Posted by Christ_empowered on November 3, 2011, at 7:32:05
In reply to Re: More on Abilify...(long, sorry) » Christ_empowered, posted by SLS on November 3, 2011, at 5:37:29
Hey. To Jono--the reuptake inhibitors *do* seem to help with acute psychotic depression (or whatever you call what I experience periodically), but unless the depression is deep and dark, its really not worth it. With milder depressions (and I get voices with milder depressions, its weird), the side effects (emotional blunting, mild mood instability, etc.) really don't justify the almost non-existent benefits.
SLS--I think you might be on to something. I alternate between "psychiatry is helpful" and "psychiatry is oppressive, pseudo-scientific BS," largely because of my experiences as a mental patient. I've experienced both warm and helpful doctors (outpatient) and cruel and unhelpful doctors (inpatient), and some outpatient doctors who were in between those extremes. I also used to be a big Dr.Thomas Szasz fan, and even though I disagree with his premise that mental illness is a "myth," many of his other criticisms of psychiatry and psychology are spot on, so its hard to just go with what the experts tell me to do. Also, in my experience, shrinks diagnose me differently based on their own issues (age, gender, how long they've been practicing, etc.), so its hard to accept any diagnosis as entirely valid.
Still, you do what works, right? I've been taking 15 (I have a stockpile of 30 tabs. They're scored, so I just break it and take 1/2 daily), and I feel pretty good. Minimal paranoia, minimal auditory hallucinations, no major anxiety or agitation, no "fuzzy" concentration, so on and so forth. I've even fixed my screwed up sleep schedule (for now, at least...), so I'm definitely making progress towards being a stable, sane human being, which is a good thing.
I think while the voices were more intense and my mood was lower, I thought if I could elevate my mood, the voices might go away or become less intense and bothersome. As it turns out, my mood has gotten better from non-medical "treatment" (social interaction and taking some initiative in my life), and the voices have gotten more tolerable. Some days I don't even hear voices, which is nice.
Thanks, as always, for your insight and concern. Once I run out of 30 tabs, I think I'll order (or get an Rx, if I get Medicaid+disability) for 20 tabs and take 1/2 and then pop a whole one if I'm feeling agitated.
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:1001368
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111027/msgs/1001563.html