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mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:10:38 AM   
barelynangel


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Status: offline 		I have a question i see so many people when it seems like a vast amount of people on the boards claim some type of mental issue and they take drugs for their mental issues and the advocating of same on here is like watching commercials on TV for same.  I don't have any mental issues that i know of, so i am coming from a position of ignorance, but could someone explain to me why drugs seem to be many times the treatment of choice versus intense therapy? 

I realize doctors push drugs nowadays moreso than not, but could someone explain why you would rather take drugs than not and instead use intense therapy for mental issues many people seem to be suffering from?  Was it you who initiated the idea of drugs or your doctor?

angel

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:18:28 AM   
sirsholly


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quote:

I realize doctors push drugs nowadays moreso than not, but could someone explain why you would rather take drugs than not and instead use intense therapy for mental issues many people seem to be suffering from? Was it you who initiated the idea of drugs or your doctor?
Angel...i am a HUGE advocate of medicating for mental health issues.

Intense therapy takes time...possibly years to resolve the issues that are causing distress. Why should the patient suffer needlessly?

Look at it this way. You break your leg. With physical therapy it will heal eventually, but in the interim should you be denied a medication that can improve your quality of life...such as an anti-inflammatory or pain reliever?

And as to whos suggestion it is....the patients or the doctors.....i would certainly hope that if the patient did not suggest it first, the doctor certainly would.


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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:27:54 AM   
Phoenixpower


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quote:

ORIGINAL: barelynangel

I realize doctors push drugs nowadays moreso than not, but could someone explain why you would rather take drugs than not and instead use intense therapy for mental issues many people seem to be suffering from?  Was it you who initiated the idea of drugs or your doctor?

angel


I can't really say much to your general topic OP, but I remember how shocked I was 10 years ago when I worked in a children's home for many years and we regular got "new kids" into our group, being on heavy drugs they got prescribed in the child psychiatry centre...we then worked with their behaviour and got them either off that stuff over time or significantly reduced it if it was impossible to take them off (which was thankfully rarely the case). Also we had once a debate about it in our class room where some of the other students who were more involved with the staff from psychiatric wards said that those staff are amazed at times with what behaviour we put up with as in their wards they would have given the drugs ages ago just to keep them calm...

so it was quite shocking to see how easily it can sometimes be administered as they aren't able to handle the situation or just think that this is the easier option...one child I worked with had to undergo several 4hour appointments to proper assess his asthma and to reduce his heavy medication gradually (he had medication for it which was classified as being quite heavy, on top of drugs for his psychological problems) and at the end he did not need any of it and that doctor questioned big time if he ever had asthma in the first place...but nevertheless it was pumped into the system of an 11 year old for almost a year...so sometimes also staff can be wrong in giving it in the first place and some don't quite care and just want it easy and calm in their wards...

< Message edited by Phoenixpower -- 11/3/2009 4:32:37 AM >

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:32:10 AM   
angelikaJ


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quote:

ORIGINAL: barelynangel

I have a question i see so many people when it seems like a vast amount of people on the boards claim some type of mental issue and they take drugs for their mental issues and the advocating of same on here is like watching commercials on TV for same.  I don't have any mental issues that i know of, so i am coming from a position of ignorance, but could someone explain to me why drugs seem to be many times the treatment of choice versus intense therapy? 

I realize doctors push drugs nowadays moreso than not, but could someone explain why you would rather take drugs than not and instead use intense therapy for mental issues many people seem to be suffering from?  Was it you who initiated the idea of drugs or your doctor?

angel


I think many people would be thrilled to just do intensive therapy and be cured.
Therapy can help in many cases but it alone can't cure some things.

For a majority of the people affected with bi-polar disorder, therapy alone will not fix it.
It is a brain chemistry issue.

Same with schizophrenia.

For people who are experiencing depression, it mostly has to do with the nature of the depression.
There is reactive depression: an event happened that made someone sad and the sadness is something they are unable to get over on their own.
Therapy helps.
Other people have endogenous depression which again is a brain chemistry imbalance.
Therapy can also help them but it won't fix their brain chemistry.
For some people, it is a reactive depression, which then provokes a chemical imbalance.
And for that you probably need both therapy and usually medication for awhile.

There are some therapy techniques that are extremely helpful: CBT for one.
Therapy plus medication is usually more successful than either alone.

The reason for medication is that therapy alone can not fix an imbalance of serotonin, dopamine or norepinephrine and for people who experience severe mental ilness, including severe and recurrent depression, it is a medical illness.
You wouldn't suggest to a diabetic that they just intensively talk about their blood sugars to get over it.

Edit: spelling/grammar

< Message edited by angelikaJ -- 11/3/2009 5:03:00 AM >

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:36:47 AM   
RapierFugue


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quote:

ORIGINAL: barelynangel

I have a question i see so many people when it seems like a vast amount of people on the boards claim some type of mental issue and they take drugs for their mental issues and the advocating of same on here is like watching commercials on TV for same.  I don't have any mental issues that i know of, so i am coming from a position of ignorance, but could someone explain to me why drugs seem to be many times the treatment of choice versus intense therapy? 



I don't have mental issues myself, but have worked with mental health teams previously, and it boils down to a number of factors (this from a UK perspective);

1. Cost; Put simply, "intense therapy" as you put it, is nightmarishly expensive. Drugs are (relatively) cheap.

2. Risk & timing; If someone is assessed as being "at risk" (ie may possibly self-harm), but not to the extent that suicide is imminent, then it presents a dilemma; if someone is assessed as potentially and imminently suicidal they can be sectioned (removed to a mental institution against their will, subject to the signature of 2 doctors, as per the Mental Health Act, most usually Section 4 (emergency basis, 3 day maximum), but very occasionally Section 2 (28 day assessment), or Section 3 (6 month treatment approval - rare), but for those likely to self-harm or otherwise deteriorate, but unlikely to suicide, it may well take too long for "intense therapy" to elicit a response, whereas proper medication can show results in a matter of days - it gives the assessment team a breathing space in which to calm or otherwise improve the patient's situation while other alternatives are explored (like therapy).

3. Degree: most people with mental health issues present little danger to others, and can be effectively treated with medication. This removes or reduces the need for costly and time-consuming therapy, and impacts their lives, and the lives of their carers and family/friends much less, meaning that, in many cases, they can continue their lives, keeping their jobs and homes, rather than being hauled off and having their lives derailed. Put simply, only a small proportion of mental health patients are an imminent danger to themselves or others. The majority of drugs used are relatively very safe, with only handful (lithium being the most famous) requiring intense supervision (due to its uptake being different for everyone who takes it), so regular blood tests are needed in the initial period to determine to what degree the person's body is metabolising the drug. For most medications this is unnecessary, with only GP visits and some mental health team assessment being required over time.

4. Capacity; if you were to implement an "intense therapy" solution for every initial mental assessment you would need huge numbers of therapists and clinicians, and it's questionable whether the results would be any better. Again, for the majority of patients, medication provides an effective solution.

5. Approach; for mild-to-medium cases, medication is usually used alongside conventional therapy, where appropriate, so there's a 2-pronged approach. In recent years the conventional model of n patients to 1 psychologist/therapist has been shown to be inefficient, so multi-skill teams, consisting of psychologists, mental health nurses, administrators and sometimes social workers, is often used to provide a more complete solution, meaning that more patients can be treated more quickly. Also, most people with issues need only some help for a period of time, while they re-establish their mental balance - many of them don't actually need therapy, but instead a short-to-medium term course of medication sees them back on their feet.

6. Efficacy; "intense therapy" has a patchy track record with regard to long term solution for mild-to-medium severity cases. Put simply, you need good teams, well funded, with plenty of capacity/personnel, and that's not always possible to provide, either due to cost, recruitment, or location issues.

There are a few other factors, but I have to get down the shops in a minute, so that'll have to do for now

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 5:24:20 AM   
devilishpixie


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Status: offline 		I am bipolar and suffer from PTSD. There is no magic bullet. No easy cure. Recovery is hard work. No pill can do the work for me. If I sit back and wait for a pill or in my case three pills to make me better, I will not get better. Recovery to me means taking an active stance towards my problems and the challenges that I face. Psychiatric medications are one tool among many other tools that I can and do utilize. Therapy, a strong support system, physical exercise, eating well, avoiding alcohol and street drugs, and meditation are all equally important parts in my treatment.

There was a time when I thought using / taking medications meant I was weak or taking the easy road. I no longer think this way. There is no right or wrong treatment. There is only the way that works for me, that allows me to be healthy and to be a productive member of society and more importantly a mother to my children.

I don’t simply take medications, to me that implies a passive stance. I have learned to use medications as part of my treatment. Along with these I have also had to learn non-drug coping strategies that help alleviate my symptoms. I have had to learn to cope with depression, manic episodes, being tired, being unable to work full time, flashbacks, self injury, obsessive thinking, and so on. I have learned that with the right balance of medication, therapy and non-drug coping skills I can truly function on a healthy level with others, hell with myself.

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 6:45:00 AM   
RapierFugue


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quote:

ORIGINAL: devilishpixie

I am bipolar and suffer from PTSD. There is no magic bullet. No easy cure. Recovery is hard work. No pill can do the work for me. If I sit back and wait for a pill or in my case three pills to make me better, I will not get better. Recovery to me means taking an active stance towards my problems and the challenges that I face. Psychiatric medications are one tool among many other tools that I can and do utilize. Therapy, a strong support system, physical exercise, eating well, avoiding alcohol and street drugs, and meditation are all equally important parts in my treatment.

There was a time when I thought using / taking medications meant I was weak or taking the easy road. I no longer think this way. There is no right or wrong treatment. There is only the way that works for me, that allows me to be healthy and to be a productive member of society and more importantly a mother to my children.

I don’t simply take medications, to me that implies a passive stance. I have learned to use medications as part of my treatment. Along with these I have also had to learn non-drug coping strategies that help alleviate my symptoms. I have had to learn to cope with depression, manic episodes, being tired, being unable to work full time, flashbacks, self injury, obsessive thinking, and so on. I have learned that with the right balance of medication, therapy and non-drug coping skills I can truly function on a healthy level with others, hell with myself.


Exactly so ... it's a balancing act. When you repair a house you don't only use a hammer - there are all sorts of tools, and each has its place; therapy (cognitive or otherwise), medication, etc.

And you're right; so many people used to think of medication as being a sign of "weakness" or dependency, when again it's just another tool. Indeed in some cases, such as those where there is a fundamental brain chemistry dysfunction (as in some forms of depression, for example), no amount of therapy on its own will ever work - there has to be medication too.

PS: Bipolar *and* PTSD? Strewth, that can't have been an easy (or fun) ride Best wishes for continued improvement.

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 7:07:47 AM   
devilishpixie


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Status: offline 		Thank you Rapeir Fugue. It's not a fun ride but I couldn't survive it with all of the tools at my disposal including my meds. I still personally struggle with the realities of my symptoms on a daily basis as does my family and friends. But I know from experience you can't do it without utelizing EVERY tool at your disposal.

< Message edited by devilishpixie -- 11/3/2009 7:10:56 AM >

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 1:52:07 PM   
DemonKia


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Most of the basics have been laid out by the above posters, I can add only a coupla little nuances:

Which talk therapy? There are hundreds or thousands of schools of talk therapy . . . . .

Just limiting oneself to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will still offer dozens of varieties of practice, I suspect . . . .

For instance, the therapist I see uses the Virginia Satir model . . . . . & then there are Freudians & Jungians & Gestalt therapists & re-birthers & on & on & on & on & on . . . . .

The meds are comparatively simple & few in number, with relatively clear applications & modes & etc . . . . . .



& there's also a certain reluctance to engage in psychological therapeutic approaches & related out in the general (USofA) populace. Or, at least that's my experience. Much dismissing of its utility, much avoidance & denial of psych stuff in general . . . . . Tough to get people doing counseling en masse if masses of 'em think it's a crock of shit or way too scary (to even admit their fears) or whatever . . . . ..

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 3:05:56 PM   
kccuckoldmist


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Status: offline 		There are degrees with mental disease and with the people who are affected by them that make the whole medication versus therapy or more often then not the combination of the two as the best way to go.

In essence a key to most illnesses that are ongoing is to recognize the symptoms in a timely manner, know your limitations and your ability to deal whether to control the bad things or to prevent bad things from happening. The biggest problem with most with mental illnesses is often the nature of the illness deeply impacts their ability to recognize and deal with what happens to them if not on some sort of medication. This is especially the case when the onset of the illness starts impacting their lives. Medication at least from the start is often quite necessary.

Not every mental illness and any degree of the illness can simply be treated by mind over matter. Not every person is capable of mind over matter. Many people today live productive lives that would have in the past been institutionalized, in prison or been stuck to a lonely life of being cared for by loving family and basically shut off from society.

The best way to treat any mental illness is like any other illness and that is simply to find a way that works best. There are no style points when it comes to our health. People on these medications still have their lives deeply impacted by their illness and by the byproducts of the medicine they take.



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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 3:24:48 PM   
DesFIP


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The only mental illness that can be cured is unipolar depression, and that requires 18 months to five years on the medication.

Most mental illnesses cannot be cured.
Epilepsy, which is caused by an electrical problem in the brain, cannot be cured by therapy.
Bipolar disorder, which is caused by an electrical problem in the brain, cannot be cured by therapy.

Most mental illnesses have physical components. Whether the physical changes in the brain were caused by repeated trauma, repeatedly flooding the brain with the wrong chemicals, or by a genetic disorder, or by a random mutation doesn't matter. If your brain chemistry is abnormal, talk therapy will not cure it anymore than it will cure abnormal body chemistry such as diabetes.

Now what therapy can do, is, once the underlying disease such as bipolar or panic attacks or schizophrenia has been lifted through the medium of medication, is to teach you the things you couldn't learn when you were ill. Such as how to make friends, social cues, and so on.

No different than a kid with cancer getting treatment for the leukemia and then needing a year of tutoring to learn the school work he couldn't learn while puking daily in a cancer ward.

Go look up neuropsychology if you want to know more.

< Message edited by DesFIP -- 11/3/2009 3:27:06 PM >

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 3:43:34 PM   
Aileen1968


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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:25:08 PM   
littlewonder


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Status: offline 		Drugs are usually the easy way out. They don't have to deal with the real issues. Drugs are a panacea many times.

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 4:25:20 PM   
VivaciousSub


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Status: offline 		I'm in the camp with those who believe medication is part of a treatment plan that includes a healthy lifestyle, therapy and the like.

I have dealt with depression since I was 13 and manic-depression since I was 22. It took me 4.5 years to find the right combination of medication that made intensive therapy possible. When your brain chemistry is screwed up (either started alone or as a reactive episode), therapy may not be as effective. Maybe you can't think as clearly, or see as many possibilities and perspectives, etc. When I was running about like a rabid squirrel, or so depressed that tying my shoes was an epic battle, insight - the key for therapy to work - was, shall we say, lacking.

Finally, after being on the right medication combo, 6 months of intensive therapy (10-12 hours a week) followed by another 6 months of weekly therapy let me get to the point where my psychiatrist slowly weaned me off all my meds. I haven't had an episode in about 2 years. I still have ups and downs that are a bit more intense than others, but I have the tools (I eat well, exercise, socialize, no self-medicating, quit smoking, etc) to manage them without medication.

I am not cured. I never will be. And that's okay! I am in a long period of remission. I am still under the care of a psychiatrist, whom I check in with every 3 months or so at the least, more if I feel like I might be heading towards episode land. My episodes tend to be reactive - ie, I would react to situations in ways that made me feel worse, which made me worse, which triggered an episode, and at that point it was chemical and medication was the only way to get me back on my feet. I got sick of that cycle.

There is a chance in the future that I will have an episode again, and I might need to go back on meds in the short term while I get my head straightened out.

My sister on the other hand, no matter how much therapy she does or doesn't do - well, if she goes off her meds, a week later she is completely round the bend. She's been that mercurial and intense and nuts since she was born. Hers, IMHO, is much more bio-chemical than mine.

A favorite quote of mine for this dichotomy is "medication gave me a new window from where I could look upon the world" but therapy, as an author noted, brings about lasting change. It heals.

So, Angel - to each their own. I don't support JUST medication and hoping that will make it all better (I used to be like that, with lamentable and predictable consequences), but I don't support the idea that we all should be "better" than medication.

And I was the one who suggested meds. Even though my first severe depression episode was when I was 13, I did therapy only until I was in my early 20s and started having panic attacks so bad I couldn't leave the house to GO to therapy. Hence, meds.


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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 5:55:42 PM   
angelikaJ


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quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

Drugs are usually the easy way out. They don't have to deal with the real issues. Drugs are a panacea many times.



This is not meant to sound sarcastic or snarky.
I have a serious question  for you.

Please explain to me how therapy is going to repair brain chemistry that is out of whack?
If you have other information from studies, I would love to read about it.
There is no such thing as too much knowledge.
New discoveries are being made all the time about how the brain works.

Please explain to me why if drugs are the easier way out, many people go off them because the side effects are to them, intolerable...and in some cases irreversible.

I would like to know which form of psychotherapy can cure bi-polar disorder.
Or dysthymic mood disorder.
Or PTSD (which by the way they are learning can be minimized or even prevented with the use of a beta-blocker medication after the traumatic event).
Which counseling method will help SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
(There are studies now that show Wellbutrin can actually prevent it.)

Mental illness is a medical issue and with all dis-ease, the best solutions deal with the totality of a person.

Yes, there are personality disorders and therapy can help them, but often for therapy to be successful some symptom management needs to be incorporated into the treatment plan.





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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 6:21:47 PM   
littlewonder


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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 7:11:24 PM   
lovingpet


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I have a lot of various training in this particular field and have some pretty strong opinions about drug therapy for mental health issues. I think it is but one leg of many in a good management program. Those who are using it as a stand alone will only improve on the acute side and for a time. The drugs will become ever stronger over time and less effective. I do believe some psychiatric disorders are purely organic in nature. Even then, there has to be a multifaceted approach taken to help the person cope with the everyday stresses of living with their condition. I just don't believe in pills without therapy. I don't believe in pills for life in most cases. I don't believe that pills and therapy cover all the spectrum of treatment either.

There is a lot to be said for patient education, nutrition, alternative medicine, exercise, group support, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, and spiritual life. Any or all of these assist in helping patients improve on a more consistent and permanent basis. For those whose condition is acute, this can lead to eventually not needing the meds anymore. For those whose condition is more long term, it translates to better overall coping and outcome and minimal need for medication over the long run. In those cases, the body simply does not produce the appropriate chemicals and hormones or cannot regulate them properly, so some level of medication will be needed for life. The overall level and success rate are improved while the need for stronger and higher dose medications is minimized. Some changes and increases are usually still needed in the long term cases.

Thorough, and I do mean thorough, medical evaluation is essential too. Many people are on psychiatric drugs who actually have medical conditions driving their symptoms. Thyroid disorders and sleep disorders are among some of the most common ones. There are a great many things that can lead to an imbalance in brain chemistry and resultant behavioral and personality changes as well as things that can lead to pressure and physical damage to the brain as well. Once the problems are addressed, most will go back to normal function. Some will have temporary risidual symptoms and others will have some degree of permanent illness. Still, they are all much improved when the underlying conditions are treated and managed well. If these things are never found or addressed, the psychiatric problems will continue and worsen along with the tragectory of the medical problem itself. Earlier diagnosis and intervention lead to better results, not just with the medical end but the psychiatric outcomes as well.

Pills are shoved in people's faces all the time for all kinds of conditions including psychiatric. Take a pill. Don't address all the other peripheral stuff that is impacting the condition. Then people are surprised when the condition worsens or the pill no longer does what is needed. I have seen doctors get so upset when patients have refused this pill or that or asked a lot of questions about something prescribed. I have also left a few doctors who wouldn't answer my questions or who adversely altered my care when I refused a pill (not psych related btw). I don't look down on anyone who decides that medication would be helpful to them. By all means, if it helps then it is needed. I do encourage folks to advocate for themselves and make sure they are addressing ALL pertinent areas of their life that are involved in a given condition. I have to remind myself just as I do others to take care of the WHOLE person. That's what is most important.

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RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 8:30:44 PM   
SexySensualSara


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quote:

Drugs are usually the easy way out. They don't have to deal with the real issues. Drugs are a panacea many times.


How nice for you to live in such a simple and uncomplicated world. A world where there are no year-plus waiting lists to speak to counsellors, psychiatrist or other professionals who may help to put things into perspective. A world where a simple 'smile, it might never happen!' is enough to cheer up the worst mood you could ever feel. A world where meds are never needed to deal with pain - whether physical or emotional.

Yes, it would be very nice to be able to cope on a daily basis without medication. For diabetics to not need insulin to cope with the chemical imbalances in their bodies that make sugars toxic to them. For pain sufferers to not need analgesics to cope with the pain that they feel from their conditions. Yet these are seen as acceptable forms of medication. So why should people have to suffer from the pain of depression and daily life when those become too much to cope with.

In 2001, I experienced a physical AND mental breakdown. I was dealing with the constant pain of arthritis and on a year-plus waiting list for surgery to deal with it. I was also experiencing EXTREME mental stress in my job - I worked for an under-resourced charity AND was dealing with constant physical pain. These had an effect on my mental outlook. And my partner at the time decided to dump me and get engaged to another woman within the space of a week (which was rather suspicious in itself to say the least). All my friends, including some I had recently donated eggs to so they could - and did - have a child, sided with him. In all, it was a brutal experience that I would not wish upon my worst enemy (except perhaps my former partner!). And I had a COMPLETE AND TOTAL breakdown. I was put on anti-depressants because I was self-destructing BADLY!!! They were not the easy way out, not were they a panacea. They were a means to keep me going until I could finally see a counsellor nearly a year later when I finally got an appointment!

Eight years later, I STILL take anti-depressants. Not the same ones as I was first on since my needs have changed. Also, my doctor has since had time to identify the BEST medication for me to take given my levels of depression, anxiety, stress and so on. I hope to be able to come off them sooner than later, but I also know that they still help to stabilise me and that this has been needed while I put my life back together, slowly but surely.

I hope that NO ONE has to experience the complete destruction of their support system and environment as I did in 2001. But IF they should, I also hope that they will not listen to such negative opinions as the quoted poster and therefore refuse to take medications - NOT PANACEAS - that will help them to survive and get through their difficulties. It is narrow-minded attitudes like that that have made mental illness the modern day leprosy that it has become!


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Profile   Post #: 18
RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 8:54:01 PM   
LanceHughes


Posts: 4737
Joined: 2/12/2004
Status: offline 		I did a lot of internet research once I was diagnosed with bi-polar disease.  One telling mark is that it is degenerative.  I can remember hypo-manic (little episodes) all my life.  About 10 months ago it degenerated to the point it was recognized by my G.P.  G.P got me on anti-depressant and lithium asap.  Next stop - psychiatric specialist.  Good thing since I developed a horrible side-effect, namely lithium went into my siliva, masking 90-95% of the taste of food with a metalic taste.  BLEAH!

I'll spare you the details, but I can tell you in those ten months, the degeratin has speeded up!  No wonder that I've been on 4 different combos with at least two dosage levels for each.  Think we've got it now pretty stable, with a much better outlook.  Psychiatrist deals with a staff of psychologists and there are behavorial helps, etc.  A whole person approach BUT (and it's a big'un) others in this program don't seem to be as proactive as I am and they don't seem to be doing as well.

NOT bragging, not complaining, just sayin'

Diabetics need meds and life changes, other chemical imbalances (like the one I have) need the same basic treatment plan.

< Message edited by LanceHughes -- 11/3/2009 8:57:13 PM >

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(in reply to SexySensualSara)
Profile   Post #: 19
RE: mental issues and drugs - 11/3/2009 9:14:53 PM   
OneMoreWaste


Posts: 910
Joined: 8/24/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder
Drugs are usually the easy way out. They don't have to deal with the real issues. Drugs are a panacea many times.


Well, if they're a panacea, meaning they cure all ills, then that's a good thing. Saying that they're an "easy way out" would be like saying that using a hammer to drive a nail is the "easy way out" as opposed to, say, using your forehead. Technically correct, but of no value.

However, I suspect that your grasp of medicine is rather like your grasp of language- not as good as you think.

**

Potshots aside, here's the thing about meds vs. therapy-

When I tried therapy, it was $150/hour*, during work hours. So, take off in the middle of the day (so I could use my lunch hour to offset most of it), drive there, try to get some meaningful discussion of my problems into an hour after the obligatory inane pleasantries, then try to put myself together enough to drive back to work and look as though I'd just been out having an extra-extra-large sammich.  Which usually meant not going into problems as much as I'd like, because there wasn't enough time. Which usually only came after we caught up on what had happened since my previous visit, which was usually two weeks ago, since I could only afford to go twice a month. Which ended up meaning that it was fucking useless.

I imagine therapy would work far better in an institutional setting, but most of us just don't have that kind of free time. Treat me and street me, I've got bills to pay!

*Insurance would pay for about half of the cost, eventually.


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(in reply to littlewonder)
Profile   Post #: 20
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