Posted by LlurpsieNoodle on June 5, 2007, at 19:03:56
In reply to Re: Depression is unfortunate brain chemistry » Squiggles, posted by linkadge on June 5, 2007, at 15:16:06
> While there are truths to both sides of the argument, I don't see that anybody's depressive mood is completely out of ones own controll.
-maybe we define control differently. I think that in order to gain control over some problem, one first has to recognize it as a problem, or a source of suffering. Then one has to figure out what the options are for relieving the source of suffering. Then one has to take steps to access resources. Finally, one has to have some level of trust in the treatment, or else the body will use some of it's powerful placebo effects to convince itself that the treatment is ineffective.
>
> Whenever you pop a pill, you fail to learn possable coping strategies that may end up helping you more effectively and more thoroughly in the long run.OR- popping a pill may help you get out of bed to get your work done, to pay for groceries (with healing blueberries!) and get to therapy on time.
For some people- myself, at times- medication has helped me not kill myself. At other times, medication has helped me deal with the more psychotic elements of intense PTSD flashbacks, dissociation, depersonalization.
I guess I don't necessarily view popping pills as an either/or scenario. It can be a supplement, a boost to changing one's thinking, behavior and lifestyle.
Of course you're right that a menu of pills does not allow one to choose a different personality or change one's maladaptive reactions to difficult situations... In my opinion THAT's the real challenge I face everyday.
> I am case and point.
>
> I got depressed, I popped pills, I felt better. But, History not learned from is bound to be repeated. Did popping zoloft help me learn to do math better. Did popping zoloft get me a job? Did popping the latest SSRI make me new friends, improve my looks, make me more popular, make me younger, fix health problems, make me straight, remove unsightly body hair, fix relationships with my parents??Well... I don't know about your looks :) but maybe popping a pill would give you a little more oomph to coordinate your clothing, do your hair, and act more kindly towards yourself and others. That kind of stuff can help your relationships. If you suffered from terrible anxiety and withdrawal, a pill could help you escape from your house more often (if only to seek further treatment!)
>
> Thats why most of these drugs don't work is because they just desensitize you to everything.
> They work by making you a zombie, and desensizing you to everything.I guess my pdoc never medicated me enough to turn me into a zombie, so I don't really know what this would be like. (my therapist and husband never thought I was a desensitized zombie either, in case you were wondering if I had selective amnesia!)
> Sure the latest drug may give you a little more energy, may take the edge off, but then the next time a problem comes around you have one less coping stratety, and you become like me.
Link, I'm so sorry that you've had that experience. I know that what you speak of is true for you, and I don't wish to invalidate your experience by talking about my own. I hope you stay on this board, to provide your views and opinions, which are very much worth considering.
> Drugs start a paradigm shift from hell. Why am I now on this board? Because every problem I have I think of solving in terms of a pill. Instead of waking up and tacking my problems head on, I run to the doctor and ask for the next power pill that will do everything for me.
>
> I don't believe that anyones problems are purely biological. Petting a dog can will cause a detectable rise in serotonin livels. Experience affects chemistry just as much as chemistry affects experience.
>
:) That smile made me feel happier too. no pill popping involved!> Even people with diseases such as epilepsy (whos origins are almost never attribted to character flaw) can do things to influence the frequency of seizures.
And recovery from stroke is more likely with occupational and physical therapy...
>
> Linkadge
>-Ll
poster:LlurpsieNoodle
thread:761153
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070604/msgs/761402.html