61–70 of 134 posts
I'm a psychiatrist. It is always amazing to me that despite four years of medical school, six years of residency and fellowships, and four board certifications, the assumption is that I have no idea what I'm talking about and have evil motives. There are fair criticisms of psychiatry, there are bad psychiatrists, but mostly there are crappy generalizations. Good psychiatrists have an understanding of what medications…
Most drugs on the market today have side effects that are serious to most people. Also the fact is that now a days it seems that almost all kid have "ADHD" or "ADD" and are getting put on stimulants for it. I don't get it at all. I was put on antidepressants when I was young and it really could have fucked me up if my parents kept listening to my doctor.
I have personally seen it help 2 persons I know well, don't know anyone who has hurt by stimulants that have been legally prescribed and used. (but I know one who quit because the cost/benefit wasn't there).
As for why people did well without stimulants in earlier times the answer might also contain: they didn't necessarily. Not finishing even basic schooling was more common.
Also there were more less rules and more options that didn't require sitting >5 hours a day.
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1. These experiences are not the norm, but still much too common. 2. Psychiatrists might not recommend talk therapies for a number of reasons (even though they probably should). Many insurance plans don't cover it, and lots of people aren't interested and want a "quick fix" to the problem in the form of a pill. Finally, the education for licensed therapist varies WILDLY , and there are a lot of really bad ones. That…
Thanks for the reply. > Finally, the education for licensed therapist varies WILDLY , and there are a lot of really bad ones. I hear you there. I had some iffy experiences early on. But a few years ago I found a really good one. He retired, but recommended someone else to me, who also turned out to be really good. I'm seeing him these days. Maybe what needs to happen is for the norm to be that psychiatrists who see t…
I'm a psychiatrist. It is always amazing to me that despite four years of medical school, six years of residency and fellowships, and four board certifications, the assumption is that I have no idea what I'm talking about and have evil motives. There are fair criticisms of psychiatry, there are bad psychiatrists, but mostly there are crappy generalizations. Good psychiatrists have an understanding of what medications…
Theodore Dalrymple (a retired prison psychiater from England) wrote a book about how psychiatry undermines morality. It is called 'Admirable Evasions' (1). One of the things he notes: many people call themselves depressed nowadays. Few people call themselves unhappy. (1) https://www.amazon.com/Admirable-Evasions-Psychology-Undermi...
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And some of the problems that cause bad outcomes are outside of what you control. Laws forbidding families from getting information about their mentally ill adult children, for example. Also, "the system" (insurance companies, the courts, etc) sometimes make it very, very hard to get someone the help they need. I had a mentally ill colleague that was very difficult to help. His family was ready and willing, but it wa…
There's a reason those laws exist. Mental health is still a taboo topic and as soon as anyone knows there's an issue the reflex is for everything to go into lockdown. This comes up on reddit with some frequency [1][2]. Some of the stories are pretty harrowing. Though a lot of this is to do with the poor state of many mental health institutions. 1) https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/3hlcyu/serious_r... 2) htt…
I'm a psychiatrist. It is always amazing to me that despite four years of medical school, six years of residency and fellowships, and four board certifications, the assumption is that I have no idea what I'm talking about and have evil motives. There are fair criticisms of psychiatry, there are bad psychiatrists, but mostly there are crappy generalizations. Good psychiatrists have an understanding of what medications…
However, recently there was an unexpected result regarding schizophrenia suggesting it might be just a result of a genetic bug of extensive deletion of redundant neurons in the brain, a bio-computational problem when you look at it with the eyes of a hacker. If confirmed, this would invalidate a lot of previous research and force the whole field to take a bit different, algorithmic view on many issues.
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o/ heya. I've been on psychiatrist-prescribed meds for a little over two years now. I've gotten a better job, my salary has increased by 52%, I live with less stress, I have a (mostly) tidy home, I am no longer dependent on alcohol, I care for a wonderful dog, I am cultivating healthy relationships and friendships, and I am more involved in my community. I've also been seeing a cognitive-behavioral therapist for abou…
and as soon as you go off the meds?
Had a doctor prescribe two meds once, then a few weeks later asked me how one of them was working. I was honestly confused by the question, since I have no idea how one drug is working when I've only ever taken it in tandem with something else. The very question indicates at best an unacceptable level of indifference, at worst outright incompetence.
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There's a reason those laws exist. Mental health is still a taboo topic and as soon as anyone knows there's an issue the reflex is for everything to go into lockdown. This comes up on reddit with some frequency [1][2]. Some of the stories are pretty harrowing. Though a lot of this is to do with the poor state of many mental health institutions. 1) https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/3hlcyu/serious_r... 2) htt…
You know the one interesting thing about these "sane person stuck in a mental institution" stories, is they always talk about how nuts the other people were. If it were as common as suggested that normal people end up there for slips of the tongue or other mundane reasons then I'd expect there to be more "normal" people finding each other in these stories.
In this personal account, someone who on admission was merely ADHD with possible depression ends up snapping and violently beating someone: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1tdoc1/redditers...
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> You'll have to excuse the skepticism of some us who have seen loved ones suffer through debilitating, sometimes permanent side effects from drugs their psychiatrists prescribed. What debilitating side effects are those? How does their frequency compare to side effects for non-psychiatric drugs and treatments?
Don't do that. You can look up the debilitating side effects yourself. Asking someone to re-live watching their loved one lose their self from benzos or anti-psychotics that were prescribed as a first measure rather than a last resort - which Does happen, and far too often - is crueler than you know.
I have many dark, hurtful experiences in my life. And when I share them, the only thing I expect in return is respect. Asking a question about my experience or asking me to provide evidence in support of my broader claims is not disrespectful. It's something I would expect might happen. If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't bring it up. Or I would end the conversation.
In all honesty, I would be more offended at the implication that I cannot speak for myself.