Posted by zonked on June 28, 2010, at 23:05:50
In reply to Re: costs and benefits » linkadge, posted by jade k on June 28, 2010, at 21:18:58
>
I think to get the pychiatric licence you have to have ingested two medications from each class of drugs for 4 weeks each. Period.
>
>
> Concurrently.
>
> ~Jade
There should be a required element for any mental health profession, a class that would consist of the following elements:
Students should all be made to do massive amounts of depressogenic drugs--something that would not carry any risk of being permanent. Perhaps several days of crystal meth (under anasthesia, so they don't get any pleasure out of it), wait until they are in withdrawals from it,
and be told:
Now imagine you felt like this EVERY DAY for months or years at a time--meanwhile trying drugs that didn't help, or made you sleepy, or made you anxious, or made you fat, all the while being told it was only in your head, or that taking walks or yoga or meditation or prayer or diet or journaling or therapy or being in nature or taking a hot bath or knitting or lighting candles or drinking chamomile tea or going to support groups or taking a vacation or watching funny TV would make you feel better. You try these things, but you only grow more frustrated because THEY DON'T WORK. Everywhere you go, everything you do, you're exhausted and STILL feel like this.
You keep on trying these things; people around you even provide some academic proof that they do, in fact, work for some people--you gain a bit of hope. You try them AGAIN with renewed vigor. Again, they don't work. Your doctor grows frustrated, although he tries to hide it, and ignores the research you bring him; you get the sense that he's not up to the challenge of treating you and begin to feel as if no one believes you. Your doctor throws another random "cocktail" of drugs at you. You still don't get any better. You stuggle to make it out of bed every day for months to years. Then, finally, you find SOMETHING that works, perhaps something you mentioned to your doctor because he's not interested enough to do his own homework--and for 6 months, a year, maybe a few years--maybe as long as ten, hell--you feel like your normal self again. You're willing to put up with some side effects (gaining massive amounts of weight, equipment not functioning right, insomnia that requires another pill) because otherwise, you're as good as new. But then it slowly creeps back--and those pills you've been taking gradually stop working. It's back, and your doctor is not happy to see you.THIS is what treatment-resistant, recurrent major depression feels like, class, and you must treat your patients with the utmost care and compassion, and do all you can to get them well--even if that means calling your colleagues, dusting older drugs off the shelves, or trying cutting edge combinations. You must use every tool you have in your arsenal, not just the brand new, patented samples that the Pfizer rep brought when she took you out to lunch at your favorite restaurant. You must continue to read your journals, and never forget why you chose this profession in the first place--to help people in emotional distress.
Wouldn't that be nice?
-z
poster:zonked
thread:952249
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100628/msgs/952597.html