285

Drugged
Posted on November 18, 2016 by David M Willis

285 thoughts on “Drugged”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “good thing I’m in a hospital so they can treat the Type 2 diabetes you just gave me”

    1. Jay Eff

      WILFRED BRIMLEY suddenly materializes
      WILFRED BRIMLEY: “Did somebody say… Diabeetus?”

      1. Kris

        Remember to check your blood sugar regularly.

      2. Aeron

        Cool ethnic kid with a backwards ballcap: *points* IT’S WILFRED BRIMLEY MAN!

      3. xtravisage

        ORIGINAL JOKE
        *fire and the flames plays*

    2. TheAnonymousGuy

      So, remember people, having genuine interest in you fellow human-beings mental wellness is both detrimental and irresponsible.

      (Psssh, now would be a good time for some one to link the ‘more you know’ rainbow meme)

      1. David Alexander McDonald

        1. David Alexander McDonald

          Apparently…I know nothing and am Jon Snow.

      2. David Alexander McDonald

        http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/628/091/093.jpg

      3. David Alexander McDonald

        http://m.memegen.com/7zz3zn.jpg

  2. AnvilPro

    That’s such a genuine smile she has, how awesome are group drugs or whatever she’s talking about?

    1. Pablo360

      I don’t know what group drugs are. Puff puff pass?

      1. Anorak

        I only did that once in college 😛

        1. Tualha

          And you didn’t inhale.

      2. AnvilPro

        I was imagining everyone just dumps their pills in a huge pile, someone smashes them with a mallet and then everyone jumps in face first.

        1. Anorak

          ah, that was a fun tuesday

        2. TheAnonymousGuy

          yea, but do you know who that guy was with the white face and red lipstick smile? he kept laughing maniacally and talking about bats.

        3. Anorak

          I think i dated him once

        4. Splork

          Myron Ebell?

    2. Yet_One_More_Idiot

      Or, just perhaps, this is Ruthie’s natural personality when it’s not being depressed with a metric shit-ton of booze?

  3. miados

    thats what was missing yesterday! thanks billie

  4. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays “Whistle While You Work” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. Doctor_Who

      Ruth is best Disney Princess.

      1. inqntrol

        Yeah, she doesn’t need any Prince Charming to rescue her.

        1. AGV

          Yet there she is, but I wouldn’t call her “charming”

        2. Needfuldoer

          Princess Tsundre?

        3. Silly Name

          Princess FAAAAAAAAAACEEEEE!

        4. fire_daws

          No. That’s Billie.

        5. Opus the Poet

          That’s who rescued her. Billie, Princess FAAAAAAAAAACEEEEE!

      2. Dorje Sylas

        Well… sad to say she qualifies. One unwritten rule of Disney royalty is that at one (usually the mother) or both parents must be dead (or just gone). So ya, Ruth the Disney princess.

        Becky also qualifies. And Billy… I think.

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Does this make Mike into Iago?

        2. Roborat

          I thought that was the rule for every anime/manga EVAR.

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Nah, sometimes they are evil or just too busy with work.

      3. Willoughby Chase

        Elsa and Anna from Frozen?

        And with that, let it go:

        https://youtu.be/L0MK7qz13bU

    2. Deanatay

      At least Ruth didn’t break into song.

      The instant DoA becomes a musical, I’m out.

      1. Willoughby Chase

        You’ll be glad to know I’ve toyed with writing songs/themes of each of the characters.

  5. BP

    (relief abounds and also fear wtf is happening yay I think?)

  6. Foxhack

    This is wrong.

    THIS IS VERY WRONG.

    1. Bagge

      Ruth: “Don’t feel bad, Foxhack. I am there for you as a good RA. If you want to talk my door is always open. Carry on, I believe in you.”

    2. butts

      WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH RUTH

    3. AGV

      In the sense that Ruth being cheery endangers the integrity of the universe?

    4. Deanatay

      THIS IS WHERE STEPFORD WIVES COME FROM

  7. Mandy

    Turns out Ruth just needed pudding!

    1. inqntrol

      With a dose of antidepresant.

    2. Chronos

      Yes, ordinary pudding… laced with nothing more than a few spoonfuls of LSD.

      1. Regret

        LSD is the single worst thing you could give to cure depression.

        Yes, it is even worse than a basket of decapitated kittens and with puppy heads sewn on the neck stump.

        1. Luzahn

          Dammit Regret you’re terrible at Futurama references. =D

        2. Orion Fury

          That reference is horrible and you should feel bad.

  8. CaptainBatson

    Everybody loves pudding.

    1. Pablo360

      You misspelled Puddin.

      1. CaptainBatson

        Her, too.

    2. hof1991

      And our pre$ident-elect loves Putin.

  9. Just Here

    Check under the bed for a pod…

    1. Leorale

      Podding?

  10. Jay Eff

    It’s the pudding.
    The pudding is that good.

    1. Orion Fury

      I’ve had instant pudding that was that good. I may also have ate the whole thing in one sitting and cried myself to sleep afterwards, but eventually good!

  11. chris2315

    It’s clearly the pudding. Ruth’s depression was always caused by an acute pudding deficiency, and now she is cured.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      But why would anyone sack her nutcastle on her second son’s third birthday?!?

    2. Strife

      Seems like you ate the same kind of pudding, JC. You’re making a weird face, see Raime for a check up on your nanotech.

      1. chris2315

        My face is augmented.

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Another victim of the cake-industrial complex!

  12. abbers

    Hey folks! I’m trying to make a Dumbing of Age discord so we can chat outside of the comments. It’s like an online teamspeak/irc/skype thing.

    1. abbers

      The link is right here sorry: https://discord.gg/9CBA8wb

      1. Clif

        I’m not sure I’m ready for DOA comments without Willis’s mostly invisible hand on the tiller.

        1. Gesc

          Would it be sticking it to the man if the man’s not there in the first place?

  13. Bagge

    The woodland creatures would be the wild dogs Ruth feed the flesh of those who angers her, of course.

    They are still adorable.

    1. Joe Archer

      Would’t that make Ruth the Erlking?

    2. inqntrol

      Or bears, grizzly bears. Their cubs are adorable too.

      1. AGV

        Teddiursas everywhere!

  14. BBCC

    My heart! <3

    Ruth being so happy is so so uplifting. I don't know, I've got my head back on straight and Willis has never given me any reason to doubt his storytelling, so I'm confident this will be good.

    Meds + Therapy + Pudding + Girlfriend (ish) + Slightly less of a shitty day today = Happy Ruth.

    1. DarkoNeko

      This comic has trained me to wait for the other shoes to fall

      1. BBCC

        ……Goddammit now I’m worried.

        Too soon for a pre-emptive DYW?

        1. Wizard

          Never too soon.

        2. Deanatay

          Or too late – I’m sure he’s done SOMETHING in the past to piss you off…

      2. Reltzik

        There’s always another shoe about to fall. So savor the moment until it does fall, because otherwise you just go through life anxious and miserable!

        *noms pudding*

        Mmmm…. pudding…. so fattening… but don’t have to worry about tomorrow’s fat during today’s desert…. *Homer grrgle*

        1. Fart Captor

          Exactly.

          You’ve got to let yourself fully enjoy the moments of happiness, so you aren’t running on empty when tragedy hits

        2. BBCC

          Yes, but this is a Willis comic, where extreme happiness = shoe about to drop imminently. I am frightened. 😛

          You can laugh and be frightened, right?

        3. Opus the Poet

          Does a nervous giggle count?

        4. BBCC

          I’ll take it!

    2. Luzahn

      It’s the nicest thing I think I’ve ever seen in the comic. I can’t see Willis messing with this, it’s too sincere.

      There’s drama and then there’s cruelty, and that would cross the line.

  15. JessWitt

    Aww, I wanna see the group therapy sessions.

    1. Bagge

      You can’t.

      She ate the rest of the group.

      1. wwwhhattt

        Meet your group, THEY ARE ALL PUDDING.

    2. Reltzik

      Sorry. Confidential. You have to settle for….

      …. hmm. IS there a sitcom about group therapy?

      Because sensitive subjects aside, there should totally be a sitcom about group therapy, support groups, and so on.

      1. pjeseb

        There used to be, kinda. I remember this one show about these two cops who were forced to attend couples therapy so they could work out their issues. I think it was canceled after the first season.

        I can’t remember what the show was called, but one of the leads was the guy playing Galaga from the Avengers.

        1. anonymsly

          Oh, I remember that one! Not the title though. It was one of those USA shows.

        2. caesaria82

          Oh I remember this. It was called Common Law. It wasn’t a comedy though, it was a cop show. And it was pretty formulaic. I only watched it because my forever crush Michael Ealy was in it.

        3. anonymsly

          IIRC that’s why I watched it too. I was sad that I’d gotten through all the eps of The Good Wife that contained him and needed more

        4. caesaria82

          Justice for Almost Human tbh. (he played a sexy android, it was so good, people didn’t watch it, sad times)

        5. figureaddict

          Was a good show

        6. Orion Fury

          I thought they both were, Almost Human more so.

      2. caesaria82

        There used to be a great comedy show about a grief councelling therapy group called ‘Go On’. Sadly it was cancelled before its time. Like most good things are.

        1. anonymsly

          You are my friend now. Do not fight it.

        2. caesaria82

          Aww yay, I like friends <3

          But really, Go On is so underrated. It was so charming and warm and had its heart in the right place. When most comedy is too broad or too cynical, this had juuuuust the rigt tone. In a way like Happy Endings. Which I also still miss daily.

        3. anonymsly

          I still get warm feelings from them chasing the Google Earth van. 😀 Yeah, Go On was the right blend of cynicism/sarcasm and genuine feels for me.

          I have never watched Happy Endings, I may see if there’s a way for me to do so. A comparison to Go On is a solid pro-vote for it, definitely

        4. caesaria82

          I am very picky with what comedy shows I like, I only respond to very few (more of a drama/sci-fi/action/fantasy person), so I treasure the ones I do love even more! And Happy Endings is really just so great, it’s def a recommend from me 🙂

        5. anonymsly

          I am not so picky about comedy shows, but my favorites include NewsRadio, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Better Off Ted. I apparently have a thing for office comedies, LOL.

          If you’ve never seen it and get a chance, and if it’s not still too soon to appreciate Phil Hartman, NewsRadio is the best. I’d’ve said ‘by far’ except B99 gets upvotes from my friends who don’t like sitcoms. (It too has its heart in the right place, I would say.)

        6. caesaria82

          (won’t let me reply to you & we’re super off topic already lol, but I loooooove Broolyn Nine-Nine! I wiill check out the other ones you mentioned :D)

        7. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          The Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s had recurring bits with his Group Therapy sessions.

      3. anonymsly

        There was a Matthew Perry comedy a couple-few years ago about a grief support group. I actually found it pretty funny, but I was definitely in the minority because it was a one-season-then-goner.

      4. Leorale

        Fight Club riffs on group therapy. (I can’t talk about it, though.)

      5. anonymsly

        OH and has People Of Earth started airing yet? Because that seemed like it might be in the support-group-sitcom genre from the previews, and I want to know if it’s any good.

      6. CJ

        Last year, there was BFF- best friends forever, a comedy about a middle aged women and her best women friend posing a a couple to use the group couple-therapy weekend voucher the main character got as a birthday present.

  16. LeslieBean4Shizzle

    Gah. Chipper Ruth looks even more like my wife than depressed Ruth.

  17. shadowcell

    dear princess celestia

    you won’t believe what i fixed with the magic of friendship today…

  18. Shiro

    That last panel is my new favorite Ruth face. I just wanna smoosh it.

    Hand Billie some pudding, see if it has the same effect on her?

  19. Fart Captor

    This… this is actually going pretty well so far.

  20. butts

    also i just noticed, her sclera and irises came back

    1. Needfuldoer

      With a vengence. They’re Joyce-size!

      I just hope Billie’s pessimism doesn’t drag her back down.

      1. Deanatay

        Ruth does have beautiful eyes, doesn’t she?

        1. Needfuldoer

          That’s how she snares her victims. You get sucked in by the green doe eyes then BAM your femurs are gone.

      2. rectilinearpropagation

        I actually went through the character tag to check because I wasn’t sure if her irises just seemed bigger after being gone. They are bigger than before the depression made them disappear.

        It does make me wonder if they were always smaller than they were supposed to be.

    2. Dean

      Her eyes are dilated from the drugs.

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Her laser eyes are only online when she is under stress.

  21. Steph

    damn, I’m getting flashbacks to my own week-spent-in-the-psych-ward-after-a-suicide-attempt from years ago. That fucking group therapy, damn you to hell for actually working.

    1. butts

      Funny how people tend to use techniques that work.

      (haha, as if)

    2. motorfirebox

      Right? Group is the frickin’ worst, which is SUPER annoying because it actually helps.

      1. Deanatay

        So you’re saying if I want to get better, I just have to…

        TALK. TO PEOPLE.

        … sure there’s not some sorta pill?

        1. Steph

          oh, don’t worry, there are plenty of pills too; they just don’t work by themselves

          woop woop whee

    3. Jezi

      What sucks is knowing therapy would probably help you and not being able to afford it. Go go gadget American health care system! Which is probably going to get even worse very, very soon!

  22. magicallady

    like thumper, and that skunks name, and dumbo

    1. BBCC

      The skunk’s name is Flower (well, it’s not, but that’s what Bambi called him in the most adorable scene known to man).

    2. Pl0x

      I think of the creatures in Narnia. Mr. Tumnus the faun, the badgers, moles, beavers, mice (Reepicheep)…

      1. Cybersnark

        … Reepicheep would totally get along with Ruth.

        Their reign of terror would be unstoppable.

  23. Mav

    I’m so glad Ruth is beginning to feel a bit better. It’s good that she’s getting the help she needs. I remember watching a tv show, where there is one patient in the hospital, and she is suffering from mental issues due to her asshole parents, and the doctor says something along the lines of “Your life doesn’t need to be this hard.” And then she talks to her about learning to accept herself and coping with her horrible parents. It’s like, the girl never knew anything else, and that’s how she was, until someone outside had to point out how great life can be and help her get there.

    1. Betty Anne

      The counselor I was seeing during college for my depression basically said the exact same thing. I even nitpicked with every criticism my parents had about what I was doing in college, and he was all, “Did either of your parents attend college?”

      “…no.”

      It’s like…I don’t know why that lightbulb is so hard to turn on sometimes, but people who know wtf they’re doing can figure it out. 😐

  24. wynne

    Girl, don’t even play like that’s a bad thing.

  25. DarkoNeko

    Looks at all the bunnies running around in the room !

  26. Sarah

    Happy Ruth’s eyes are shiny and I like it.

  27. Proto

    Therapy for people in need actually WORKING? Mr. Willis I will accept campus vigilantes but my suspension of disbelief is just stretched too thin!

    1. Splork

      Therapy doesn’t usually work that fast, though. (But meds actually can; Lexapro, for me, works within the day.)

  28. Shade

    And only half of them are missing femurs.

  29. Reltzik

    Gee, Ruth, it’s almost like having peers that you can open up to without any longer fearing you will get fired for it and figuring they won’t judge or hate you because it’s out that all of you are broken and the mission is to help each other rather to tear each other down is somehow cathartic or something.

  30. brasca1

    And here I thought it was just really good pudding.

    1. Orion Fury

      It is, Group had nothing to do with it and you can’t prove anything!

  31. caesaria82

    OMG I love cheery Ruth. She is adorable. Protect her.

  32. newllend(henryvolt)

    Who’s going to give therapy to the therapist though.

    1. motorfirebox

      You joke, but a lot of therapists are former (and sometimes future, and occasionally present) patients.

      1. caesaria82

        Yeah and that is a very good thing. No profession, not even therapist, shoud stop you from seeking help if you need it <3

      2. Leorale

        I’m learning to become a therapist, and my professors have told us that everyone who gives therapy should be in therapy, too.

        1. Gordon

          My abnormal psych professor told us that the people who tend to study psychology(a group of which I am a member) do so for one of two reasons, occasionally both.

          It’s either:
          1) They worry that they are crazy and want to figure out why.

          Or
          2) They believe someone in their family, or their entire family, is crazy and want to confirm.

          And that roughly checks out with my experience, anecdotal, as it is.

        2. Silly Name

          Generally, people tend to learn about what interests them, so with a few corrections that statement can be applied to a lot of subjects.

          For example, one could claim that those who study law either want to get away with crimes or want to punish crimes. It’s pretty broad, though, and I don’t think it can cover all students ever.

        3. Leorale

          I started studying psychology because people are neato and I like learning about them. Yay people.

        4. Silly Name

          You find people to be neat?

          You’re clearly crazy.

          *takes a sip from his misanthropy flask*

        5. Orion Fury

          Mind if I have a swig?

  33. nellydreadful

    Billie don’t you DARE be an asshole about this. We WANT Ruth to not be broken to the point of wanting to die, remember? We WANT her to be happy, whatever that looks like. If you start being a shit about “But this isn’t THE REAL YOU” or some such BS because your self worth and identity is so tied up in being the only good thing in Ruth’s life that you can’t stand the idea of her NOT being miserable, so help me I will somehow reach through the screen and whack you over the head with Ruth’s pudding spoon.

    1. BBCC

      I’m not too worried about her being a dick about it to Ruth. I can see her kind of crumpling in defeat/self-loathing/depression as soon as she leaves though.

    2. Deanatay

      Billie’s just not used to seeing Ruth this way. It will seem unnatural, for a while.

    3. hof1991

      If Ruth can be healed and become happy, then Billie has an obligation to follow suit. Billie isn’t ready for that.

    4. Reltzik

      Noooo! Don’t use the Ruth’s pudding! There’s plenty of non-yummy props in the room! Use those!

    5. Splork

      Yeah, Billie, deep down, doesn’t want Ruth to get better because she wants Ruth to need her in the (unhealthy) way that she had before being hospitalized. And she wants the intensity of that time, too.

  34. carl320

    Woodland creatures… like the Happy Tree Friends?

    1. Nemirthel

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who immediately thought this.

      1. carl320

        It was either that or the woodland creatures from South Park. HTF seemed less evil.

    2. Pl0x

      Oh god.

    3. AGV

      *shivers*

    4. Cybersnark

      Or Ewoks.

      They wear the skulls and skins of their defeated enemies.

      1. Betty Anne

        But…but…they’re so pastel and…actually not very cute. 🙁

  35. pjeseb

    I bet Willis thought he’d never get the chance to use “drugged” as a strip title.

    1. Dana

      I would have preferred he chose “Ugh”. That line rang so true.

  36. Tom T.

    Have to wonder whether their relationship survives one of them getting healthier.

    1. anonymsly

      Me too. I think it could survive them both getting healthier, but only one? Not so much.

    2. Fart Captor

      Probably not if it’s only the one of them 🙁

    3. Deanatay

      If their relationship can’t survive one of them getting better, then it wasn’t healthy to begin with.

      1. thejeff

        I don’t think anyone’s every claimed their relationship was healthy. It is a Sexy Lesbian Suicide Pact, after all.

        Doesn’t mean it’s doomed, but they’re going have to find something to base it on other than booze and mutual self-loathing if they want it to last if one gives up the booze and self-loathing.

    4. Splork

      I don’t think the relationship’s survival is based on whether or not they both get their depression under control, but rather on whether Billie can accept Ruth not being in a place where she needs Billie in the unhealthy way that she did.

  37. Rukduk

    See it’s not really pudding, but an invasive alien parasite that tastes delicious. But once it’s inside it starts making you docile with dopamine while slowly mutating your body into a better host why devouring your DNA. It’s a conspiracy man!!!

    1. Adam Black

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sklqvDSGjCA

  38. motorfirebox

    Can I just say that it’s really, really good to see a positive mental healthcare experience in fiction? In most media, getting psychiatric care is a bad thing—it’s all torture-y and horrible and the hero isn’t really crazy anyway. IRL, it can help.

    1. Clif

      What dO you mean none-torture-y? They had Ruth in group therapy

    2. hof1991

      Try
      http://www.touchedwithfire.com/
      for a pop culture look at both sides of getting help. It’s showing at my local library next week.

  39. Najaru

    It’s a little unsettling how negative Billie’s reaction is to seeing Ruth cheerful.

  40. JetstreamGW

    Yeah, Ruth, ride that “I’m not depressed right now” euphoria wave. They’re so nice. Then they go away.

  41. Badgermole

    I wonder how many misanthrope points Ruth will lose by the time she’s done with treatment.

  42. Harvey Janus

    I like smiling Ruth. She gives me hope for the future. I don’t know why. But the smile makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

    1. KingOfGreyfell

      Agreed. Just wish it was under better circumstances.

  43. Aeron

    It’s in the pudding, Billie! Whatever you do, don’t take the free samples!

  44. Moose

    Is that butterscotch? It looks like butterscotch. Now I want butterscotch.

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Look at the color.  IT IS BUTTERSCOTCH.
      I knew there was something about Ruth that I liked….

      1. Deanatay

        *shivers* UGH…

        *pushes all the butterscotch towards Ruth*

  45. Emperor Norton II

    CONFIDENTIALLY LEAKED TAPED SESSION FROM TODAY’S GROUP THERAPY SESSION!

    (If you want to know how We managed to acquire them… We are the emperor of the internet. Enough said.)

    Adrianne:…And that’s my best memories that I can think of. So… Ruth, was it? Do you have any memories to cheer you up?
    Ruth: Well, there was the time this cheerleader tried to punch me, so I threw her on the couch. And then there was the time this abusive dad tried to punch me, so I threw him on the floor. And then there was the time when I scared this innocent little fundie girl into almost peeing herself when I threatened to take her femurs, that was a good one…
    (in the background, one hears the noises of chairs slowly scooting away)
    … Oh, and that time I totally hatefucked that cheerleader that tried to punch me earlier, did I mention that? Man, that was a hoot, let me tell you! And then…

    1. Bagge

      “Ooooh, ooh, there was this gang of rebels hanging out in the corridor so I scattered them with a look and threw their gloves through the window… talking about throwing away clothes, I yanked the clothes of above mentioned cheerleader in the corridor too once (that’s was just between fucks, by the way).”

      1. Emperor Norton II

        Man… By the way, my groom’s speech that I talked about yesterday:

        https://youtu.be/SxoOx2tk5GA?t=47

  46. Yozee

    This is a bad sign. A really bad sign. If a suicidal person is acting chipper and energetic immediately after a depressive episode, chances are they aren’t “cured”, they’re just pooling up their energy reserves to finally do the deed. The alternative is that this might be the first time Billie’s seen Ruth with normal blood sugar levels thanks to the pudding (as opposed to an all-booze diet).

    1. BBCC

      While this is true, and is definitely a cause for concern, it is also true many people with depression have a temporary burst of euphoria when they begin treatment, partly due to placebo, partly due to meds & therapy being a relief, and partly because they feel like they’re making progress towards recovering. And then meds and therapy hopefully kick in and hopefully work.

      1. DinaWho

        Can anecdotally confirm the medication placebo effect from my own experience.

        So Ruth’s mood here is relatable.

        1. Tenn

          Yep yep. I’d been on the same meds before and knew they worked, so I felt a huge relief on the very first day I got them. And I knew it wasn’t the meds — they start working a lot more gradually and subtly.

      2. Commodore Jeep-Eep

        Or it could be the start of a bad drug reaction that ends in, just to name two known reactions to fluoxetine, the most likely thing she’s been dosed with, violence or suicide attempts.

  47. Gordon

    This is a relief high, I think

    Ruth has no more secrets that need keeping. No more expectations to live up to. She’s surrounded by people who are experiencing problems similar to hers(in form, if not content) and she gets to talk openly about them without consequence. There’s no Marys. No professors. No Chloes. No Carlas. She gets to jettison all that, for a little while, at least.

    Plus there’s pudding. And now Billie.

    What isn’t there to be happy about?

    Oh yeah, my two cents as someone who got really lucky with his antidepressant:

    By the time I started taking them, my days were mostly a haze. During the day, I was aware that I went to class and came home, but I couldn’t tell you what I said or did or what anyone had said or done to me. My nights consisted of staring at a computer screen until I was so exhausted I couldn’t remain upright. At which point, I would lay in my bed in a half awake state until it was time to get up and do it again. Emotionally, I was…mostly empty, except for random bursts of rage and smothering pain. Though, any emotion was basically a drip of moisture on a barren expanse of rocky sand. Gone so quickly it might not have ever existed.

    The first two or three days on my antidepressant, I slept roughly twelve hours each night. It wasn’t restful. At least, not in the way we typically think of a “good night’s sleep.” But it did kinda reset a lot of things for me. My sleep schedule , for one. Sleep is a powerful thing. Instead of my life being a long blur of constant bullshit, I started seeing clearly. I was able to recognize the different flavors of bullshit as being distinct from each other. As weeks passed, and I was more well rested and less anxious, I started to recognize things as being not bullshit. And a few months later, I realized that I actually enjoyed things sometimes. The bullshit was still there, because bullshit is a constant in life, but it wasn’t the only thing I experienced anymore.

    That was probably the biggest thing for me. When you’re depressed, you don’t really notice when you stop enjoying things. It happens gradually. And if you ever notice consciously, you’re usually too far gone to be alarmed by it. So getting back the ability to like things was monumental. I actually started feeling hope that my life could at least be okay most of the time.

    For me, the antidepressants started opening the doors my depression had locked my emotions and myself behind. It wasn’t and easy or stable process putting things back together, but I don’t think I would still be here if I hadn’t gotten the opportunity.

    1. trlkly

      Insomnia is a common depression symptom. And lack of sleep actually makes depression worse. So, yeah, it’s a vicious cycle.

      There are actually studies that say that iCBT–therapy for insomnia, should be integrated into any depression treatment.

    2. Leorale

      <3

    3. Godfather

      I agree with you wholeheartedly. As someone who went through this process almost exactly the same way, I think it is a relief high.

      Also, although I like Billie, I almost want her to stay away from Ruth for a while. I wish Billie would get help as well, or be helped out in some way. Because it worries me that Billie might delay or detriment Ruth’s convalescence.

      1. thejeff

        I don’t think they need to stay apart, though that’s hardly an expert opinion. Billie certainly needs help, probably almost as much. She’s not so close to a crisis point, but isn’t really in much better shape.
        She’s scheduled for a therapy session, but without being in patient like Ruth, who knows if she’ll actually go.

        Honestly, with Ruth in treatment and Billie essentially not, I’d be more worried about Billie. Especially if they take away her prop of Ruth. “Stay away from her, you’re no good for her” would be devastating to her right now. Acceptable to separate them, if they’re both getting help & support, but without that, Billie will crash hard.

  48. MarMar

    What a great system. Medication, rehab, group therapy, hospital bed. Would never get that in my state.

    1. BBCC

      This is a school facility, so it’s probably covered by her student health insurance.

      ……..That’s a thing in the US, right? Or is it just Canada (or just my specific school)?

      1. Gordon

        In my university, we paid a health services fee.

        It gave us a doctor. And there were counseling services, who also had a psychiatrist visit once a month for evaluation and prescription purposes. You were mostly on your own for filling prescriptions or seeking long term care.

        What Ruth is getting is on some whole other level. My school is on the smaller scale, which mean less funds.

    2. Godfather

      Yeah, I don’t think (despite the fact that it’s completely feasible for my school to have it) that were I to avail myself of their services back when this happened to me, I’d get nearly the same amount and quality of care. There are similar services outside of universities you can get, but I think it’s a generous amount of creative license being applied here.

    3. Splork

      At my previous school, they gave me therapists who didn’t take my issues seriously and a psychiatrist who disliked me, and then when things didn’t get better and I got bad grades, they kicked me out.

      But at my new school, I have a super awesome therapist. 🙂

  49. cnash

    Wait… when was yesterday? The DA timeline is really confusing for me.

    1. Fart Captor

      It’s been Monday since the rally, which I think was back in September

    2. Bicycle Bill

      Link to the DoA timeline, from the Walkypedia.  We are on the events of October 4 (Monday); yesterday was Sunday and was when the head resident (Chloe) entered Ruth’s room with her passkey (after Mary ratted her out) and found Ruth and Billie snuggling together.  It was on her say-so that Ruth ended up in the health center; and I’m sure Billie will be in for her share of blowback as well.

      1. AGV

        We’re only at October? And this comic will last until this curse is over (or beyond) I suppose?
        Damn, I’ll be reading this with my grandchildren by the time

        1. BenRG

          Charles Schultz drew Peanuts for over 50 years until ill health forced him to retire. Just sayin! 😉

        2. DonDueed

          True, and those kids never got a day older in those 50 years.

        3. David M Willis

          Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Sally Brown was, like, born within the strip, and within a few years she’s old enough to go to school. Linus and Schroeder both start out young enough to not be able to yet talk. And, of course, there’s Rerun.

          you may have been facetious but this peanuts-based inaccuracy SHALL NOT STAND

        4. trlkly

          Well, yes. They have to age up, but then they stop aging.

          Kinda like some vampire stories.

        5. JBento

          Inaccurate facts about Mr. Schultz’s work are never peanuts!

          …

          Fine, fine, I’ll see myself out.

        6. Reltzik

          Okay, but at least it doesn’t look like a deliberate misrepresentation. It looks more like a legumatite mistake.

        7. JBento

          Is a legumatite mistake small potatoes?

        8. Reltzik

          No, small potato mistakes are more things like when we said one person said something when it was a different person. You know, matters of misatuberation.

        9. thejeff

          JBento: No, it’s small beans.

        10. BBCC

          This comment just threw me down the Peanut reading rabbit hole.

          DAMN YOU WILLIS

        11. Splork

          I’m happy that we’re only at October, because that means the drop deadline probably hasn’t passed yet, and so if Ruth is in inpatient (and not doing schoolwork for a while), she can go on medical leave without anything bad going on her transcript, and she can get all her money back for that semester! 🙂

        12. Splork

          The close parenthesis was supposed to go after “schoolwork,” not “while.”

      2. Deanatay

        WOO! It’s mah burfday! (In comic)

        1. Bicycle Bill

          The way the days go by in Willis-time, it will still be your birthday on real-world Christmas.

  50. JepMZ

    The reading voice I have for Ruth has been amnesia’d out. She sounds like Rapunzel now….

  51. Arianod

    the healing’s in the pudding

    1. Deanatay

      Thanks, Bill Cosby.

  52. Lipke the Articulate

    I really do hope that’s a “haha Billie is annoyed at happiness” grimace and not a “Billie stop being annoyed at happiness” grimace in the last panel.

    1. Dana

      Group therapy is annoying. I think Ruth’s expression and words are aligned.

      1. Lipke the Articulate

        I’m talking about Billie’s grimace, not Ruth’s, although I can see where the confusion would lie haha.

    2. Reltzik

      I read it more as she worked herself up for the worst and it was all for nothing.

  53. Keulan

    I’m now picturing Ruth as Fluttershy, and it’s weirding me out.

    1. Harvey Janus

      Now I am too, and yep, weird.

    2. Orion Fury

      Yay!

  54. MatsuoTanuki

    I never really feel quite right…
    And I don’t know why…
    All I know is something’s wrong…
    Every time I look at you you seem so aliiiiiive!
    Tell me, how do you do it?
    Walk me through it…
    I’ll follow in every footstep!

    Maybe on your own you take a cautious step!
    Do you wanna give it up?
    But all I want…
    Is for you to shiiiiiine!
    Shiiiine…
    Shine on this life that’s burnin’ oooouuut!

    I say a lot of things sometimes
    That don’t come out right…
    And I act like I don’t know why…
    I guess a reaction’s all I was looking fooooor!
    When you looked through me…
    You really knew me…
    Like no one has eeeeever looked before!

    Baby, on your own you take a cautious step!
    Do you wanna give it up?
    Coz all I want…
    Is for you to shiiiiiine!
    Shiiiiine!
    Shine on this life that burnin’ oooooouuut!

  55. Suicideguy

    Actually, what ruth just said hit home there. I was commited once after an attempted suicide. I had a loving family who came to see me every day. Despite how much I want to claim I got out of that hole on my own, the reality if that group therapy those days I was there are what got me to realize that my life was actually okay and I could manage to figure it out. Thank you group, you saved my life. Hopefully one day in this comic Ruth can admit that to herself.

  56. RoseLaflesh

    While I hear the meds shouldn’t work that fast, I think for some people they do. I mean, I can only talk about my experiences with starting anti-depressants, but I started feeling utterly happy the day after I started taking them. It took about a week before I settled down to where I probably should be mentally, not always happy but not always sad either, and then over the next few months the happy started to slowly fade away and now I’m almost back to where I was before the anti-depressants.

    But anyway, while I didn’t think that they’d work so fast, I think that maybe sometimes they do. Or it could be the placebo effect, which is good too.

    1. Splork

      Yeah, mine kicked in right away. Like, within a few hours. (I was taking Lexapro.)

  57. BenRG

    Damn you Willis! The only comment I can now make is: “Ruth is best Disney Princess“! 😮

  58. Adam Black

    If they gave her an Infusion of Ketamine , which is an effective and fast emergency treatment for suicidal depression, It would explain why she seems temporarily released.

    I am going to provide some sciency links so readers can benefit from this knowledge.

    Effects of Intravenous Ketamine on Explicit and Implicit Measures of Suicidality in Treatment-Resistant Depression
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614623

    Rapid Resolution of Suicidal Ideation after a Single Infusion of an NMDA Antagonist in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3012738/

    Ketamine Therapy works fasts, boosts long-term mood, and dissociates a person from their pain for a while enough , without being mentally cloudy,
    so they can be reflective enough for cognitive therapy to gain traction.

    Its also addictive , so it should only be used for suicidal treatment resistant depression. For some, its the suicidally depressed equivalent of a cardaic Defibrillator

    1. Adam Black

      Surprising. PubMed links go to Moderation.

      In case it gets buried, anyone reading thinking about this topic who needs help, may want to google “PubMed.com Ketamine rapid Resolution of suicidal ideation” . Its help from hard science and evidenced medicine.

      1. Willoughby Chase

        Two links and above, moderation kicks in.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA

        This comment wasn’t moderated.

    2. Leorale

      That’s really neat, thank you!
      I doubt they’d give Ruth ketamine, though. She hasn’t tried treatment, so we don’t know whether her depression is treatment resistant. They’d probably start her on generic Prozac or something more like that.

    3. Willoughby Chase

      Cheers for that. I had heard of ketamine for treating horses.

      One of my docs gave me beta-blockers and it raised me enough to get out the suicide ideation trough I was heading into … only to get a phone-call to say “don’t do it, bad for my asthma!” Luckily I was out of the trough by that time.

  59. Hastings

    Is the alt text a Spaced reference?

  60. Lailah

    Still love these two 😀

  61. Willoughby Chase

    Hope so:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-3u32P3a7o

    David Walliams in his finest role.

    1. Willoughby Chase

      The character that Walliams plays looks like it’s based on Leigh Bowery.

  62. avistel

    I can dig this. The week after I got my scrip for Lexapro was strange. I wasn’t sure how much of my improved mood was “I’m supposed to be feeling better” placebo effect and how much was my neurotransmitters finally unfucking themselves after a decade of untreated depression.

    1. Huttj509

      And how much was “I’m doing something, I’m addressing the issue, it’s going to be ok,” speaking from similar experience.

    2. Splork

      Lexapro worked really fast for me (within a few hours).

  63. Raen

    She’s probably stuffed full of benzos, just to keep the shakes down.

    1. Council

      Nope. Benzos are emergency only in proper hospital care, due to the huge contraindications. And this isn’t a ran down post commie second world hospital like mine is. Even they managed that. And benzos act fast anyway.
      She is on something mild to start out with.

      1. Wehttam

        and anyways Ruth said the meds “shouldn’t be working already” presumably she asked her doctor to explain to her what exactly she’s being put on and what exactly its effects are supposed to be.

        An alternative to Ruth’s theory that the group therapy is what’s working- she may just be on an upswing because her whole “hide my crippling depression from everyone around me” ordeal is over.

        Once she’s out of the hospital and confronting her joblessness and imminent inability to continue her education she’ll likely experience a downswing. Ideally that’s where the therapy and meds will start to help.

      2. Two

        Benzos are used to treat acute alcohol withdrawal though, I think that what Raen might be referring to when they say the shakes i.e. the effects of detoxing

  64. Emily

    I am not happy with how put off Billie looks about Ruth not being an utterly miserable human being right now.

    1. Liliet

      Hopefully this is just surprise, and she’s going to switch to relief any minute now…

    2. Brotato

      Also, to be fair, she’s well within her rights to be alarmed and upset, simply because such a DRASTIC change so QUICKLY spells bad news. Ruth seems near manic right now, which, while it appears to be and feels like the bees knees (bee’s knees?), it really isn’t. It really, REALLY isn’t. (I would know; I’m bipolar & experience it frequently – it has consequences, and it’s just as unhealthy in the long term.)

    3. Spencer

      If Ruth gets better then that means she’s not too Ruined and Broken to allow Billie near her, and also that means Carla was right to get her help and that holding hands in the dark waiting to kill themselves wasn’t working.

      1. Andy

        Yep. Best case scenario is, Ruth the authoritarian bullies/seduces Billie into getting some help for herself.

  65. Liliet

    B T W

    @ everyone who ever uttered in the comment section something like “nobody is going to get therapy, this is comic and it needs drama”

    there ya go, proven wrong

  66. Commodore Jeep-Eep

    Jesus, this is creepy; I’ll take ‘oncoming drama due to bad drug reaction’ for 10 here.

    Also, I’m being affirmed in my choice to avoid therapy for my depression.

    1. 0xf10e

      You know a somwhat decent therapist won’t hand you pills right away, right?

    2. Charles Phipps

      I wonder, no offense, if Willis is just showing an immediate result simply because a expanded timeline means that Ruth would be out of the comic or in treatment for years out of universe otherwise.

      1. Reltzik

        ….. since when has the expanded timeline ever caused Willis to shortcut things?

        Besides pajama-jean arrival. That was CLEARLY important.

      2. Fart Captor

        A lot of people yesterday were saying that this was plausible based on their own experiences, and that this is probably only a temporary euphoria, or else actually a really bad sign

        1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

          Given the current trend of 2016, my bias is toward the last.

  67. JasonAW3

    Woodland Creatures?! Little Fuzzy Animals!!

    Run!! They’ll drink your BLOOD!!!

    1. thejeff

      Only on Bailey’s 7.

  68. hof1991

    It’s all a post-suicide attempt dream state. Chloe’s pudding hair and the healing pudding are the giveaway. Next there will be another pudding reference and then Ruth will wake up in an ambulance on her way to the ER, looking down on the medics vainly trying to save her life. Is that dark enough to overcome the woodland creatures in today’s strip?

  69. Emma

    I’m…really mad at Billie. What an awful girlfriend. She should be happy that Ruth is doing better. Instead she’s upset. It’s almost as though Billie enjoyed Ruth being suicidal. And that is totally unhealthy. Lose her Ruth!

    1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

      Or you know, she’s afraid of bad drug reactions – I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s seen bad antidepressant reactions in her life beforehand; as someone who lives near a doctor and has had the time to skim some of the research, antidepressants scare me pissless.

      1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

        She was a go-getter take care of folks cheerleader, the chances that she’d not seen antidepressants and what they can do beforehand is isn’t terribly high, given how they use the damn things these days,

    2. Fart Captor

      Yeah, is bad, but Billie is also suffering from some sort of depression, even if her case is less severe and very different from Ruth’s.

      What little sense of self-worth Billie has is largely dependant on Ruth needing her. On top of that, she still sees herself as toxic to everyone else. If Ruth gets better, then it becomes possible for Billie’s toxicity to harm her, so in the back of her head she’s probably freaking out.

      This is a major reason why codependence is unhealthy, and why the doctors separated them before. I hope Billie has her first therapy session today (and that she actually shows up), because she definitely could end up making things harder on them both

    3. Spencer

      TMW Billie becomes the bad partner to someone who used to kick the shit out of her.

    4. John

      Given the speed and degree of the change, I think Billie has the right to feel a little freaked out here. Billie and Ruth’s relationship got very intense, very fast, but they still only met five weeks ago, and all that time Ruth has been swinging between violently pissy and catatonically depressed. Sudden smiling luminous Ruth has to feel to Billie like there’s someone else wearing her girlfriend’s skin. If Happy Ruth is the real Ruth, she’s still a stranger to Billie. Give her time to get to know her.

      1. Commodore Jeep-Eep

        Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ruth turned out bipolar.

        And giving bipolar folks antidepressants… doesn’t end well.

        1. David M Willis

          I guarantee you that it fucking can end well, thank you very much.

    5. Splork

      Billie *did* enjoy it in a sense, but that’s only because she’s pretty not-okay herself. I don’t think that makes her a bad person. She needs help, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy (so she can learn that she is still valuable even if she’s not the only thing between Ruth and suicide).

  70. Toes14

    I’m guessing the pudding is Butterscotch, based on the coloring. Too light for chocolate, too dark for tapioca, vanilla, or banana.

  71. That One Weirdo

    As somebody who can talk from experience… Antidepressants are f@#king wonderful. It’s true that for about a week there’ll be no visible effects (at least with me it was a week or so) but once you can start feeling emotions again, it’s just… I have no words for how wonderful it is to hug your mother and FEEL that joy again. Feels like the first time.

  72. BrotherFlounder

    Must be Giga Pudding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sEI1AUFJKw

  73. Jezi

    I remember when my depression treatments first started kicking in. The day that I suddenly realized I felt okay — that nothing was really going on, I was just sitting around the house, and I felt alright as opposed to glum — I almost sobbed in happiness. I imagine it’s less cathartic when you didn’t seek the help of your own accord, though.

  74. Hilzabub

    This is where a truck goes out of control, crashing into the room. With only a moment to act, Ruth pushes Billie out of the way and is tragically killed to death.

  75. Kugai

    Reality check inbound?

    I hope I’m wrong, but maybe Billie shouldn’t be there at this stage of her treatment.

  76. Kelandrea

    Oh my GOD this is… this is amazing. I just… this is important to me. I’m working through depression right now and seeing ruth making progress and stuff just… I’m so happy for her????

    1. Splork

      <3

  77. Luis

    Ruth is really cute when she doesn’t have that perpetual angry look!

  78. Zombycow

    Figured she was high off her ass…

    1. nightsbridge

      Naaaah, the drug take days, weeks, to work.

      This is natural ruth on an upswing.

      1. Zombycow

        i think it depends on the drugs you take.
        there are the “Even you out” drugs that round off the edges, then there are the “Shot of cocaine” style drugs that make you elated as fuck.

        but hey, you may be right. this may be what ruth is like after you take away all the stress causing factors. at least, i hope that is what this is.

        it’s usually not a good sign when someone that has gone suicidal goes super happy, making a 180 on a dime.

        i still think something is up with that pudding tho. There seems to be a lot of it, and Ruth is downing that stuff like life water.

  79. Jhon

    The Group Therapy was Ruth and six psychoanalysts.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Mike’s favourite webcomic, I’m sure.

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