Posted by Daveman on March 23, 2001, at 23:56:55
In reply to Re: Celexa, posted by Cam W. on March 23, 2001, at 15:01:32
Cam:
I agree with your analysis and it definitely applies in my case. I was "blindsided" (I thought) with a deep depression that started with total insomnia that lasted for 9 days, then turned into panic attacks and serious anxiety, which when controlled by Xanax revealed a depression so debilitating that I was forced to take a six week leave from my job. Celexa has now effectively controlled most of my symptoms, and through twice a week, continuing therapy I'm beginning to see that I was not really blindsided at all, but simply reached a breaking point in my life and career (I'm an attorney in a very high-stress job and simply did not catch the warning signs that my system was sending me).
So here we have a situation where medication was crucial to my becoming functional and is allowing me to face and understand what and why I encountered these problems. Medication and therapy, IMO, work hand in hand in cases like mine, and ultimately I hope the meds will no longer be needed. But for now I thank God that they exist and that I didn't have this depression 40 years ago, when I would probably have ended up in a mental institution undergoing shock therapy or some similar horror.
Oh and BTW the poster who started this thread shows an amazing ignorance of medical knowledge for someone who claims to be an RN!
Dave
> I agree that meds are needed in serious cases of depression. They readjust the neurochemical mix, thus alleviating some of the depressive symptoms, and, as Allison says, "puts the floor under one's feet". But I would also like to stress that, like insulin or antihypertensives, antidepressants are only a bandage. Psychotherapy, be it taking to a psychologist, clergy, or a good friend, helps to change the mindset and "fix the sh**" that caused the depression in the first place.
>
> We are all born with a level of stress tolerance and life experiences (environment) raise or lower this level. Too much stress uncouples our body's stress response mechanism (HPA axis) resulting in the phenomenon we call depression. Sometimes this uncoupling is permanent and we may need to keep taking medications for life. Sometimes the uncoupling is repairable, as one comes to terms with the cause.
>
> In mild cases of depression, sometimes talk therapy is enough, but one has to be able to understand and deal with the causes of the depression. Antidepressants can help bring about the ability to understand and I believe this to be the "floor" from which the doc or therapist can begin to work.
>
> Just my opinion - Cam
poster:Daveman
thread:57052
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010319/msgs/57343.html