Posted by whiterabbit on June 29, 2003, at 19:52:04
In reply to Re: do I need medication, posted by Tabitha on June 29, 2003, at 18:39:46
As I said to Shar in my post above, it's an established, medically proven FACT that mood disorders often have a biological basis, meaning brain chemistry that is NOT as it should be. When there is no psychological basis for something as severe as SI (such as sexual abuse), then brain chemistry is responsible. There is ALWAYS a reason for this type of behavior.When someone makes a statement such as the one that upset you, this person is making a remark out of sheer ignorance. He or she is not educated in psychiatry and brain function, and is mistaken in their interpretation of "self-medicating".
Self-medication is what a person does to relieve the emotional pain caused by a psychological disorder. People with ADD such as myself often abuse stimulants from caffeine to meth. The biological reason for ADD is underactivity in the frontal lobe of the brain. That's why a stimulant is prescribed to kids that are already hyperactive, even though this would seem ridiculous to anyone unaware of the medical reason for it. The stimulant helps "fire up" the underactive frontal lobe, helping the child (or adult) gain the ability to focus and concentrate.
Unfortunately, some parents are unable or unwilling to understand this concept (or worse, it was never explained to them at all), and refuse to "medicate" their children. They BELIEVE they are doing the right thing, but what they're actually doing is depriving their child of a chance to grow up normally. So this kind of ignorance can have devestating effects - for you too.I'm sure the person who made this remark to you believes what they are saying and meant well. Unfortunately, they haven't the slightest idea what they're talking about. In this day and age, medical technology has progressed to a degree where mood disorders can be treated with the proper medication. Don't deprive yourself of the opportunity to live a good life because of someone else's uneducated opinion.
-Gracie
poster:whiterabbit
thread:237804
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030626/msgs/237970.html