I cannot fathom being off medication. I started the medication years after a suicide attempt and immediately after I went AWOL at work. In my natural state, we wouldn’t be having this exchange. I’d be unemployed and homeless. Yes, I’m in therapy but that’s not a cure all and I’m working through anxieties about exercise..
I am purely curious. How do people decide to go off their meds? Are they financially independent or securely dependent from financial point? What kind of support system is in place to ensure a relative level of comfort? What am I doing wrong?
I don’t expect to ever go off meds. In the times that I’ve run out of scripts early in, I’ve seen regression and I can’t afford regression.
I understand that not everything works for everybody. I’ve run through antidepressants and am now looking into Ketamine therapy.
There’s only so much that the industry as a whole and the individual providers can do. I really think that we need to find a way to pull together and exchange ideas. I know of people who have said that they stopped taking a medication because they didn’t like how they felt. I wasn’t close enough to that patient to engage them, but questions come up.
Did your psych set expectations for this medication? Did they tell you what to expect? Did they tell you how long it would take? Did they lay out a possibility of future therapies? Heck, did they offer you more than one option, if available? Did you tell the doctor what was going on? Did the doctor listen to your concerns? Did they talk to you about therapy or exercise or socialization?
Given some of what I hear about psychiatrists, I’d have to believe that there’s a population turned off by the medical experience because their expectations weren’t managed. And, yes, it would be great if the doctor could answer all of the questions I have right now and answer questions I hadn’t thought about, the world doesn’t work like that.
They’re human. They have egos. They have agendas. They may not be the best listeners. They may not think to tell you something until their in the bathroom at 2AM. The two of you aren’t compatible and that affected what you said to them and how you heard their response. Maybe you were out of it during the visit and didn’t catch even.
We have a responsibility to be active in our care. I think that the frustration behind what’s not happening certainly compromises progress. I think that we can reduce that frustration by having the support of others on the same cruise.
I have read some real deep shit about the interactions that some have had with psychiatrists and psychologists. It’s really fucked up that, in a moment of crisis (not 911 level), you have to deal with waiting for a call back or waiting weeks for an appointment or figuring out
There are going to be special concerns around children as their minds are still developing and there’s the question of what narrative the child is getting from having to be on medication.
Way too many people lean way to heavily on their providers. I think that I made reference to this in my comment.
I think that it, theoretically, be nice to a place that people can go to and vet their interactions with mental health providers. Specifically, it would be a matter of having someone post a question about a conversation with their doctor to get an idea as to whether there’s information the doctor didn’t share, maliciously or not. You could also use such an area to get patient experience with a regimen or modality, alternatives, etc. One major concern I would have is that could get real messy, real fast.
Still, something needs to be done. Health care providers are people. They’re not going to know about everything that happens and even the most benevolent provider is going to forget or overlook something.
It’s always important for people to be active in their health care in general. Mental health care is especially difficult to manage. Mental health care is a lot more reliant on trust than medical care. I don’t have to like my doctor to tell them that my back hurts. Being honest about symptoms and reactions to mental health drugs is a lot more difficult. It takes nothing for someone to minimize their symptoms because they don’t feel as though the provider is listening. This is compounded by insurance issues, the availability of other providers, doing another intake, etc
Based on my experience, I often wonder how many of the people who say that medications didn’t work for them worked with someone who they were comfortable with. Someone who provides a set of expectations for the medication. Someone who is willing to try something new with the patient. My last psychiatrist was big on not “over medicating” . For me, that translated to an aversion to trying drugs that I said didn’t work for me twenty years ago. I would tell the doctor it was twenty years ago and I don’t really remember what the experience was and that I’m willing to try it again. No dice
That’s not where I’m coming from. I fully understand and respect the fact that we’re individuals and have experiences accordingly.
I feel that the article is doing just what you’re accusing me of. It appears to say that because they don’t see evidence that depression as a chemical imbalance, Big Pharma is full of shit and we’ve all been conned.
The fact is that, short of the placebo effect, the medication is either going to work. If it works, it’s not going to stop because of this announcement, but, I feel like that’s the implication.
I GET that there’s a profit motive involved and that the message is built around that motive.
I GET that there’ a possibilty that people are not going to receive the treatment they need because the provider may be more concerned with the company than the patient.
I GET that the the mental health field is not constructed in a manner that is user friendly, especially when it comes to a crisis.
I GET that doctors don’t always use a holistic approach by emphasizing the need for a therapist to better your health and encouraging things, like exercise, that would provide natural support.
If you felt that I indicated that I wasn’t concerned about others, I apologize for giving that perception. Again, however, I come away from this essay with the impression that none of this means anything because the science, to date, doesn’t support their theory, that none of this is worth anything.
Managing mental health is not easy. You take something for six weeks and don’t feel a difference. The doctor increases the dosage, rinse and repeat until something happens or you restart the process. You don’t always know what you should be looking for regarding improvement and side effects. It’s a PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS. This is compounded when you can’t afford to do every follow up, extending the provess. It’s also compounded by a lack of commuinication. Did the pych tell you about titration? Did they tell you what to look for? Do you know know how to communicate your expericence? I’m not being condecending because these are things I had to learn the hard way.
It’s beautiful to have the luxury of time. I had the luxury of time to interview my current doctor and thereapist. But I didn’t always have that luxry. When I worked with someone because that’s who my insurance covers or any number of other variables, I didn’t always get a good match. I’ve been fortunate in that I haven;t had any nightmares but I know that they exist and I know that those clients aren’t gertrting the help they need and some of them walk away from the system, which is not good.
It’s also quite possible that those who are benefitting can help those who aren’t. It’s one thing for your doctor to tell you to exercise and get a therapist. It’ quite another to have somone give you a practical understanding of theraputic work or have someone that can help you establish an exercise routine that works for you,
Finally, they tell you in the commercials that they don’t know how it works.Even if they did, it would still be pasta at the wall until they know what works and can link a patient to a medicaton via screening.
I take medication for depression and ADHD. I’ve seen an improvement in my life since I’ve started taking the medication and I can see the difference when I stop taking the medication.
Yes, it was surprising to hear the news about the role of chemical imbalances. But this underscores what’s always stated in the commercials about doctors not being sure about why things work.
I don’t doubt that there are profit motives behind the sale of medication because that’s the way the world works. They don’t have to charge as much as they do, but within the system, there are people who deserve to get paid for the work they do.
I don’t expect that anyone will decide to engage me or others like me. It’s a blow to the fragile egos who make themselves feel better at the expense of people like myself. Yet and still you carry on as though we are comrades.
I would like to see changes in how we manage mental health. I’d like to see changes in how money is distributed in society. But to have a conversation about people who are affected without engaging the affected people is as arrogant, ignorant and selfish as the parties you claim are our enemies.
Engage those affected. Engage those who can say that the release of this information doesn’t affect their ability to get through the day. And, if you claim that we’re on the same side (if it’s owners vs labor, we’re on the same side) craft a narrative around that.
And rather than sit around talking trash about The System, craft a strategy for change.
I cannot fathom being off medication. I started the medication years after a suicide attempt and immediately after I went AWOL at work. In my natural state, we wouldn’t be having this exchange. I’d be unemployed and homeless. Yes, I’m in therapy but that’s not a cure all and I’m working through anxieties about exercise..
I am purely curious. How do people decide to go off their meds? Are they financially independent or securely dependent from financial point? What kind of support system is in place to ensure a relative level of comfort? What am I doing wrong?
I don’t expect to ever go off meds. In the times that I’ve run out of scripts early in, I’ve seen regression and I can’t afford regression.
I understand that not everything works for everybody. I’ve run through antidepressants and am now looking into Ketamine therapy.
There’s only so much that the industry as a whole and the individual providers can do. I really think that we need to find a way to pull together and exchange ideas. I know of people who have said that they stopped taking a medication because they didn’t like how they felt. I wasn’t close enough to that patient to engage them, but questions come up.
Did your psych set expectations for this medication? Did they tell you what to expect? Did they tell you how long it would take? Did they lay out a possibility of future therapies? Heck, did they offer you more than one option, if available? Did you tell the doctor what was going on? Did the doctor listen to your concerns? Did they talk to you about therapy or exercise or socialization?
Given some of what I hear about psychiatrists, I’d have to believe that there’s a population turned off by the medical experience because their expectations weren’t managed. And, yes, it would be great if the doctor could answer all of the questions I have right now and answer questions I hadn’t thought about, the world doesn’t work like that.
They’re human. They have egos. They have agendas. They may not be the best listeners. They may not think to tell you something until their in the bathroom at 2AM. The two of you aren’t compatible and that affected what you said to them and how you heard their response. Maybe you were out of it during the visit and didn’t catch even.
We have a responsibility to be active in our care. I think that the frustration behind what’s not happening certainly compromises progress. I think that we can reduce that frustration by having the support of others on the same cruise.
I have read some real deep shit about the interactions that some have had with psychiatrists and psychologists. It’s really fucked up that, in a moment of crisis (not 911 level), you have to deal with waiting for a call back or waiting weeks for an appointment or figuring out
There are going to be special concerns around children as their minds are still developing and there’s the question of what narrative the child is getting from having to be on medication.
Way too many people lean way to heavily on their providers. I think that I made reference to this in my comment.
I think that it, theoretically, be nice to a place that people can go to and vet their interactions with mental health providers. Specifically, it would be a matter of having someone post a question about a conversation with their doctor to get an idea as to whether there’s information the doctor didn’t share, maliciously or not. You could also use such an area to get patient experience with a regimen or modality, alternatives, etc. One major concern I would have is that could get real messy, real fast.
Still, something needs to be done. Health care providers are people. They’re not going to know about everything that happens and even the most benevolent provider is going to forget or overlook something.
It’s always important for people to be active in their health care in general. Mental health care is especially difficult to manage. Mental health care is a lot more reliant on trust than medical care. I don’t have to like my doctor to tell them that my back hurts. Being honest about symptoms and reactions to mental health drugs is a lot more difficult. It takes nothing for someone to minimize their symptoms because they don’t feel as though the provider is listening. This is compounded by insurance issues, the availability of other providers, doing another intake, etc
Based on my experience, I often wonder how many of the people who say that medications didn’t work for them worked with someone who they were comfortable with. Someone who provides a set of expectations for the medication. Someone who is willing to try something new with the patient. My last psychiatrist was big on not “over medicating” . For me, that translated to an aversion to trying drugs that I said didn’t work for me twenty years ago. I would tell the doctor it was twenty years ago and I don’t really remember what the experience was and that I’m willing to try it again. No dice
That’s not where I’m coming from. I fully understand and respect the fact that we’re individuals and have experiences accordingly.
I feel that the article is doing just what you’re accusing me of. It appears to say that because they don’t see evidence that depression as a chemical imbalance, Big Pharma is full of shit and we’ve all been conned.
The fact is that, short of the placebo effect, the medication is either going to work. If it works, it’s not going to stop because of this announcement, but, I feel like that’s the implication.
I GET that there’s a profit motive involved and that the message is built around that motive.
I GET that there’ a possibilty that people are not going to receive the treatment they need because the provider may be more concerned with the company than the patient.
I GET that the the mental health field is not constructed in a manner that is user friendly, especially when it comes to a crisis.
I GET that doctors don’t always use a holistic approach by emphasizing the need for a therapist to better your health and encouraging things, like exercise, that would provide natural support.
If you felt that I indicated that I wasn’t concerned about others, I apologize for giving that perception. Again, however, I come away from this essay with the impression that none of this means anything because the science, to date, doesn’t support their theory, that none of this is worth anything.
Managing mental health is not easy. You take something for six weeks and don’t feel a difference. The doctor increases the dosage, rinse and repeat until something happens or you restart the process. You don’t always know what you should be looking for regarding improvement and side effects. It’s a PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS. This is compounded when you can’t afford to do every follow up, extending the provess. It’s also compounded by a lack of commuinication. Did the pych tell you about titration? Did they tell you what to look for? Do you know know how to communicate your expericence? I’m not being condecending because these are things I had to learn the hard way.
It’s beautiful to have the luxury of time. I had the luxury of time to interview my current doctor and thereapist. But I didn’t always have that luxry. When I worked with someone because that’s who my insurance covers or any number of other variables, I didn’t always get a good match. I’ve been fortunate in that I haven;t had any nightmares but I know that they exist and I know that those clients aren’t gertrting the help they need and some of them walk away from the system, which is not good.
It’s also quite possible that those who are benefitting can help those who aren’t. It’s one thing for your doctor to tell you to exercise and get a therapist. It’ quite another to have somone give you a practical understanding of theraputic work or have someone that can help you establish an exercise routine that works for you,
Finally, they tell you in the commercials that they don’t know how it works.Even if they did, it would still be pasta at the wall until they know what works and can link a patient to a medicaton via screening.
I take medication for depression and ADHD. I’ve seen an improvement in my life since I’ve started taking the medication and I can see the difference when I stop taking the medication.
Yes, it was surprising to hear the news about the role of chemical imbalances. But this underscores what’s always stated in the commercials about doctors not being sure about why things work.
I don’t doubt that there are profit motives behind the sale of medication because that’s the way the world works. They don’t have to charge as much as they do, but within the system, there are people who deserve to get paid for the work they do.
I don’t expect that anyone will decide to engage me or others like me. It’s a blow to the fragile egos who make themselves feel better at the expense of people like myself. Yet and still you carry on as though we are comrades.
I would like to see changes in how we manage mental health. I’d like to see changes in how money is distributed in society. But to have a conversation about people who are affected without engaging the affected people is as arrogant, ignorant and selfish as the parties you claim are our enemies.
Engage those affected. Engage those who can say that the release of this information doesn’t affect their ability to get through the day. And, if you claim that we’re on the same side (if it’s owners vs labor, we’re on the same side) craft a narrative around that.
And rather than sit around talking trash about The System, craft a strategy for change.