Posted by Meri-Tuuli on February 11, 2006, at 8:57:49
In reply to Re: The dramatic rise of mental illness, posted by linkadge on February 10, 2006, at 19:21:27
I have to agree with you link.
I do think that we are overmedicated in general. People seem/demand/expect to take a pill for every slight nuance of disorder (or even for 'personality enhancement'), rather than trying to uncover the underlying problems. I think that pills just mask the underlying problems, and they won't go away once you've finished the pills. I likened it to taking an aspirin for a hangover headache - the aspirin masks the headache so it doesn't hurt, but you've still got a hangover, you just can't feel it anymore, but your bodies still recovering from all that alcohol you drank!
Anyway, perhaps the pill companies are very keen to have as many people as possible diagnosed with mental illness - thats one way to boost sales. You don't see counselling companies making the ftse 100 do you?
I also tend to think that there's this 'ideal' that we prescribe to - being super happy and successful all the time. Media stereotypes enhance this, making us feel more inadequant if we don't have supermodel looks, a brillant career etc etc, which, lets face it, who does?
And I also think that people are less likely to put up with negative life experiences without some form of chemical enhancement from the doc - life is very painful at times for everyone, thats just plain fact. And it wouldn't be human if we didn't experience these things. It is unrealisitic to expect to be full of energy/happy/productive/shiny at all times.
But then, there are severe instances out there that do need pills - what I'm saying is that we shouldn't be nearly so quick to pop pills in the first place and alot more emphasis should be placed on other approaches....okay so they might take alot more dedication/hard work (I'm thinking exercise/therapy/nutritional/time/etc other approaches) but they are harder work and people just want a 'quick fix' - I mean who doesn't? But thats not how it works, does it? Its like taking diet pills - you might lose alot of weight and fast, but when you start eating like you did and stop the pills, you put it straight back on. Permanent, lifestyle changes are needed - there's no quick fix.
Hmm....well just my two cents, or whatever the phase is.....
> You are right, everbody is on somthing.
>
> We use the excuse that this is a board of treatement resistant patients, and our experiences are by no means indicitive of the population at large. I would argue that our experiences are *very* indicitive of the effects in the population at large.
>
> We're just a group that is computer literate.
>
> Linkadge
>
poster:Meri-Tuuli
thread:608339
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060205/msgs/608599.html