Thanks for remindjng me of this series! I don’t have an archeology background but did study some history and it’s interesting (and unfortunate) how similar the fight between actual academic work and more popular pseudo histories is between the fields.
This is one thing where so many people I talk to got unlucky. For me, SSRIs were super lucky in that they helped alleviate depression caused by my anxiety which then helped me find other roots of the anxiety. Turns out undiagnosed ADHD is terrible for your anxiety - got diagnosed though!
Side effects for me have included stomach issues and weight not coming off even as my physical condition improves as I’ve started running again. I’ll take it for now until I start weaning off in the future. I wouldn’t say they were a lifesaver but they helped immensely.