Posted by Hombre on November 25, 2010, at 21:42:26
In reply to Do you think psych drugs cause the very problems, posted by Laney on November 25, 2010, at 12:12:24
I believe that psychotropic drugs have many effects on the body and mind. Some of the factors that go into depression are not addressed by medications, and they can in fact be exacerbated by certain medications. These include weak digestion leading to fatigue, slow metabolism made slower, and emotional problems that are not addressed because too much hope is sometimes placed on medication alone.
Depression and anxiety are symptoms that can also arise out of poor health. Not being healthy enough to generate an adequate amount of energy to deal with life's stresses will eventually cause problems. Even a healthy body can be worn down by chronic stress and exhaustion. That's why they can induce depression in rats by exposing them to stress for a long enough period of time. That's also why people can express a full-on stress reaction by thinking about certain things.
Finally, since there is not a lot of evidence for the long term safety of psychotropic medications, we have to assume that they might have negative consequences that could, in the wrong person at the wrong time, cause serious illness.
But there is nothing to suggest that medication is an evil force that permanently screws up a person's life. It may cause disability, but there is also much that can be done to rehabilitate and restore function.
If that the last decade is considered the decade of the brain, due to advances in scientific knowledge about the neuroplasticity of the brain, than we cannot come to any foregone conclusions. The most promising research shows that exercise and certain medications can reverse some of the atrophy that appears after long-term depression and anxiety. But we knew this already, as stroke survivors have demonstrated an ability to regain function through arduous rehabilitation.
In my experience, a combination of medication, select herbs, adequate nutrition/supplementation, and of course regular exercise, can be used to find a compromise where symptoms are in control enough for underlying emotional issues to be addressed. That's a starting point for the real healing to begin.
I don't speak for everyone, and I know that some people may not be able to find an acceptable compromise...yet. I still hold out hope for them and others out there who are still seeking.
I am thankful for this hope, and I am thankful for you all, for your struggle is respected and admired.
poster:Hombre
thread:971287
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101117/msgs/971325.html