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Re: Has anyone read, Your Drug May Be Your Problem » Beliala

Posted by Mitch on January 3, 2002, at 9:48:33

In reply to Re: Has anyone read, Your Drug May Be Your Problem, posted by Beliala on January 3, 2002, at 2:07:55

> Hyperbole sells books. I think there’s a lot of truth in what Dr. Breggin says but it’s hard to separate it from the exaggeration and outright b.s. I agree that it’s dangerous to tell people their very real physical symptoms are "psychological" and that they just need to invest enough time/effort in talk therapy. But it’s equally dangerous to attribute all human suffering to a conjectured chemical imbalance, without even looking at external circumstances (stress can trigger/perpetuate screwed up brain chemistry, and in my case no drug could compensate for the effects of my torturous life situation). I know some of y’all are somewhat offended when pdocs/therapists look for psychological causes, since for many people this isn’t relevant. I’m personally offended when certain problems I have are attributed to a Remeron deficiency or whatever (as if I don’t already hold the world record for "greatest number of serotonin boosters trialed"). I wish psychiatry would unite both aspects of mental health - physical AND emotional. The pdocs I’ve had haven’t helped too much with either - seems they have a very limited vocabulary of words they’ll scrawl on the prescription pad, and that’s the extent of their usefulness.
>
> As for whether psych meds cause brain damage, well, given the screwed-up state my brain’s in I wouldn’t be surprised. Meds: can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.

I was thinking yesterday about the "balance" of meds versus psychotherapy and starting analyzing it from the economics. I don't want to be *too* cynical here, but I think that when a lot of meds were starting to be used, insurance companies liked them because they were cheaper than lots of psychotherapy (hey, you just need a pill and look at the dramatic difference-let's not waste a lot of money talking and nothing happening). Now, the balance of cost has shifted onto meds. With high-dose polypharmacy and patent meds the total bill is a lot higher than if they paid for psychotherapy (the tables have flipped around). I think insurance companies have figured out that generally they are dealing with pricey chronic conditions that don't wind up with *cures* like physical ailments and they are looking for ways to cut costs. Hence, the trend away from meds we are seeing now.

Mitch


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poster:Mitch thread:88357
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