Every condition of “mental illness” is different so I wouldn’t propose a single solution for all of them. There should be a profession of mental health professionals capable of dealing with such problems, but unfortunately the current paradigm only encourages learned helplessness rather than teaching people to think and act rationally. It may be that there is no real help availabe. Based on my past experiences, I will never bother consulting a mental health professional again (not that I currently need one).
I have been on antidepressants (of and on) for 15 years or so, I can definitley say they have helped, but I often wonder is is simply a placebo effect? Now I have found out I have low T, could this have been my problem all along? I wonder will I have to take this shit forever and then find out 10 years from now my liver and kidneys are destroyed?
You know if a head doctor can stick a needle in my brain and tell me that Im low in some chemical so you need to take this, fine it seems concrete the problem is the whole idea of being prescribed meds based on how I am simply feeling seems warped to me. I hope to one day get off the meds, it bothers me that I have to rely on an outside variable for my mental and emotional well - being.
I have attempted to seek a Orthomolecular Psychologist through the suggestion of a fellow T-Nation Member (Thanks so much More Pain) and feel this combined with other ways may be my ultimate solution.
I dont trust the whole pharmeucitical industry on a whole.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
I have been on antidepressants (of and on) for 15 years or so, I can definitley say they have helped, but I often wonder is is simply a placebo effect? Now I have found out I have low T, could this have been my problem all along? I wonder will I have to take this shit forever and then find out 10 years from now my liver and kidneys are destroyed?
You know if a head doctor can stick a needle in my brain and tell me that Im low in some chemical so you need to take this, fine it seems concrete the problem is the whole idea of being prescribed meds based on how I am simply feeling seems warped to me. I hope to one day get off the meds, it bothers me that I have to rely on an outside variable for my mental and emotional well - being.
I have attempted to seek a Orthomolecular Psychologist through the suggestion of a fellow T-Nation Member (Thanks so much More Pain) and feel this combined with other ways may be my ultimate solution.
I dont trust the whole pharmeucitical industry on a whole. [/quote]
It is well-established that SSRI drugs dramatically inhibit REM sleep, which is when testosterone is secreted. I don’t know that the actual link between SSRI consumption and diminished testosterone levels is established, but it stands to reason that if you disrupt the event that results in testosterone secretion, you might ultimately reduce your testosterone levels. Definitely something to think about.
^
Certainly seems to be a link there, it seems as if I get more information on these forums then with my Psychiatrists…very frustrating
Two friends of mine are both Psychiatric nurses and have been for many years. They tell me one of the biggest problems now is diabetes. If I remember correctly, one of the drugs they use now causes alot of weight gain.
[quote]bond james bond wrote:
Two friends of mine are both Psychiatric nurses and have been for many years. They tell me one of the biggest problems now is diabetes. If I remember correctly, one of the drugs they use now causes alot of weight gain.
[/quote]
Zyprexa. It’s been shown to destroy the insulin secreting cells in the pancreas and the manufactureer had to pay a large settlement several years ago. Also has no benefit whatsoever to speak of. Hasn’t stopped them one bit from forcing people to take it.
“Well then whats your solution for people who suffer from mental illness”
“Yeah, the effect of some of the drugs are terrible. Yet, some of the problems they are trying to fix are even more terrible. I wish we one day find a better cure for the problems”
I personally have had experience in better understanding these problems and actually CURING them without drugs. I think it is natural for a compassiate person to want the safest solution possible, especially since so many kids are placed on a psychiatric drug at such a young age. It can reduce a lot of stress simply to understand about the mind and I personally experienced great relief and a increadible new understanding of life by reading the book Dianetics. If you are going to shell out money for a book then I can’t stress enough what a big favor you will be doing for yourself by reading this before turning to drugs or allowing those close to you to.
[quote]patrickben31 wrote:
“Well then whats your solution for people who suffer from mental illness”
“Yeah, the effect of some of the drugs are terrible. Yet, some of the problems they are trying to fix are even more terrible. I wish we one day find a better cure for the problems”
I personally have had experience in better understanding these problems and actually CURING them without drugs. I think it is natural for a compassiate person to want the safest solution possible, especially since so many kids are placed on a psychiatric drug at such a young age. It can reduce a lot of stress simply to understand about the mind and I personally experienced great relief and a increadible new understanding of life by reading the book Dianetics. If you are going to shell out money for a book then I can’t stress enough what a big favor you will be doing for yourself by reading this before turning to drugs or allowing those close to you to.
[/quote]
Go back to packing fudge, Mr. Cruise.
No really I just called u that cuz u were packing fudge!
no hes an actor on a fly fishing vacation.
[quote]iflyboats wrote:
Zyprexa. It’s been shown to destroy the insulin secreting cells in the pancreas and the manufactureer had to pay a large settlement several years ago. Also has no benefit whatsoever to speak of. Hasn’t stopped them one bit from forcing people to take it.[/quote]
I have seen several patients who prefer Zyprexa to jojoing up and down with their bipolar disorder. Others that can actually function in society because of Zyprexa. The weight gain is a terrible effect from taking it, but if the alternative is driving away friends when manic and being suicidal when depressed time and time again, then most prefer being a bit fat.
[quote]patrickben31 wrote:
I personally have had experience in better understanding these problems and actually CURING them without drugs. I think it is natural for a compassiate person to want the safest solution possible, especially since so many kids are placed on a psychiatric drug at such a young age. It can reduce a lot of stress simply to understand about the mind and I personally experienced great relief and a increadible new understanding of life by reading the book Dianetics. If you are going to shell out money for a book then I can’t stress enough what a big favor you will be doing for yourself by reading this before turning to drugs or allowing those close to you to.
[/quote]
I agree, one should do whatever possible to relieve the problems before turning to drugs. I work at a regional psychiatric closed acute ward, so we usually get those more than a bit “off” people. The last couple of years, the patients are getting better taken care of locally, so we have fewer bad cases, but there are always the outliers. Taking pills when a bit depressed doesn’t change the fact that their life sucks, so working on the sucky life is a better option. Taking pills or doing ECT when other options are exhausted can give people a liveable life, or even cure them.
An Anthony Robbins pep talk usually only works on people with mild problems. When girls have been gang raped by their relatives for the last 15 years it takes a bit more.
^ i had a bad reaction to olanzapine.
what do you guys think about giving Anti-Depressants to under 18 year old people?
Unless under very unique circumstances would I be amenable to administering psychiatric meds to a teenager espescially under 18 unfortunately for me it seems as if I was treated as a guineau pig
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Unless under very unique circumstances would I be amenable to administering psychiatric meds to a teenager espescially under 18 unfortunately for me it seems as if I was treated as a guineau pig[/quote]
me to, i was on them at 15.
Of course there are side effects both short term and long term WITH ANY MEDICATION. I could save people $20 by branding “there is no such thing as a free lunch” on their chest. Saying that psychotropic medications do more harm than good is a question that is too complex for the writer or anyone else to say. The reason that these medications are over prescribed in a lot of situations is the same reason they are under prescribed for some other situations, which is lack of education on the part of the parent or the adult patient. Robert Whitaker is a well respected author but is now writing on a topic that is above his level of understanding.
[quote]Kerley wrote:
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Unless under very unique circumstances would I be amenable to administering psychiatric meds to a teenager espescially under 18 unfortunately for me it seems as if I was treated as a guineau pig[/quote]
me to, i was on them at 15.[/quote]
Wow. We are so quick to mediacate our youth today…or anyone for that matter. Granted your situation is propbably warranted.
In my case I was diagnosed with depression. I was on Effexor for 3 years.
Coming off of that shit was fucking hell. It was 4 weeks of headaches, spins, nerve and brain zaps and sweating.
I am not depressed nor act depressed, but I had the symptoms, which were the same as low T. I feel that most depression cases do not need these drugs, nor should they be used. In certain severe cases, yes.
I feel they give people a false sense of ok’ness.
Don’t we as a people and as individuals need to be able to face and deal with bad times without needing to take a happy pill? Lifeis not supposed to be happy/great 100% of the time. We need balance in all areas of life.
I would rather experience the highs and lows of life without it being dilluted with a false sense of happiness. This is life. The other is a false life induced by drugs. We as a people have some sick thought we all should be happy all the time, no matter what. I think this is wrong.
Not only that, but on effexor it took a real huge effort to cross the finish line… if you know what I mean.
[quote]Rockscar wrote:
wow. We are so quick to mediacate our youth today…or anyone for that matter. Granted your situation is propbably warranted.[/quote]
i doubt it could of been fixed with an other methods.
[quote]In my case I was diagnosed with depression. I was on Effexor for 3 years.
Coming off of that shit was fucking hell. It was 4 weeks of headaches, spins, nerve and brain zaps and sweating.[/quote]
yeah ive had them when i was coming off the effexor down to my current dose, they were a bitch.
[quote] I am not depressed nor act depressed, but I had the symptoms, which were the same as low T. I feel that most depression cases do not need these drugs, nor should they be used. In certain severe cases, yes.
I feel they give people a false sense of ok’ness.
Don’t we as a people and as individuals need to be able to face and deal with bad times without needing to take a happy pill? Lifeis not supposed to be happy/great 100% of the time. We need balance in all areas of life.[/quote]
yeah but if a person is prepositioned to being depressed and its actually a chemical imbalance then dont you think they need to be medicated?
this reminds me of my doctors telling me when the drugs were not working that increasing them would give me a ‘high’ feeling and they dont really want that.
[quote]Bullmoose33 wrote:
Of course there are side effects both short term and long term WITH ANY MEDICATION. I could save people $20 by branding “there is no such thing as a free lunch” on their chest. Saying that psychotropic medications do more harm than good is a question that is too complex for the writer or anyone else to say. The reason that these medications are over prescribed in a lot of situations is the same reason they are under prescribed for some other situations, which is lack of education on the part of the parent or the adult patient. Robert Whitaker is a well respected author but is now writing on a topic that is above his level of understanding. [/quote]
I’m a bit confused with what exactly you’re trying to say here. You sort jumped from one thing to another, then rounded it off by saying the author is tackling a project ‘beyond his understanding’.
Mental health, and the manner in which it is treated, is indeed a staggeringly complex entity; but the assertion that drugs that affect the neuro-transmitters are not the best method of treatment is a subject area that SERIOUSLY needs addressing.
Unfortuntley, where there’s a vested intrest in keeping people on meds, issues get bogged in politico-economic rhetoric.
[quote]Rockscar wrote:
Not only that, but on effexor it took a real huge effort to cross the finish line… if you know what I mean. [/quote]
I know what you mean. I nearly passed out before crossing the line. It almost became a chore.