Posted by lifetime on February 16, 2006, at 21:10:19
In reply to Re: Suicide on Effexor » lifetime, posted by linkadge on February 16, 2006, at 15:38:39
Linkadge,
You raise many valid points which I can easily agree with and while we agree to seek and obtain the ideal or optimum health care system the reality exits that things do not work or are not working the way you or I would like to have them. In fact, our president is recommending major cuts in health care and social services in this country which will certainly stress even more the patient and the health care system in this country.
I am a spouse, a parent and a grandparent. I know what I do for my own and I know what I have done when asked to advocate for others. While I cannot do for those that have past on I can hope and try to get my message through in order to prevent responses similar to the following one by sharing my experiences and knowledge:
“We unfortunately made the deadly mistake of trusting our health care providers to do the right thing. And our children paid for our trust with their lives. If you think your ridiculous words are helping anyone, you are seriously mistaken.” – Devastated Mother
While this particular parent believes my words to be “ridiculous” or not “helping anyone” I won’t debate the point with her lack of knowledge of what I have and have not accomplished. If one single parent reads this thread and comes away thinking and questioning any medications, doctors, treatments and/or therapies it would have accomplished something worthwhile. While I cannot do anything to save or help those parents whose children have past there maybe a parent intelligent enough to question and read before blindly accepting and proceeding just because a doctor said something. Doctors do make mistakes and they are human and their mistakes are in the graveyard. Labels are written and drug inserts and pharmacy printouts are for those capable of reading although one is not forced to do so. While you diverge from the principle of being educated and informed to all the other possible extenuating circumstances the point is information is available so maybe one of your precepts should be that the patient and his/her support persons must sit down and take a mandatory course before beginning any treatment regimen. That would eliminate the physician oversights and/or inadvertent negligence to inform and to place some responsibility in the hands of the patient and/or his/her support persons.
You are right about some patients being incapable of understanding or following instructions let alone reading some drug literature. So do as I do, advocate and encourage for a support network of friends if family and/or loved ones are not available to lend support. There are coping skills we discuss and share for all and those who must go it alone and while you and I would like to see the ideal system it doesn’t exist so we do the best we can with what we have while trying to improve the system, eliminate the stigma and in our country battle for parity with health insurance carriers for those suffering the medical illnesses of mood disorders.
While you’re at it I’ve referenced some links for you as to the conflicting studies and information relating to antidepressants and suicide.
http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.23686/pub_detail.asp
http://www.pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/40/10/52-a
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/163/1/41
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article344226.ece
Warmly,
Herb
VNSdepression.com.
poster:lifetime
thread:601406
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060212/msgs/610434.html