Posted by Jamal Spelling on October 23, 2007, at 16:42:45
In reply to Re: That Way Lies Madness, posted by unbottled on October 23, 2007, at 15:06:06
> Both and each. Not either or. Please.
I quite agree. Ironically this thread was started writing that pharmaceuticals are the only way to treat mental illness, that it is wrong to discontinue a pharmaceutical regimen, that other treatments are useless, and that people who suggest differently should **** ***. Or something to that effect.
I am not aware that the use of pharmaceuticals was discouraged anywhere in this thread. Certainly the point that I made was that not everybody who use medication necessarily need to be medicated. I do not dispute that there are legitimately mentally ill individuals who benefit substantially from medication. Having said that, there are many individuals who can and do benefit substantially from healthy lifestyle changes, sometimes to the point of no longer needing medication. I am one of them, and I know of others in my immediate circle of acquaintances. And if the need ever arises, I will not hesitate to go back onto a pharmaceutical regimen, but for now, I am doing well without it.
Did I ever have a chemical imbalance in my brain? Probably. Did that imbalance respond to medication? Absolutely. Was that imbalance endogenous? In my case, I don't think so. I now hypothesize that much of my depression and fatigue is due to poor breathing while asleep. I intend to have my nasal obstruction surgically corrected later this year; in the mean time, a nasal decongestant before bed does wonders for my waking up feeling refreshed. Reducing my sugar intake seems to have stabilized my mood substantially. Counseling and a variety of self-help books have taught me good emotional hygiene. Fish oil and methylating agents stimulate me more than what 150 mg of daily Wellbutrin did. Etc., etc., etc.
The point is that some people can manage without medication, and that choice should be respected.
I also feel that doctors are too quick to diagnose endogenous mental illness without first eliminating other possible physiological causes of the patient's condition. Two different doctors had told me, based on my persistent low mood, that I needed to stay on antidepressants for the rest of my life, that I simply had poor brain chemistry and that was simply the way it was. They were both well-intentioned but ultimately wrong.
> Squiggles is right to be angry.
Why?
Jamal
poster:Jamal Spelling
thread:790781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071019/msgs/790887.html