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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 14, 2000, at 1:07:24
Hi,
The main Psycho-Babble board can get so busy that it's overwhelming, and one suggestion was to create a separate board for non-medication-related discussions. So here we are, let's see how it goes...
Bob
Posted by Todd on August 15, 2000, at 16:33:03
In reply to Welcome, posted by Dr. Bob on August 14, 2000, at 1:07:24
Hello, Dr. Bob. I am writing to express my opinion on the new boards. I have to admit that I never paid a great deal of attention to the debates regarding possible solutions to the overcrowding at PB. There were so many, with so many different opinions, that I basically just skimmed a few. Perhaps my point of view has already been discussed by another, but I am too lazy to find out!
My main concern is that we all benefit from different points of view. Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most. If you have ever perused any of my posts, there will be no mistaking my position in the non-med camp. I am not anti-med by any means, and I take them myself daily. However, I recognize them for what I believe they truly are - merely tools in the healing process. There is so much more that is vitally important to our health and healing than just popping a few pills and hoping the pain will go away. There are so many people reaching and grasping for hope in a bottle that I feel it is important for them to realize there are other ways to feel better. Indeed, many people are in immediate need of medication. But again, they are only tools.
Many of the posts I have responded to have been written by people with med problems. I have thrown in my non-med metaphysical point of view and have had replies of thanks for helping these posters see things in a different, if only slightly, way. I scan posts, waiting for something to catch my eye and tug at my heart. I can still do that here, but it seems as though my point of view no longer has a "place" in the regular PB. I fear that many who scan the regular PB for info about meds will never wander over here to see what else they can find. Perhaps this is a knee-jerk reaction, and many people will wander back and forth between the camps. I certainly hope so. I hope as you contemplate the changes and monitor the boards and their progress, that you will keep this in mind. If the camps get too insular, I think we will need another solution. Thanks for all that you do...this is a wonderful forum for healing. Peace and love.
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2000, at 21:22:36
In reply to Welcome to Insulation, posted by Todd on August 15, 2000, at 16:33:03
> Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most.
That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I'm open to better ideas! :-)
Bob
Posted by SarahB on August 16, 2000, at 2:00:33
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2000, at 21:22:36
How bout just a note to remind ppl on one board to take a look on the other and hopefully they will find some more info and someone in the same situation starting at it in a different point... Could work or they could all just ignore it... never now...
Sarah
Posted by Rhainy on August 16, 2000, at 8:32:57
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2000, at 21:22:36
Dr Bob,
I agree with the concerns stated in this thread....
> > Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most.
>
> That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I'm open to better ideas! :-)I have a suggestion...maybe a Nice Eye Catching Banner/Notice on Both pages to Remind/Introduce the *Other Board* would help people remember the *other*?
Like On PB you could have one saying something to the affect of: *Visit our Social Board for Less Med Related and More Emotional/Social Topics* and the reverrse for the other board?If you put these near the top of each of the respective boards pages, and in an eyecatching format, people would check them both I think. Just an idea.
Blessings,
Rhainy
Posted by Kath on August 16, 2000, at 9:17:20
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation » Dr. Bob, posted by Rhainy on August 16, 2000, at 8:32:57
Hi Dr. Bob - I hadn't thought of Todd's points, but I agree that there is a concern. I have a "seed" idea...I haven't thought of the mechanics of it & it seems like it might be alot of work to organize. I also don't remember the original reason for the creation of these 2 new boards; if it was that the other board gets crowded & there are too many posts for people to skim through to find out their content, this seed-idea might work.
What if posts on the original PB board had a code beside them to indicate which of the 3 categories they fell under? I don't know if it would mean people went into 'psychosocial-babble' to post & the post appeared on the main board with "PS" beside it (or some other indicator) & the same with the 'junior' posts having their own identifying code or initial - OR if in the area where we type our post there were boxes to click in similar to "add name of previous poster".
Just an 'unthought-out' thought.Kath
> Dr Bob,
>
> I agree with the concerns stated in this thread....
>
> > > Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most.
> >
> > That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I'm open to better ideas! :-)
>
> I have a suggestion...maybe a Nice Eye Catching Banner/Notice on Both pages to Remind/Introduce the *Other Board* would help people remember the *other*?
> Like On PB you could have one saying something to the affect of: *Visit our Social Board for Less Med Related and More Emotional/Social Topics* and the reverrse for the other board?
>
> If you put these near the top of each of the respective boards pages, and in an eyecatching format, people would check them both I think. Just an idea.
>
> Blessings,
> Rhainy
Posted by Kath on August 16, 2000, at 9:19:13
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation to Dr. Bob, posted by Kath on August 16, 2000, at 9:17:20
P.S. - I would prefer everything to be on one page.
Kath
> Hi Dr. Bob - I hadn't thought of Todd's points, but I agree that there is a concern. I have a "seed" idea...I haven't thought of the mechanics of it & it seems like it might be alot of work to organize. I also don't remember the original reason for the creation of these 2 new boards; if it was that the other board gets crowded & there are too many posts for people to skim through to find out their content, this seed-idea might work.
> What if posts on the original PB board had a code beside them to indicate which of the 3 categories they fell under? I don't know if it would mean people went into 'psychosocial-babble' to post & the post appeared on the main board with "PS" beside it (or some other indicator) & the same with the 'junior' posts having their own identifying code or initial - OR if in the area where we type our post there were boxes to click in similar to "add name of previous poster".
> Just an 'unthought-out' thought.
>
> Kath
>
>
>
> > Dr Bob,
> >
> > I agree with the concerns stated in this thread....
> >
> > > > Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most.
> > >
> > > That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. I'm open to better ideas! :-)
> >
> > I have a suggestion...maybe a Nice Eye Catching Banner/Notice on Both pages to Remind/Introduce the *Other Board* would help people remember the *other*?
> > Like On PB you could have one saying something to the affect of: *Visit our Social Board for Less Med Related and More Emotional/Social Topics* and the reverrse for the other board?
> >
> > If you put these near the top of each of the respective boards pages, and in an eyecatching format, people would check them both I think. Just an idea.
> >
> > Blessings,
> > Rhainy
Posted by stjames on August 18, 2000, at 2:32:56
In reply to Welcome to Insulation, posted by Todd on August 15, 2000, at 16:33:03
> My main concern is that we all benefit from different points of view. Separating the med and non-med camps is great for each camp to chew the fat and strengthen their own views, but it does nothing to introduce new ideas to the people who may need them most.
James here....
I don't see Social as an non-med place. I hope it is a place to discuss non med issues in more depth. I don't see it as a seperation, more a way to keep Babble from getting so huge. Clearly a place is needed to let people discuss meds. If we discuss everything there the page will get huge. One click is not too much to ask !
Do remember Todd that some of us, like me, just need the meds. I did 6 months of serious psycoanalysis in my early 20's, b4 the meds, and learned a lot, but some problems remained that only meds could deal with. I was born with ADD and depression followed in my mid 20's. The depression was not caused by any event(s), it was, in me, a question of biochemistry. The pdocs, psycholigist and I are in agreement here. I feel like I really did not start using what I learned in analysis till the meds and I wish I was taking meds while in analysis. $120 an hour would be better used if I was on meds and did not have underlying biochemical issues to deal with.
I don't think I have ever mentioned this, but I feel everyone should do 3-6 months in analysis,
you can learn a whole lot about yourself.James
Posted by paul on August 20, 2000, at 1:16:38
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation, posted by Dr. Bob on August 15, 2000, at 21:22:36
for myself, i almost always mix med and non-med experiences because i find them to be pretty much inseparable. this allows me to tell my "whole story" to whomsoever wants to read it. its sad that one of the reasons for this board is that some people with absolutely no med-related experience have chosen to abuse pb and its posters. hopefully this spinoff-board will bring said situation to a fitting and final end.
i was amazed when i first stumbled across pb. it took me a week to stop telling everybody i knew about this kickass board where knowledgeable people shot the straight poop re: drugs etc. depression etc etc etc. i just wish we could do it in person! pb has allowed me to both reach out and to be touched and i deeply thank our good dokktorr for his efforts at keeping this more-often-than-not i'm sure behemoth out of the tar-pits it sometimes stumbles toward.
p(c(l))
Posted by shar on August 20, 2000, at 2:44:04
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation, posted by paul on August 20, 2000, at 1:16:38
x > for myself, i almost always mix med and non-med experiences because i find them to be pretty much inseparable. this allows me to tell my "whole story" to whomsoever wants to read it. its sad that one of the reasons for this board is that some people with absolutely no med-related experience have chosen to abuse pb and its posters. hopefully this spinoff-board will bring said situation to a fitting and final end.
> i was amazed when i first stumbled across pb. it took me a week to stop telling everybody i knew about this kickass board where knowledgeable people shot the straight poop re: drugs etc. depression etc etc etc. i just wish we could do it in person! pb has allowed me to both reach out and to be touched and i deeply thank our good dokktorr for his efforts at keeping this more-often-than-not i'm sure behemoth out of the tar-pits it sometimes stumbles toward.
> p(c(l))
Posted by Cam W. on August 20, 2000, at 11:04:26
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation, posted by paul on August 20, 2000, at 1:16:38
Paul - Don't you just love the way some people react when espouse the virtues of this site. It's like, "Yeah, yeah, whatever; the internet." I lost a regular speaking job when I gave this site out at a presentation. I'm telling the clients too much and the internet is a dangerous and misleading place for information (Good heavens, what if I actuallly help someone understand their illness?!). I just have to smile.- Cam
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 21, 2000, at 1:45:51
In reply to Re: Welcome to Insulation » paul, posted by Cam W. on August 20, 2000, at 11:04:26
> I lost a regular speaking job when I gave this site out at a presentation. I'm telling the clients too much and the internet is a dangerous and misleading place for information (Good heavens, what if I actuallly help someone understand their illness?!). I just have to smile.
Oops, sorry about that! I'm glad you're still smiling. :-)
Bob
Posted by Cam W. on August 21, 2000, at 6:21:55
In reply to Re: sorry!, posted by Dr. Bob on August 21, 2000, at 1:45:51
Dr.Bob - No problem, I actually now have more work than ever. This place is making me look good. - Cam
Posted by BrianD on August 27, 2000, at 2:51:27
In reply to Re: sorry! » Dr. Bob, posted by Cam W. on August 21, 2000, at 6:21:55
So I guess I ask the first question on this board. Is there a single predictable cause of depression? I was going along fine, albeit in my own little fantasy world not letting anything get to me, until my girlfriend broke-up with me, almost exactly a year ago, and then my entire world fell appart. Everything that I had kept behind a seriously thick wall came rushing out, like water through a broken dam. I have rarely seen the light of day since (and when I do, it hurts my eyes!).
Was I predisposed to depression and had just walled it out of existance along with everything else, or was I fine and this was just the proverbial straw? I'm very confused!
Has anyone read Burns' "Feeling Good" - Any thoughts? I told my pdoc that I just wanted to get this damn thing over with... show me the button and I will push it!
Brian
Posted by Nibor on August 27, 2000, at 9:05:51
In reply to First Posting, posted by BrianD on August 27, 2000, at 2:51:27
Hi, Brian
Complicated condition, but "the loss of a loved one is the most common precipitant for a depressive episode." But that doesn't begin to explain. Think of depression as a "threshold" disease. Each person has a point or level to which he or she is able to "handle" what life gives him. Someone with a low level but no particular problems may never "get" depression. and we sometimes hear of people with terrible experiences, who seem to manage no matter what.
I'm not a mental health profession, but I work on my husband's website at http://www.undoingdepression.com. I have learned a lot because of his work to study and overcome his own depression.
I hope you have a good therapist and find your way through. I know you are in pain right now, but there is hope and help.
Take care.
Nibor> So I guess I ask the first question on this board. Is there a single predictable cause of depression? I was going along fine, albeit in my own little fantasy world not letting anything get to me, until my girlfriend broke-up with me, almost exactly a year ago, and then my entire world fell appart. Everything that I had kept behind a seriously thick wall came rushing out, like water through a broken dam. I have rarely seen the light of day since (and when I do, it hurts my eyes!).
>
> Was I predisposed to depression and had just walled it out of existance along with everything else, or was I fine and this was just the proverbial straw? I'm very confused!
>
> Has anyone read Burns' "Feeling Good" - Any thoughts? I told my pdoc that I just wanted to get this damn thing over with... show me the button and I will push it!
>
> Brian
Posted by BrianD on August 27, 2000, at 15:58:54
In reply to Re: First Posting » BrianD, posted by Nibor on August 27, 2000, at 9:05:51
Thanks N,
My doctor told me that I had blown the lid off the stress scale! Several jobs, in several provinces, necessitating several moves within a year and a half. Added to the stress that I had unknowingly placed on myself over the last 20 years of "walling" myself in. I think once the wall broke I was left with no coping or defense mechanisms. I sort of imploded.
Ok, a million dollars to anyone who can come up with a biological replacement for stress;~} (If I had a million dollars I'd hire someone else to take this stress off my back!!!).
I'm going to check out that web site as soon as I finish this note.
Thanks,
Brian
> Hi, Brian
> Complicated condition, but "the loss of a loved one is the most common precipitant for a depressive episode." But that doesn't begin to explain. Think of depression as a "threshold" disease. Each person has a point or level to which he or she is able to "handle" what life gives him. Someone with a low level but no particular problems may never "get" depression. and we sometimes hear of people with terrible experiences, who seem to manage no matter what.
> I'm not a mental health profession, but I work on my husband's website at http://www.undoingdepression.com. I have learned a lot because of his work to study and overcome his own depression.
> I hope you have a good therapist and find your way through. I know you are in pain right now, but there is hope and help.
> Take care.
> Nibor
>
> > So I guess I ask the first question on this board. Is there a single predictable cause of depression? I was going along fine, albeit in my own little fantasy world not letting anything get to me, until my girlfriend broke-up with me, almost exactly a year ago, and then my entire world fell appart. Everything that I had kept behind a seriously thick wall came rushing out, like water through a broken dam. I have rarely seen the light of day since (and when I do, it hurts my eyes!).
> >
> > Was I predisposed to depression and had just walled it out of existance along with everything else, or was I fine and this was just the proverbial straw? I'm very confused!
> >
> > Has anyone read Burns' "Feeling Good" - Any thoughts? I told my pdoc that I just wanted to get this damn thing over with... show me the button and I will push it!
> >
> > Brian
Posted by shar on August 27, 2000, at 23:46:33
In reply to Re: First Posting » Nibor, posted by BrianD on August 27, 2000, at 15:58:54
Brian,
I would love it if there was one predictable cause for depression, and one predictable resolution (therapy, meds, whatever). Like with poison ivy or something.But, we are not that lucky! In fact, treatment still seems to be an art, more than a science, at this point!
Good luck,
Shar
> Thanks N,
>
> My doctor told me that I had blown the lid off the stress scale! Several jobs, in several provinces, necessitating several moves within a year and a half. Added to the stress that I had unknowingly placed on myself over the last 20 years of "walling" myself in. I think once the wall broke I was left with no coping or defense mechanisms. I sort of imploded.
>
> Ok, a million dollars to anyone who can come up with a biological replacement for stress;~} (If I had a million dollars I'd hire someone else to take this stress off my back!!!).
>
> I'm going to check out that web site as soon as I finish this note.
>
> Thanks,
> Brian
>
>
> > Hi, Brian
> > Complicated condition, but "the loss of a loved one is the most common precipitant for a depressive episode." But that doesn't begin to explain. Think of depression as a "threshold" disease. Each person has a point or level to which he or she is able to "handle" what life gives him. Someone with a low level but no particular problems may never "get" depression. and we sometimes hear of people with terrible experiences, who seem to manage no matter what.
> > I'm not a mental health profession, but I work on my husband's website at http://www.undoingdepression.com. I have learned a lot because of his work to study and overcome his own depression.
> > I hope you have a good therapist and find your way through. I know you are in pain right now, but there is hope and help.
> > Take care.
> > Nibor
> >
> > > So I guess I ask the first question on this board. Is there a single predictable cause of depression? I was going along fine, albeit in my own little fantasy world not letting anything get to me, until my girlfriend broke-up with me, almost exactly a year ago, and then my entire world fell appart. Everything that I had kept behind a seriously thick wall came rushing out, like water through a broken dam. I have rarely seen the light of day since (and when I do, it hurts my eyes!).
> > >
> > > Was I predisposed to depression and had just walled it out of existance along with everything else, or was I fine and this was just the proverbial straw? I'm very confused!
> > >
> > > Has anyone read Burns' "Feeling Good" - Any thoughts? I told my pdoc that I just wanted to get this damn thing over with... show me the button and I will push it!
> > >
> > > Brian
Posted by Marianna on August 29, 2000, at 11:51:16
In reply to Re: First Posting, posted by shar on August 27, 2000, at 23:46:33
Hi, this is my first time here, but I too am suffering from depression which must be caused by extreme stress. I have two children with autism, little hands-on help, and my best friend (whom I talked with many times a day) just went back to work full-time...leaving me with little to rely on. My husband is distant, and I am lonely and, well, depressed! I have been tried on several medications thus far, but still really feel low. It is nice to know there is someone out there (faceless though they may be) that can offer some support.
Posted by BrianD on August 29, 2000, at 21:37:25
In reply to Re: First Posting/stress, posted by Marianna on August 29, 2000, at 11:51:16
Hey Mariana,
I'm new here too, and I have discovered that the people here are indeed helpful and concerned... there is no one like someone who's been there to be supportive and to truly understand.
Brian
Hi, this is my first time here, but I too am suffering from depression which must be caused by extreme stress. I have two children with autism, little hands-on help, and my best friend (whom I talked with many times a day) just went back to work full-time...leaving me with little to rely on. My husband is distant, and I am lonely and, well, depressed! I have been tried on several medications thus far, but still really feel low. It is nice to know there is someone out there (faceless though they may be) that can offer some support.
This is the end of the thread.
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