t worked for you. What have you tried? What haven’t you tried? How do you feel about the term? And again, just want to say this is exactly what I talk about in the chaotic letter. It’s free. It’s raw. It’s full of lived experiences and tools that help me rebuild my life. Links in the description. Go join so we can keep this conversation going. And also, if this video has helped you feel less alone, please hit subscribe. There’s going to be more videos like this coming. And also, I’m not here to preach. I’m just here to walk through it with you and to share, inspire, and give hope to those who need it. So, thank you so much for watching and joining me in this video, and I can’t wait to see you in the next one. Thank you.
Ever been told you have “treatment-resistant depression”?
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For over 20 years, depression was my shadow.
I tried it all—SSRIs, SNRIs, mood stabilizers. Some I quit early from side effects. Others I didn’t give enough time to work. But every time, after another “failed” treatment, I heard the same thing:
“You have treatment resistant depression.”
It felt like there was no hope for me.
Like my brain had been stamped “unfixable.”
And I believed it… for years.
Then I met one doctor who refused to let that label define me. We spent months adjusting dosages until I was stable. But even then—something was missing.
The meds helped me function, but they didn’t heal me.
That’s when I realized: most people labeled “treatment resistant” have only been given one tool to fight a multi-front battle. I needed the whole toolbox—trauma healing, purpose, identity work, healthy relationships, environment changes, and so much more.
Meds weren’t the magic pill I was promised. They were just one piece of the puzzle.
This is for you if:
😔 You’ve been told you’re “treatment resistant” and felt hopeless
😔 You’ve stopped searching for new solutions because you believed nothing would work
😔 You want to know what a holistic approach to healing actually looks like
💙 You need hope that you’re not broken—you just need a different approach
Two years ago, I stopped all medication. I still have hard days, but I’m in control now—depression doesn’t control me. And I want you to know… you can get here too.
You’re not a lost cause. You just need the whole toolbox.
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