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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LostBoyinNCBecksDark on October 23, 2007, at 20:30:53
We are commonly told that "mental illness is treatable" and that depression improvement rates are in the 70% to 80% improvement area. This is a lie that psychiatry pushes. If you define improvement as treatment to remission (being normal again), the NIMH STAR*D study proved that remission rates using psychopharmacology is actually poor.
STAR*D was carried out by NIMH...the National Institute for Mental Health. NIMH is part of NIH and this is all funded by the taxpayer, via the federal government. So no, you cant come back and say STAR*D was funded by scientology or anti-psychiatry groups. STAR*D was planned, funded and carried out by mainstream psychiatry itself.
The results were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. This is psychiatry's flagship professional journal that nearly all psychiatrists subscribe to and read. It aint some crackpot anti-psychiatry journal...its the journal written FOR psychiatrists, BY psychiatrists.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/163/7/1293
"Robert Hierholzer, M.D.
Fresno, Calif.To the Editor: The less than spectacular remission rates for depression recently reported in The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study (1) will likely be of no surprise to experienced clinicians. I, for one, am relieved to find that the frustratingly poor remission rates that I’ve witnessed for many years among my depressed patients (most of whom are characterized by features associated in the study with lower remission rates) are in accord with a well-designed effectiveness study such as STAR*D. The STAR*D study is a welcome change from the era of efficacy studies in which patients like mine were largely excluded."
Eric
Posted by Mathia on October 24, 2007, at 19:53:50
In reply to psychiatry publically admits it is a failure, posted by LostBoyinNCBecksDark on October 23, 2007, at 20:30:53
My Experience:
I couldnt get off the floor I was so depressed.
Went to a psychiatrist and told him how depressed I was. (His bill was $175 per 40 min)
He told me to try zoloft and gave me a prescription and also said it will take up to 6 weeks to work. (I was thinking, man Im coming for help and this is what I get - 6 weeks?)
I go back the next 5 weeks and basically re-establish that Im still incredibally depressed.
(His bill is now $1050)
He says well it doesnt seem like the zoloft is working, lets try prozac.
I go back for another 4 weeks, Im in the same torture that I originally went in for. (His bill is now $1750).
Every week its the same thing, finally after 6-7 months I tried 6 different ssri's and one tricyclic. (His bill after 7 months is $4900 thank god for health insurance)
After 7 months I spent my savings and could not afford to pay my health insurance (I had my own health ins. because I was self employed when the depression all started).
My health insurance was cancelled so I stopped seeing the psychiatrist. Basically just never went to another appt after that.
He never once even called me to see if I was alright or what was wrong, or did I commit suicide or what. Not one call from his office.
At that point, I was desperate and a friend who smokes marijuana regularly said maybe I ought to try it. Im not advocating illegal drug use but I was at a really bad point in my life.
I tried it, it helped a little, and I actually atleast got working again. I didnt smoke for very long though because to be honest I didnt like the side effects and it really wasnt the answer either.
In the mean time I hurt my back and recieved opiates for that, and they work like nothing else Ive ever taken. I was finally happy. Unfortunately, they ran out and basically went back to being depressed.
Now I'm living with my depression (as Im sure alot of you can relate), I function because my heart keeps beating, and I keep breathing. I dont want to give up, but basically live almost every moment unhappy.
I have to agree that the psychiatry world is far from truly helping depressed people. I know alot of people are the same as me, they are taking one, two, three drugs at a time and are still wondering "is this really helping me"?
Posted by Viking on October 25, 2007, at 6:48:00
In reply to psychiatry publically admits it is a failure, posted by LostBoyinNCBecksDark on October 23, 2007, at 20:30:53
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=20858
Posted by yxibow on October 30, 2007, at 23:55:46
In reply to Even psyciatrists seem to have their doubts, posted by Viking on October 25, 2007, at 6:48:00
Oh this is degrading into another anti-psychiatry topic again.
http://ragnevi.blogspot.com/2007/08/religis-galenskap-blir-pseudovetenskap.html
"2007-08-11
religious folly becomes pseudovetenskapJanne Larsson or Janne-Olov Larsson that he sometimes also calls himself pursue, sometimes titulerad as teachers or as writer. Huge seldom types he during with your correct title scientolog or that organisation he hides himself behind: The committee for human rights. An organisation that the sect lies behind and that is..."
(kmr.nu) is the same as cchr, a Scientology cover organization
We can debate Scientology till the cows come home.. yes, I know there are those who will believe so I'll stop there, but I would say be careful what you read on the net, people parse and chop reports for not scientifically valid reasons.
Of course psychiatrists have doubts -- there is no perfect drug and there are medication sensitive and medication resistant individuals.
What would one like, the attempt to ameliorate what is a life debilitating illness, or not. Its a personal choice and its very hard at times, believe me. Some people are just born with different brain chemistry. I didn't ask for the brunt of genetics I got. Neither did the gifted but bipolar aunt I never knew who would be most certainly be alive today if she had modern psychiatric care.
I'll leave it there, and just say that there are always going to be subpar psychiatrists who are not listening enough to their patients. That's as much a fact of life as the sun shining in the morning. Would we be all so lucky to have people who truly care for someone's future wellbeing.
This is the end of the thread.
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