Do you suffer from a mental disorder?

[Push 0]

My reference is my professor, so don't attack me I'll see if I can dig anything in my book. As we all know, that professor could be wrong. Oh, and if you think that I'm one of those people that treat manic depression with a "cheer up", I'm not.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Jessica 0]

Quote

I don't either, but I do agree that you can shape your thought patterns to somewhat help mitigate the problem.

Yep, but for many people, only meds can bring them to a place where they are even able to function normally, let alone able to shape one's thought patterns.

Only recently, after several months of drug therapy, am I able to balance my checkbook on a regular basis. That's a lot of years of hell I've lived through.

I'm extremely sensitive to the "most people don't need meds" assertion. No one knows who "needs" meds besides the depressed person and his or her doctor.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[Push 0]

David G Myers, Psychology (Myers in modules), Sixth Edition, Page 621:

Quote

Everyone agrees that people with depression often improve after a month on antidepressants. But after allowing for natural recovery and the placebo effect, how big is the drug effect? Not big, report Irving Kirsch and Guy Sapirstein (1998) from their meta-analysis of 19 double-blind clinical trials: "Inactive placebos produced improvement that was 75 per cent of the effect of the active drug." Moreover, they report, some of the 25 percent difference seems due to an additional placebo effect derived from the drug side effects. Side effects tell patients they're getting an active drug, thus raising their expectations. Placebos that mimic the side effects of antidepressants are nearly as effective as the drugs temselves (Fisher & Greenberg, 1997)

I can cite the references in that from the back of that book, if you wish.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Zennie 0]

I think we're pretty much on the same page.

You hit the nail on the head as far as the necessity of meds to at least get you stable enough to start working on thought patterns.

It's a fine balance, and each person is different.

And if you've read any of my past posts (and I know you have) I also get spun up when people try to downplay the importance and efficacy of meds. They've made my life bearable, and like I said, I'm still on them and probably will be for a long, long time.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[SBS 0]

Here is a question...

If life has got someone depressed, then something in life has to change, because if not, then the person either chooses to live with something with which he or she is not happy, or gets on drugs that make it ok...as far as my understanding of medication, it is to enable the person to make those changes, and have a little more of a feeling of hope while they try to do so...they do not cure the depression. There are those, though, who do have a serious chemical imbalance, for whom that is not true, who really do need the medication. I wonder how many people have that true need for the medication because of a true disorder, or like someone said, or for how many of them, life has just got them down.

And...if the purpose of the medication is to enable, then wouldn't it be possible for these people to acheive these results without it? Not to say that that should be done, just saying that I think we discredit the human mind and its power quite a bit over both itsself and the world... I tend to think that we, many times, jump too quickly to medication rather than examining fully what we are capable of ourselves. If we do, then what's the difference really between taking "medication", and drinking every night, or getting high, or whatever, if it is working towards the goal of making life a little easier while you work things out?

I've been depressed lately, so just something that comes to mind.

-S

_____________
I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[Jessica 0]

Quote

I think we're pretty much on the same page.

Yep, and we always have been. I just like getting riled up about this subject.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[Push 0]

Hear hear. While there is definitely a lot to be said for things like SSRIs and ECT, in most cases it was the strength of the person, with a little nudge from a helping hand, that overcame the depression, and not some panacea drug.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Jessica 0]

Quote

I've been depressed lately, so just something that comes to mind.

I don't know.

I guess the basic question is, how long are you willing to live like that? Two weeks of being depressed is normal, especially after a traumatic event. Maybe even six months. Longer than that -- would you really want to spend years of your life feeling like that? Even if it's only because "life has got you down"?

I completely support the use of medication for people like this. Ideally, the course won't be a long one.

For me, it's a medical problem. I've been dealing with melancholy my whole life, and major depressive episodes of very impressive proportions for all of my adult life. I'm extremely grateful medication exists for my problem, and that I finally decided to ignore the social stigmas against them.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[SBS 0]

There are a lot of considerations with the medication...not the least of which is the FAA and their take on these types of drugs.

If they work for you, more power to you. I am choosing a different path for now, though...guess we'll see what happens. :-)

-S

_____________
I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[misskriss 0]

You are my hero.....thank you for posting that..

[Dumpster 0]

Man- I got in late on this thread- Sucks when you're so busy at work you can't post whore-

Anyway-
Nope - I've never been offcially diagnosed with anything. People tell me I'm nuts all the time. I've got a few other tendancies that might seem strange, but they don't seem to be affecting much of my day-to-day life.

Easy Does It

[sunshine 2]

Quote

I'm extremely sensitive to the "most people don't need meds" assertion. No one knows who "needs" meds besides the depressed person and his or her doctor.

Amen sistah. People that truly have a chemical imbalance in their brain can't help the fact that they need drugs to make them function normally.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[skykitten 0]

Reading through this is pretty amazing. Again, thank you all for your posts.
My personal story goes a little like this:
Around the age of 13 I started to exhibit some symptoms of depression. By 17 I was essentially out of control. At 20 I enrolled in college, where I started actively seeking help... which didn't help at all, and the downward spiral continued. (You are angry because you never knew your father... write him letters, then burn them...)
Dropped out of college after one semester, partied, got engaged, broke it off, broke my ankle and tried to kill myself with pain killers and alcohol. It didn't work, mainly because of a friend showing up at the right time. Partied more, got enrolled again at the age of 23. One semester ok, and on the last day of the semester I cut my wrists. Went on Prozac. Things went alright at first, but then it boosted me into a manic phase. More drugs. More alcohol. More dropping out.
I could go on, but I won't.
I believe in the efficacy of some drugs on some people. Anti-depressants make my mother tolerable... nay, pleasant to be around.
They made me freaking nuttier than ever.
I gave up on life for a few years... the only thing keeping me going was my unwillingness to impart pain to my family... and to take care of my cat. Small enough reasons, but reason enough.
I am forcing myself to find happiness now. I'm actively seeking out things to improve my quality of life, and making myself not take the easy way out by sleeping or abusing or whatever.
Part of my regimine is meditation, going to the gym, and lots of talking with friends. Thinking about my AFF training is also something that gets me up. Studies show that exercise alleviates depression more than drugs in the long run, but drugs tend to lessen the symptoms more rapidly than exercise.
Frankly, it's all a crap shoot. The best idea is to look around and figure out what works for YOU.

When walking up to an officer, it is not advisable to say, "Trick or Donut." Seriously.

[lurch 0]

I also feel that therapy and medication play a vital role in helping many.

Oh hell yeah. For the rest of my siblings for example, I'd consider both mandatory. I don't recommend my own approach (except the final solution that won the war for me....skydiving!) to anyone unless they have a real hate-on against themselves and the world. If I'd spoken to the right people at the right time when I was a kid I could have saved myself 12 years of living hell.

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[lurch 0]

: Lurch,
It's inspiring that you have overcome so much through skydiving.

steve, I sincerely appreciate the sentiment....
I never thought of it in those terms. I have a sense of perspective. I'm just some factory worker jackass who went and learned how to skydive and changed for the better, a fairly trivial matter from any perspective but mine. "overcome so much through skydiving. "
Put in those terms makes it sound like I'm some kind of whuffo hero in a Readers Digest Drama in Real life writeup. yuck.

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[steve1 5]

Quote

Hear hear. While there is definitely a lot to be said for things like SSRIs and ECT, in most cases it was the strength of the person, with a little nudge from a helping hand, that overcame the depression, and not some panacea drug.

I don't mean to be argumentive, but I really disagree with this type of thinking. For many a panacea drug is what is keeping them alive. If all it took was inner strength and a little nudge from a helping hand to overcome depression it would be simple to cure. Maybe in mild cases this could be effective. But anyone suffering from severe depression will tell you, it takes a hell of a lot more than that to overcome. In my mind people suffering from depression are not weak individuals. It may take years of therapy and anti-depressant drugs for them to overcome their problem. Often it is something they may deal with all their life. I wish it was just a matter of saying "suck it up Bucko", but as anyone knows who has been there, it's not as simple as that. I admire anyone who can beat depression whether through therapy, drugs, or even skydiving......Steve1

[steve1 5]

Quote

If we do, then what's the difference really between taking "medication", and drinking every night, or getting high, or whatever, if it is working towards the goal of making life a little easier while you work things out?

I've been depressed lately, so just something that comes to mind.

-S

Anti-depressant medication doesn't have the effect of making an individual high. It helps a person feel normal rather than like crap. I've heard that an anti-depressant like Zolof will not affect how you feel unless you need it. I'm not a medication expert, there are lot's of different types, and they affect some individuals differently. Earlier someone mentioned that the FAA may not approve of such medication. I really don't think this is the case, because I know a lot of skydivers out there who take anti-depressant meds. (including myself)......Steve1

[Jessica 0]

Quote

Earlier someone mentioned that the FAA may not approve of such medication. I really don't think this is the case, because I know a lot of skydivers out there who take anti-depressant meds. (including myself)......Steve1

It only affects your ability to get an FAA medical certificate, which you need to haul tandems or have a pilot's license.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[SBS 0]

Anti-depressant medication doesn't have the effect of making an individual high. It helps a person feel normal rather than like crap. I've heard that an anti-depressant like Zolof will not affect how you feel unless you need it. I'm not a medication expert, there are lot's of different types, and they affect some individuals differently. Earlier someone mentioned that the FAA may not approve of such medication. I really don't think this is the case, because I know a lot of skydivers out there who take anti-depressant meds. (including myself)......Steve1

--------------------------

there is nothing on the books that say that skydivers cannot be on drugs such as antidepressants, ritalin, and other drugs like that. I know from personal experience, though, that the FAA will not give a medical certificate to people who are on this type of drug. That would mean that you cannot LEGALLY be a tandem master, or a pilot. Mind you that I said LEGALLY, because there are people in both positions that are not following all the rules.

As far as "being high", I don't know what that feels like because I have never been...but I have been on medications before that give me a feeling that I would say is probably similar to being high. Either way, my point was that either way, if you are using the "medication", being Zolof or pot or alcohol, etc., to enable yourself to feel better while you straighten out your life situation, what is the difference between one and the other?

-S

_____________
I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

Yep, but for many people, only meds can bring them to a place where they are even able to function normally, let alone able to shape one's thought patterns.

Exactly. My friend has an eating disorder. The electrolyte imbalance causes severe headaches. It also temporarily suppresses feelings which later come back twice as painfully. The depression is huge.

The problems are real and to complicate things, the coping mechanisms are incorrect. To deal with the problems and come up with new solutions in therapy, the person needs to be stabilized first. Instead of mood swings from 1 to 10, the SSRI meds keep them between 4 and 6, smooths it out. They have to get through day-to-day life first.

I have sat through the therapy, 12-step meetings, and the crying. Slowly, my friend is getting better, but the meds make it possible.

[Jessica 0]

Quote

if you are using the "medication", being Zolof or pot or alcohol, etc., to enable yourself to feel better while you straighten out your life situation, what is the difference between one and the other?

Wow, this is insulting. Do you really not know the difference?

Using pot or alcohol to make yourself feel better is called self-medication, and it's not good. You're not getting any better if you are using substances to avoid dealing with your problems.

Do you really think someone who drinks to help him deal with a divorce or something is helping himself straighten out his life?

Skydiving is for cool people only

[SBS 0]

well, I'm sorry you feel that way. I am curious, though, can you not see the similarities?

Anti-depressants, drugs, alcohol, etc, are all mind altering drugs. Did I suggest that someone SHOULD become a raging alcoholic, or even that it's ok to "run" from anything? No more than I think that someone should allow themselves to become addicted to Anti-depressants or Vicadin. The difference is that one is socially considered relatively ok, and the other is absolutely not.

So, what exactly is the difference between taking a pill to make yourself feel better, and having a glass of wine? That is, assuming that you are not talking about "abusing" either.

-S

_____________
I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

Either way, my point was that either way, if you are using the "medication", being Zolof or pot or alcohol, etc., to enable yourself to feel better while you straighten out your life situation, what is the difference between one and the other?

The difference is in their effects. They work differently. Your body releases serotonin into your system and you feel ok. Normally, it is reabsorbed slowly. For some people, the process needs to be slowed. An SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) like Zolof or Paxil does just that. It takes the emotional rough edges off. People use Wellbutrin to handle quiting cigarettes. The effect is calming.

Alchohol can actually have the reverse effect. Once drunk, the person may sit and think about their problems like an endless loop on a tape, deepening their depression even further.

Prescribed meds don't act by themselves, they are used in conjunction with therapy. The therapy is what heals, the meds just keep you stable during the process.

[SBS 0]

Thank you...now THAT was a reasonable answer to my question.

-Steve

_____________
I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness...

[MC208B 0]

This is a good poll, cause you're all nuttier than me