What people can do when they get help for mental illness - Elyn Saks

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
That's because modern medicine is still mostly, in the US, practiced by close minded older white males. Give it a generation and I bet things will come around. The current management and practitioners have to die off.

 

[redhen]

Sometimes/most times, meds CAN help. But i can also tell you that i've had kids on different types of psych meds...
and with a few of those kids..I prefered them OFF those meds.

 

[breezy]

I just got back from Ogden an hour ago after attending the funeral of my sweet friend Charlie. She had been on various meds for depression for years. Charlie committed suicide last Saturday and died in her sleep. Treatment for mental illness doesnt always work. Im not saying people shouldnt get treatment but lets remember that like any other illness sometimes you win sometimes you lose.
Rest in Peace Charlie Girl
You were loved and you will be greatly missed.

 

[desertdarlene]

Some of the problem is not whether or not medications or treatment work, but that a lot of people can't get help in the first place, just like ElioraImmanuel and Brindlebtch said. Unless you have money or good insurance, it's iffy getting help unless you are an obvious danger to yourself or other people. Many people seek help for mental illness while their symptoms are still mild and are told that they don't seem sick or are not sick enough and get no help. They struggle through life until their symptoms are so bad that they have to be institutionalized. I think that needs to change.

 

[bakerjw]

I mean no offense at all. My only point was that it is not a once size fits all situation. Schizophrenia can be a horribly debilitating condition. I've seen it first hand. He went from being a smart active teenager who I admired to a where he is today. I'm glad that some people can be medicated and that all is not lost from them. But there are some that will be "zombified" by their medications.

 

[crazy goose lover]

From working in the mental health field I can tell you a few things: I agree it is very hard to get into a good doctor or sometimes any doctor at all. Many people who get in to see the doctor can not afford to stay on the meds. Just like taking cold medicine when you feel better you forget to take the meds or stop taking them because you are "well". Aslo I have found that unless someone accompanies the mentally ill person to their appointment the person is not always listened to by the doctor, after all they are crazy. If the patient says I am not sleeping, i only eat everyother day and I get dizzy when I stand up the doctor say okay keep taking your meds I'll see you in 6 weeks. If someone goes with them and says they have observed that the person isn't sleeping or eating and that they often loose their balance all of a sudden the doctor listens and tries to determine what the problem is. Sad but true.

 

[chickenRob]

I had problems in the early 70s when they didnt know what I had its been a long haul gettin back from all the med they gave me then that didnot help me. Thank goodness for my chicken friends an new doctors an psycs thanks Bob

 

[Dunkopf]

JMO. It seems like there are a lot of people that have no expertise whatsoever in the field of mental health. However everyone is willing to offer expert opinions based upon someone they knew or someone they knew that knew someone or something they heard on TV or radio. It seems like there is also a lot of misdiagnosing by physicians out there that are not really trained in the field. Yet they treat people that need help from someone that is trained in the field.

There is only one thing for sure and that is that the whole thing is badly underfunded. there's a lot of people that are not getting help and there's probably a lot that don't want help because of their condition. I think the guy in AZ as well as all the other shooters in the past few years and probably the past 100 years were probably in need of help. The guy that tried to shoot Reagan had problems, John Lennon and most other attempts as well as most of the school shootings.

So we should leave the diagnosis to the experts. I know that psychic meds require tweaking and a lot of people don't return or just stop their meds.

That's my opinion, for what it's worth. Since I'm not an educated expert or even an expert in my somewhat vacant mind.

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote:
Have to agree with that one. As always don't know the answer, just recognize the problem.

 

[littlegorb]

having suffered from major depression and anxiety most of my life, the one thing that gives me relief is my chickens. i do not take drugs. i know what makes me feel better, and thank the Good Lord that does not involve medications. i also have my garden every year which is so good for me and everybody i share with. can't wait to start my plants! oh yeah my chickens are getting cabin fever too.

everybody is different, and mental illness can be sad and scary. for those who suffer the worst and can only control their symptoms with drugs, i pray for them. fortunately i have my mind and know right from wrong. i know what makes me happy but still fighting my city to have my hens. and my hens need me too.

our mental health care has gone to hell. we have countless people who need care and cannot get it. it's bad for them and the rest of us who suffer from acts committed by somebody who is delusional.

i am thankful that i can control mine naturally. just living sustainably as i can is my drug.