Posted by cubbybear on September 18, 2003, at 0:53:35
In reply to Re: Nardil is pooping out...need advice and support » cubbybear, posted by Bob on September 16, 2003, at 23:11:17
> Well, I'm still impressed. If I tanked in Bangkok, a trip home would be extremely daunting to me, considering getting out of bed alone is almost out of the question. Plus, I can't imagine the support structure would be as good in Thailand, unless you are fluent in Thai. I think if I had to spend time in a mental health facility, I'd rather it be in the U.S. Maybe I'm just too wimpy.
Thanks for the compliment. . .most definitely, having to haul myself onto a plane in the depths of depression, fly 17 hours, then endure jet lag on top of it was the most difficult and painful thing I ever did, but it was a matter of either getting that Parnate or maybe being confined to a Bangkok institution for the mentally ill, which I didn't even want to contemplate. And I couldn't extend my trip in the U.S. until the Parnate kicked in, since I had only the support of my mother and step-father (in Phoenix) and they are well past retirement age and were/are in no physical condition to provide lodging beyond a couple of weeks. So the trip back to Bangkok was hardly any easier.
As for the mental health support scene here, there are several fine hospitals that have therapists who vary in their qualifications, as would be true in the U.S. I have no evidence of there being any group therapy or support groups for ex-pats who go through severe anxiety and depression. I could write loads about my experiences with the various therapists I consulted, but unfortunately don't have the time right now. One good thing about living here is that the prices of doctor visits and ALL medications are just a fraction of what they are in the U.S. For example, Zoloft sells for exactly half of what you'd pay in Walgreens, and a .5 mg. tab of name brand Klonopin costs 6 baht, which equals about 1/7 of a dollar (you'll have to use your calculator to figure that one out). The bottom line is that the medical treatment itself is a great bargain compared to the U.S., but this city is so intense, and the natives can be so unsympathetic, naive, and provincial, that it's perhaps the last place one would want to be when depressed or anxious.
poster:cubbybear
thread:260460
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030917/msgs/261242.html