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For those unaware, the sound bite "chemical imbalance" was strictly a marketing strategy developed by Big Pharma to sell pills.
It is false. There is no such thing as a "chemical imbalance" that causes depression, or a pill that can "fix" "chemical imbalance." It's all B.S.
Thanks for the link and I know SSRI's are highly profitable and lucrative and their overall effectiveness is called into question when looking over all the studies, but mental illness is real, people still need to have a competent doctor, regularly speak to them and make the best decision with them for each person's individualized care.
If that involves SSRIs then good. If no SSRIs but with something else that truely works, that is good too. The important thing is finding something that works for the person. SSRI's do help a good degree of people. Studies have shown they also do not help a good degree of people. So, if SSRI's are not working for you, you are NOT too broken to fix and you are with millions of other people.
Mental illness is real and it is a tragedy. More research and funding is needed to get to the true cause and to help and ultimately cure the afflicted. Perhaps some lobbying can be done to get mental illness (and brain understanding) funding on par with Cancer (and other disease) research levels. After all, it is the leading cause of disability in the US. There is a major unmet clinical need for major advancement to end suffering, disability and violence (against oneself or another) and ultimately death (in some cases) due to mental health.
For those unaware, the sound bite "chemical imbalance" was strictly a marketing strategy developed by Big Pharma to sell pills.
It is false. There is no such thing as a "chemical imbalance" that causes depression, or a pill that can "fix" "chemical imbalance." It's all B.S.
"Chemical imbalance" is not a medical term. It is just a way to describe alterations in physiology to patients, and some patients do have alterations in neurotransmitters. The concept was never just a marketing tool.
Every thought we have is mediated by chemicals, so mood disorders must be caused by dysfunction in the chemical pathways in the brain. Those brain chemicals interact in a complex fashion, and neuroscientists understand that. Explaining those complexities to the average layman requires simplification for most.
Thanks for the link and I know SSRI's are highly profitable and lucrative and their overall effectiveness is called into question when looking over all the studies, but mental illness is real, people still need to have a competent doctor, regularly speak to them and make the best decision with them for each person's individualized care.
If that involves SSRIs then good. If no SSRIs but with something else that truely works, that is good too. The important thing is finding something that works for the person. SSRI's do help a good degree of people. Studies have shown they also do not help a good degree of people. So, if SSRI's are not working for you, you are NOT too broken to fix and you are with millions of other people.
Mental illness is real and it is a tragedy. More research and funding is needed to get to the true cause and to help and ultimately cure the afflicted. Perhaps some lobbying can be done to get mental illness (and brain understanding) funding on par with Cancer (and other disease) research levels. After all, it is the leading cause of disability in the US. There is a major unmet clinical need for major advancement to end suffering, disability and violence (against oneself or another) and ultimately death (in some cases) due to mental health.
I totally agree.
We need to bring back protected residential environments (which provide compassionate care), too. Our local jail has had to expand its infirmary to provide more room for people who are arrested (because they threatened someone) while they are awaiting transfer to inpatient mental facilities.
We have a big shortage of psychiatrists in my part of the state, largely because remuneration for psychiatric services is so low. That discourages medical school graduates from entering the field.
Well, I know they work for me because I have gone off my antidepressants and went straight back into major depression. It works. I am not giving them up.
Same here. My meds take away the desire to off myself. Good enough for me thus far. I still am not sure these meds I am currently on are going to be my long term meds; I think I may need different ones eventually. But I also know what happens when I stop taking them. My depression gets worse and I want to kill myself.
Mental illness is real and it is a tragedy. More research and funding is needed to get to the true cause and to help and ultimately cure the afflicted.
There is so MUCH WE can do for ourselves vs feeding the drug industry and their drugs. I've been that route before I learned from years of reading, talking to others, getting thyroid supported and finding meditation....
We should all do what we can do to better ourselves. I can't do meditation. I've tried. I can get to mind to slow down enough to do it. Talking to others? Like many, my depression leads me to isolate myself. Not sure which is the chicken or the egg. Do I get depressed because I isolate myself or do I isolate myself because I am depressed? I live alone right now. It's easy to slip into full-blown depression before realizing it where when I lived with others, they could tell something was off before I did.
There are proven things that help depression: One is exercise, so even if a person doesn't "feel" like getting out there, if they force themselves, they might be able to improve their mental health.
Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies are rampant and are said to impact mood/depression, as has magnesium. There would be no reason not to try these natural remedies, that I can think of (of course, ask your doctor, but most of them do not learn about these things in medical school or have the time or interest to educate themselves afterwards).
There are a bunch of other things you can do, but I am not going to list them because I feel that it is mostly "casting pearls before swine." Lots of people are very attached to their diagnoses and are not interested in helping themselves. They leave it up to doctors and pills . .
There are proven things that help depression: One is exercise, so even if a person doesn't "feel" like getting out there, if they force themselves, they might be able to improve their mental health.
Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies are rampant and are said to impact mood/depression, as has magnesium. There would be no reason not to try these natural remedies, that I can think of (of course, ask your doctor, but most of them do not learn about these things in medical school or have the time or interest to educate themselves afterwards).
There are a bunch of other things you can do, but I am not going to list them because I feel that it is mostly "casting pearls before swine." Lots of people are very attached to their diagnoses and are not interested in helping themselves. They leave it up to doctors and pills . .
I think people also forget (unintentionally or intentionally) that their emotional situations change in response to big shifts in their lives. The body condition changes, so do those life events we don't control directly. Nothing is static. While a non-medication route might do exactly what is needed under some life circumstances, it might not be enough in another. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Maybe there are people who are so terrified of the depths that they would never consider changing their level of medication having found relief, but I suspect most perceptive people want as little chemical "alteration" as possible. Isn't that what many other supplement approaches to health do as well? Give someone an edge over something?
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