Posted by Blue Cheer 1 on March 6, 2002, at 1:08:44
In reply to Re: Medication Treatment of Bipolar Disorder 2000 » JohnX2, posted by Ritch on March 6, 2002, at 0:11:31
> >
> > Off a mood stabilizer, bupropion by far produced
> > the worst mania. I think there is some "mass psychology"
> > history to this that maybe isnt all that well understood given
> > how old the medication is.
> >
> > -John
>
>
> John,
>
> That is akin to a title of a book I heard mentioned in an English class called "The Anxiety of Influence". It was about how all of the major themes in lit had already been written about-and how was a writer to approach a truly novel subject?
>
> Philosophically, this phenomenon of "me-tooism" has to do with pdocs (often unwitting)prejudice towards patients in the limited amount of time they have to do any evaluation. I understand that all sorts of human *institutions* are frought with "contemporary establishment mullahs" that compose all of the guidelines for the bright newbies and to advise relative incompetents (who happened to have decent finances from parents, but who lack originality), etc., on how to do their stuff.
>
> I just think that too many people "run" with ideas of others without looking at fresh empirical data of their own and forming their own ideas. The idea being-wouldn't it be better to read Marx than to read a book by someone who wrote *about* Marx??
>
> I was very impressed with a philosophy prof. that liked Herman Hesse a lot. Perhaps a good idea for the bookclub would be "The Glass Bead Game".
>
> Ok. There is your *mass psychology* elaboration. I think most meds are trial and error on an individual basis.
>
> Mitch
Excellent insights, Mitch. I am so sick of hearing psychiatrists tell me about the successes they've had using various drugs with *other* patients I can't tolerate 0.5 mg. of Risperdal/day - it causes dyskinesias and makes me feel dead. In fact, I'd rather be dead than use this drug again, but *knowing* this, a psychiatrist just asked me to try it for a week at 2.5 mg/day (if I get randomized to it in a study). It's crazy, and I've been hearing this for years. Sixty drugs or more since 1967, and only three have ever helped long-term (lithium, Lamictal and Valium). Thorazine and high-dose Zoloft were helpful for a short time during acute episodes.
The guidelines seem to be written for medical students. It make me wonder when I see the Consensus Series compared to the Texas Algorithms or the VA Guidelines, *or the APA's Best Practice Guidelines. There must be better things to do. :)Blue
poster:Blue Cheer 1
thread:96446
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020301/msgs/96647.html