Posted by viridis on January 26, 2003, at 19:46:48
In reply to Bias Against Drugs -- How Do You Cope? -- Long, posted by Simcha on January 26, 2003, at 18:30:26
Your approach strikes me as very rational and well-thought-out. Your response to the anti-med camp is very similar to mine, although I generally don't spend too long arguing with those people -- the hard-core ones are going to believe what they want to, no matter what you say. Most have never experienced serious depression or other mental illness, so can't relate.
I often point out that taking long-term medication for mental illness is no different from taking insulin therapy for diabetes, blood pressure meds, etc. And, of course, few of the anti-psychiatric med crowd would refuse to take these kinds of meds if their doctor recommended it, even if the long-term risks weren't completely known, etc.
Mental illness takes a huge toll on your physical health; the most obvious risk is suicide, but even if you're not suicidal, chronic anxiety, depression, etc. wears on your immune system, prevents you from eating well, exercising, etc., and reduces the quality of life drastically. So, I'm with you -- I'd rather take meds long-term and enjoy life than be miserable (and probably live a shorter life anyway). Given the choice, I do prefer to take drugs that have a track record of safety, and I'm lucky that I do well primarily on low-dose benzos and stimulants. But I'll also try the newer ones if I think they'll help (e.g., I'll soon try Strattera).
As for "underlying problems": I've had plenty of therapy of various kinds, and I don't dismiss it altogether. I think that, especially for people who have had traumatic experiences, been abused, etc., it can be very helpful to work through this. But even in these cases, meds are usually required too, because the experiences really have changed the way the brain works.
One of my last therapists tried very hard to pinpoint some event early in life that "caused" all of my problems with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately (mostly for her) we really couldn't come up with anything, and I got fed up with her insistence that there must have been something that I wasn't remembering. It got kind of silly. Cognitive therapy was somewhat more useful, in that it actually addressed counterproductive thinking patterns. But most of the therapists I've seen have wound up telling me that I seem quite rational and really need appropriate medications. The meds (once I finally found the right ones) rapidly improved my life vastly more than years of therapy could, so I'm sticking with them.
I do think that the stigma of mental problems has decreased dramatically. When I first took Prozac about 12 years ago, it was kind of a "closet" thing. I gradually discovered that several people I knew were taking ADs, benzos, etc., but it was almost like a secret society. Now, I and many friends and colleagues talk openly about meds, share tips, and frankly, I'm not concerned about what other people think. When I run into the anti-med types, I politely tell them my rationale (very similar to yours) and if they continue to lecture me, I simply tell them they have no idea what they're talking about, and it's not really any of their business anyway, any more than I would advise them on what meds to take (or not take) for their arthritis, migraines, and so on.
poster:viridis
thread:137655
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030125/msgs/137665.html