Posted by Dinah on December 12, 2002, at 15:15:51
In reply to Re: Well, whatever...., posted by wcfrench on December 12, 2002, at 14:00:34
I think that SSRI's can be life savers. I just wish that they would be de-mystified. By describing them solely in terms of neurochemicals, it makes it sound as if depression, OCD, and a host of other problems are caused by a deficiency in seratonin, and it probably isn't that simple.
If on the other hand we admit that just as benzos have a nonspecific way of acting no matter what your diagnosis, that SSRI's do too, it takes the mystery out of it. SSRI's may well work on so many disorders through their nonspecific way of acting, probably through emotional blunting, or reduction in sensitivity to stimuli. SSRI's aren't necessarily "correcting" an imbalance. They are just acting as SSRI's work. It doesn't matter what your diagnosis is. Either the effects of SSRI's will help you or they won't.
In addition, patients wouldn't be so surprised by sexual side effects or emotional blunting side effects.
And Paxil could stop disclaiming on their advertisements that they don't know how Paxil works on depression or anxiety. :)
poster:Dinah
thread:123623
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021210/msgs/131523.html