"This is one of the most common questions I am asked by patients who are considering antidepressant medication. People worry, "Will it make me into a different person? If antidepressants affect the brain, what else could they do? Will I no longer care about things?" The answer is that antidepressant medications restore a person's underlying personality that has been altered by mental illness."
"Personality encompasses a set of patterns of how we think, behave and interact with others, and over time is enduring and consistent. Personality can be influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. In Circumplex Models of Personality and Emotions, Dr. Robert Plutchik explains that personality traits and emotions are integrally connected (Plutchik, 1997). He notes that the same language is often used to describe emotions and personality."
Fear that antidepressants will change personality prevents many people from starting or accepting adequate treatment. Antidepressant medications generally restore underlying personality traits that have been altered by depression or anxiety rather than producing an entirely new personality. Personality consists of enduring patterns of thought, behavior, and social interaction shaped by genetic and environmental factors. Emotions and personality traits are closely linked and often described with the same language and functions. Mental illnesses are biologically based like other medical conditions but uniquely alter thought patterns and behaviors. Medications can enhance the effectiveness of therapy when symptoms are severe.
Read at Psychology Today
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