Posted by Rick E. on July 6, 2000, at 12:55:05
In reply to An eloquent M.D. writes about genetic(s) hype..., posted by dj on July 6, 2000, at 11:19:10
I have no argument with you over the genetics. I am a firm believer that my depression/anxiety state is caused by enviromental issues alone. What I do have a problem with, however, is this notion that drugs are not needed to curb the "side effects", if you will, of my conditions. I truly believe that if anybody has experienced the darkest side of depression, and then been treated and relieved by medications, they will read your posts with a great disbelief of the ignorance that surrounds this form of treatment. It DOES work.
After all, and you may consider this a selfish viewpoint, but we are only on this earth for a short time. In terms of measurement, my life is halfway over, and it has taken me this long to learn that there is hope for my anxious condition. I have had therapy for years, starting when I was 17 years old, and much of it, I still carry with me today, some of it I dismissed early on. Today, I deal with some side effects that are bothersome, but in comparison to the side effects of untreated depression, they are very, very mild. Maybe if I had treated my conditions with medication earlier, I never would have reached the depression state that I did 6 months ago. One truth that I have learned: MY ENVIRONMENT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE, SO I WILL HAVE TO. All this talk of the 21st century being an enlightened society, pills for every ache and pain, blah, blah, blah...I don't buy it. I never have. If you want to talk about God, then I suggest that you read more of the bible and less worldly works. Revelation is the key here...the world is NOT SUPPOSED to become a better place, just a place where the human mind is much more easily led astray. I see that all around me. On the TV, this computer as I type!
Back to the land of solutions...I really don't think that you have ever experienced the deep rooted depression that many on this site have. If you had, you would not post such delusional things, and certainly show much more compassion. THAT I am sure of. Imagine that this were a board of cancer survivors offering advice and compassion to newly diagnosed patients. Would you then feel so comfortable posting messages that portrayed cancer as a purely environmental effect? Would anyone care what the cause was? I believe many people come here, already accepting the fact that there is SOMETHING WRONG, and their best efforts...were of no avail. So they, like me, seek out medical treatment. It's no easier to "think" cancer cells out of my body than it is to "think" my way out of depression. I know. I've lived through both. And both were miserable.
You have some interesting points, things I've started to ponder myself, and I thank you for that. However, when my time comes, and I must stand before God, I want to feel confident that I have done as much as I can to HELP others when they were in need...as others have helped me. Society as a whole is supposed to crumble. I believe it was planned. We as human beings were designed to suffer...and treatment of my condition, to me, is what God wants me to do. Were I laying around suffering from untreated depression, I would be thinking of ways to end my life right now, not out of pure selfishness, but out of wanting to stop suffering such excruciating mental AND physical pain. The drugs DO work, and I am convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt, that society and the spiritual world are better places for it.
Rick E.
poster:Rick E.
thread:39430
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000630/msgs/39569.html