Posted by vale on April 22, 2006, at 8:21:48 [reposted on April 23, 2006, at 0:35:23 | original URL]
In reply to Re: The Myth of neurosis » vale, posted by madeline on April 22, 2006, at 5:54:24
> First, I would heartily recommend reading literature about this subject that is more that 20 years old. One would never attempt to understand coronary artery disease by reading a 20 year old textbook would they?
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> Second, I do think that a lot of medications (especially the benzos) are probably over prescribed just to keep patients quiet.
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> Third, I will also readily admit that our whole understanding of the mechanism of anxiety, depression and stress is subjective. Who is really to say how MUCH stress a person has? But our understanding is getting better and one can not discount the physiological mechanisms that underly these subjective symptoms.
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> You just can't lump everyone's physiological response to stress in one big bucket so to speak.
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> As an example consider a truly subjective symptom - Pain.
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> There is no quantitative measure for how much pain a person feels. And for years, patients with a so-called low pain thresholds were considered "weak and whiny". Everyone just assumed the best approach was to just suck it up and deal with it. BUT, research now clearly indicates that people who report more pain produce more of a chemical called "Substance P" and lack of appropriate pain management for these people reduces healing time, raises blood pressure and causes a systemic rise in some nasty glucocorticoids. So, should a person that reports more pain than another be subjected to this pathology? Absolutely not! No physician is ever going to tell a patient, "pray away your pain". People have different physiological responses to pain, and neither is right or wrong, just different. There is a physiological underpining to a very subjective report, that can be treated.
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> Likewise, should a patient that reports more stress than another be told to "pray away your stress?" No, our body chemistry predicts HOW we will respond to stress and for everyone that is different and no amount of prayer, meditation etc is going to change that, it requires a physiological intervention.
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> And that's why, I think it is really important to NEVER ascribe a blanket "you're not really sick at all" to people that report anxiety, stress or one of the more generalized symptoms. Everyone is different and requires different things.
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Dear oh Dear, I'm sorry if I've offended some folks out there. The fact is the initial post was not intended for those who are indeed suffering serious illness, depression, Pychosis, but who perhaps consider themselves not quite sure about their own predicament. In such cases it's certainly worth giving a trial to a relatively austere regime of excersice, healthy diet, and acceptance that lifes basicaly a tough deal. It's the pharmaceutical companies that like to throw us all into one bucket. They are in large part responsible for catagorizing our pain and suffering into a hundred and one new disorders and syndromes. Interupting family viewing on TV to advertise antidepressants, smilely happy faces on Effexor, Wellbutrin and Paxil. The whole scam wouldn't be so bad if they actually did give us a sustainable mood boost on a durable basis. But for most they don't, perhaps intentionaly ,perhaps not. And untill the advent of that blockbuster drug that makes me feel like a million bucks every day of the year, I'll just rely on the endorphin boost that sustained excercise provides, with the occasional dopamine feast of a fine wine coupled with the serenity that family and friends provide.Be well
poster:vale
thread:636041
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060422/msgs/636052.html