Posted by chemist on April 26, 2005, at 1:46:27
In reply to Re: to play the devil`s advocate, posted by Paul Smith on April 26, 2005, at 0:02:32
hello there, chemist here...certainly a worthy thread and plenty of room for discussion. i feel that - as linkadge states - the younger population is being overmedicated, and the risks might well outweigh the benefits.
i went to seek help because of crippling anxiety and panic. there have been good times and bad times, medications that worked for a bit, and some not at all (in my estimation). the medical professionals have varied just as the populace in general does. there is a higher expectation of ``quality service,'' yet they can only work with what we give to them and the drugs used for the common complaints of anxiety, depression, and mood disorders are not at all winners the first go-round.
many drugs do stop working over time. however, this statement can be construed in at least two ways: one's biochemistry has changed to a point where the medication is no longer perceived as effective or is diminished in efficacy; or the medication did in fact work and is no longer needed (``why am i taking an anti-depressant still if i'm not depressed?'').
i recall life being quite grand 10 years ago. but i am 10 years older, and life's circumstances and numerous other variables have changed. further, it is abundantly clear that i should have been in therapy early on: alas, my parents are non-believers in mental health problems, and i am of the age and gender that is perhaps rightly labelled reluctant to seek help in the mental health department.
linkadge - you are a sage, and i wish you well, as your latest posts are painful to read - makes a very valid point concerning the perception of ``mental problems:'' from family to friends to employers and so forth, this plague appears to be universally shunned. a layman's explanation of a chemical imbalance in one's brain being akin to adult-onset diabetes, for instance (perhaps not the best example), is met with disbelief when i invoke it. i am a ``pill popper,'' a person whose problems are inventions, and simply need a couple of beers to unwind - this is the view from the family perspective. ex-friends, happily drinking beer, smoking marihuana and cigarettes while phoning a dealer to secure some ecstacy, want nothing to do with me, and it is hardly due to my sterling interpersonal skills: i only take medication prescribed for me, and apparently this is one step from being institutionalized.
however, there are those who do understand - or are open to our collective plight - and whether it is a therapist, doctor, friend, or internet buddy, if it works, then the job is being done, in my opinion...
all the best to you all, tjm
poster:chemist
thread:489342
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050423/msgs/489648.html