Posted by SLS on October 22, 2006, at 8:53:13
In reply to Re: neuroleptics+depression, posted by linkadge on October 20, 2006, at 12:58:13
> SSRI's are more mood stabilizers, than they are antidepressants.
I can't agree with you here, especially when these drugs demonstrate an ability to produce a manic switch in people with bipolar disorder.
> They don't help you achieve your goals as much as they lower your standards.
For the short time I respond to SSRIs, I find the opposite to be true. Because my ability to function is so much higher and my motivation and interest to be active is higher, so are my levels of achievement. I find myself setting more and higher goals for myself.
> Some depression is sensitive to this kind of activity, while other depression is not.
Perhaps. However, I think we can also include in SSRI antidepressant effect scenarios those in which people become more energized and motivated and for whom "lowering standards" is not the mechanism of action.
> If you sit on the couch and watch TV all day, an antipsychotic isn't going to do much more than perhaps make you feel less guilty for sitting around.
Here, my personal experience deviates substantially from this characterization. I found that Risperdal, Zyprexa, Geodon, and Abilify all got me off the couch when they were first added to an antidepressant. Unfortunately, this energizing, antidepressant effect didn't last for more than a few weeks, but it was significant. Thereafter, lying on the couch was just as frustrating and guilt-producing as it ever was.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:696107
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061020/msgs/696696.html