Posted by Elizabeth on August 9, 2001, at 9:59:43
In reply to Re: Update » Elizabeth, posted by shelliR on August 8, 2001, at 11:43:26
> I know I am becoming tolerant because sometimes 10mg is not enough and the depression is breaking through. Still, I don't worry too much about habituation. Life is too short to waste depressed and I have started parnate.
That's how I feel: I think that even if you needed ever-increasing doses, it would be preferable to remaining depressed. (The DEA and state medical boards may not feel the same way, however.)
> Speaking of which, today is my second day. So far no side effects or AD effects, but I am not expecting the anti-depressant effects to manifest as quickly as they did with Lorraine.
My experience has been that MAOIs work faster than ADs are "supposed" to work (with some improvement being noticeable after 1 week). I've often wondered about the assumption that all ADs will take several weeks to start working -- is that really true, or does it only apply to TCAs?
> Geez, Elizabeth. You sound exactly like a graduate of MIT who wants to go to medical school. :-)
How odd! (What would such a person sound like, anyway? < g >)
> I did placements on psych units as an undergraduate with the lamest residents.
Residents can be pretty lame. They're just starting out, after all. (IMO they really ought to be supervised, at least the 1st-year ones.)
> If I had to pick for therapy between psychiatrists vs. psychologists, (not knowing the individual), I'd go for the psychologist any time.
This is what I would have expected, but my actual experience has been different. I don't think that the specific training that psychologists, social workers, et al. get is really all that relevant to how good they are as therapists (for me, anyway).
> I can't understand why anyone would get a PhD in counseling, because that degree is not generally recognized by insurance companies.
They might have gotten the degree before managed care became widespread?
> Anyway, it is incredibly hot and I wish we would get one rain day for my flowers. Have you learned to drive yet?
I was afraid you'd ask that. :-)
> I was talking to my therapist friend today about whether she would terminate a patient, who lets say, can't control her drinking, won't go to any support groups around it, and no therapy work is really being done. All the time is spent just cleaning up the damage in her life because of her addiction (relationships, drunk driving etc.) You could either work with this person with the hope that with your influence and support she would finally get into a program for her addiction, or you could feel like this is a losing battle and I'm not going to waste my time. We both decided we would probably choose the later, because it is so frustrating to work with addicts who won't admit, or do anything about their addiction.
I think it's frustrating in general to deal with people who have problems they won't admit to or try to change; it's not unique to addictions.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:67742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74314.html