Posted by med_empowered on April 6, 2006, at 18:23:10
In reply to Re: Drugs versus Psychotherapy - Backlash?, posted by linkadge on April 6, 2006, at 18:17:23
I think that we're entering a point where the realization that therapy really CAN help with problems--even severe ones, like schizophrenia--is finally sinking in to the mainstream in the US. I do think shrinks have kind of started to ignore the "neurotic" depressions from the "endogenous" depressions...however, I think therapy can help disorders that seem "biologically driven," too (look at the success of CBT for schizophrenia). Plus..the meds aren't that great.
I think a lot of times we stick to the "depression is a biological illness--period" explanation b/c docs prefer biological illnesses (psychiatry does fancy itself a part of modern medicine, afterall, although many patients probably beg to differ) AND b/c patients prefer to have "biological" illnesses rather than "problems with living".
I seem to recall reading that therapy can help more severe depressions, both w/ and w/o meds (though how effective it is, I couldn't say). Plus, I think the drugs vs. therapy debate is based on an old view of the mind--that the brain is this static organ that can be changed by drugs, but not experiences or therapy. Now we know that the brain changes in response to external stimuli, not just drugs, so it becomes a question not of if treatment is affecting the brain's functioning, but **HOW**--are you just pumping up serotonin with SSRIs, or are you doing more subtle fine tuning with therapy, or a mixture of the two, or...?
poster:med_empowered
thread:629584
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060403/msgs/629793.html