About


What's this blog about?


Bringing a positive, hopeful, faith-based spin to mental illness, especially taking medication for treatment.

Many intelligent, faithful, powerful, educated, creative, sophisticated, kind, (need I go on?) successfully manage mental illness. These people all have three things in common. They are P.R.O.s:
  • Persistent: They never give up no matter what. They keep trying and trying until they find the best treatment combination, pharmaceutical or otherwise.
  • Responsible: They take responsibility for all their actions. They do not act on any irrational thought or feeling. They take full responsibility for their mental health and get appropriate help from competent healthcare providers and mental health professionals.
  • Open: They share what they learn so that others can come more easily by what they have worked so hard for.
In applying this, I say that "I put the PRO in PROZAC!"

My Story


My story is, fortunately for me, a simple one. I suffered from the despair and hopelessness of postpartum depression and anxiety. I wasn't willing to take any medication for help until I found myself in a state of humble surrender to the illness. After I felt the relief Prozac (fluoxetine) brought, I realized that I had suffered from misaligned, irrational depression and anxiety my entire life, albeit much less severe than what I experienced postpartum.


My intent in sharing my story is only to help. I’m not an expert on depression, anxiety, or any psychological issue. I’m just a regular person with a story. I only know my own experience and that I've been able to help those close to me by being extremely open about it.


While I highlight all the good psychotropic medications can facilitate, I do not believe that medication is the full solution to anyone's mental health. I simply believe that in many cases, the right medication can open more doors to healing (e.g., through therapy) than would be possible without it. 


My hope is that sharing my story on a broader scale will convince many more to relieve unnecessary suffering. If you take nothing else away from this blog, I want you to know that you are not alone and, if you need help, you get it from competent healthcare providers and mental health professionals.


More than you want to know about me (Beca Mark):

  • Born in San Diego, California, but currently live in Orem, Utah. I have never lived anywhere more than three years so I will most likely move soon (e.g., I attended 6 schools from kindergarten through 6th grade).
    Beca Mark (far right) and her six sisters
  • Oldest of fourteen children (7 boys, 7 girls; all from the same parents and single births).
  • Married to a Matthew Mark (a 6'7" hunk that looks like a European model; yes, his dad laughed when naming his son) and we are parents to Brady, Wyatt (stillborn), and Scarlett.
  • Graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brigham Young University (BYU) in April of 2001. At age 19, I was BYU's youngest graduate of the year. www.byu.edu
  • Graduated with a master's degree in public administration (MPA), emphasizing in human resource management, from BYU in 2004.
  • After graduation, worked as assistant HR manager for Challenger School until I had my first child. www.challengerschool.com
  • Wrote the book, Pros of Prozac: A Faith-based Memoir of Overcoming the Stigma after experiencing debilitating postpartum depression and anxiety. I started the publishing company, CTL (Consider-the-lilies) Press, Inc. to ensure its publication. www.prosofprozac.com, www.ctlpress.com
  • Honored to be a Mormon, or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. www.lds.org

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