Posted by ron1953 on April 29, 2012, at 17:50:20
In reply to Re: Article By Bruce E. Levine » ron1953, posted by Chris O on April 19, 2012, at 23:13:56
> You know, I'm reading the summary of Levin's 2007 book in Wikipedia, in which he says depression's societal sources need to be confronted, and I find myself nodding my head in agreement. Many times I have thought if there were only a more compassionate job market, a more compassionate healthcare system, a way for me to navigate a world that does not seem like a Social Darwinist nightmare everyday, things might be better for me. But then I go out into the world and I see most people functioning relatively okay-ly, or at least non-clinical-anxiety-disorderly (my forte), and I think, "Well, I guess I've just got to find the right med to shake off this brain damage from my family'/s multigenerational codependence, depression, anxiety, and inability to function in the world."
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> But then I read that artIcle in alternet and I have to say that despite all the societal forces that contribute to my inability to function, I don't think Bruce Levin has ever experienced the kind of life-ruining 24-hour-a-day-365-days-a-year-panic/anxiety that I do. My anxiety disorder, though environmentally aggravated by societal forces, has a deep biological (or unconscious) component that demands some type of treatment if I want to do anything before I die. I wish that this were not the case, but it is.
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Levine, like anyone, does not have all the answers, but I'd tend to think that in his practice, he's known more than a few people clients with (seemingly) intractable conditions such as yours that have responded to treatments other than drugs, as well as some that haven't. And yes, his lah-di-dah better world stuff may be as much a fantasy as the desire for perfect medications. But he provides well-researched, well thought-out opinions as to the state of institutionalized mental health care that are worth thinking about, and useful for those navigating the labyrinth.
poster:ron1953
thread:1015558
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120425/msgs/1016706.html