Depression/Anxiety: Invisible Affliction

all our lives would be much easier if all we were is a complex set of biochemical reactions. then we could figure out what particular reaction was causing say, feelings of worthlessness or lack of will to live. and alter that by changing conditions, driving the force of the reaction the other way, supplementing a different reaction, whatever.

the problem is that we also accumulate all these life experiences, which set the whole game off course.

i honestly would be curious, if they could ever clone me and put me through a better upbringing, how i would have turned out. because trust me, there would be a difference. as much as we are defined by what's going on inside the confines of the body, we are also strongly influenced by our environment: role models, experiences, and acquired knowledge.

that's something noone can attribute to biochemistry. you may cite learning experiences as something that cements neuronal connections (LTP/LTD) but all that learning comes from an external source. there's no way it's all self-determining.

 

i probably suffer from some degree of depression as i think most people do. some handle it better than others and to be honest with ya but right now, i dont know if i am "handling" it, gotten used to it, or am just repressing it.

i used to drink and drug my depression away. spent more than a few years doing that. but as we all know, that doesnt work either.

after quitting, depression is the natural course of things and although AA helped me in the initial stages of my recovery, i quickly found that being around a group of mostly depressed people was not doing wonders for my own psyche so i had to bail on them and that was my own issues. my OC-ADD issues most likely didnt allow me the chance to find a group that worked for me.

i found for me that being involved with family and other passions is just as effective as AA because AA is just a way to feel like a member of an organization that one can be proud of. i often wonder if PriusChat is my crutch that keeps me sober. (i do have over 6,000 posts, so it does keep me occupied) its been a long time since i had any real destructive desires, but my ADD forces me to change my wants and desires on a regular basis, but PriusChat has outlasted more than a few passing fancies.

as i am typing this, there is a blurb on the morning news about loneliness and depression. studies found that people over age 50 that live alone have more than triple the rate of high blood pressure and other ailments than people who are married or still have kids at home. the study ONLY studied people who ate well, maintained their weight and exercised regularly. however, people who are alone who also make active efforts to meet and be involved with other people seem to do just fine.

 

My wife was chronically depressed for ~20 years, and had varied reactions to the different antidepressants the doctors tried. Prozac seemed to work best, but the big problem with it was that it became rather ineffective with time, and they'd have to switch her to something else for a while. The worst part was that the doctor prescribed Ambien, to help her sleep. Although Ambien is only to be used for a limited time, while you resolve whatever the issues are that are keeping you awake, the doctor kept her on it for 1 1/2 years! :blink: That's when we began to notice huge gaps in her memory, and big personality changes, which almost ruined our marriage.
Thank goodness she finally found EEG Biofeedback:
EEG Biofeedback.com
EEG Biofeedback retrained her brain to think less negatively, and she says now that she can't believe how good she feels, happy and contented, better than she EVER has in her whole life! B)

 

Sorry about quoting the above but it has been a long time since Salsawonder's post.

First off, I agree with most everything that she says however, ...

In the great state of Idaho with have a dirth of psychiatrists and almost all of the ones we do have do not accept State Medicaid patients!!! These are the most likely to need specialty care. They would rather manage the "worried well"

As a result I find that as a family physician (though with some Psych background) I am managing way too many psychiatric patients. Not just Depression but Bipolar disorder, ADD, Schizophrenia, etc. In fact our Region 3 Mental Health office often refers patients to me . And I seem to be on the psych drug reps lists to hit up on as well. Is this a good situation, not really but where I am it is also reality.

By the way, in a recent survey Idaho was one of 7 states to receive a Failing grade for its mental health system.

 

Unfortunately, the system in Texas is not much better. For a time several years ago, the mental health benefits for Medicaid patients was cut (it has since been reinstated).


It is very unfortunate that so many that need help aren't able to access affordable mental health care. Especially when we know how effective treatment can be in giving individuals a productive life. I've even seen individuals in severe crisis denied services from the local MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation) because they couldn't pay their bill (without any medication, there was no way the person could hold a job).

Unfortunately the reality is that Medicaid pays very poorly and many psychiatrists (and psychologists) will just not accept very many of these patients and risk not being able to make ends meet.

 

Sunday's NY Times describes a new surgical procedure to alleviate depression.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/magazine...&pagewanted=all

 

Call it corny if you like, but I think the glass is always full. Some is water and some is air, but it's always full.

 

I can't resist putting in my 2 cents worth.

I have post-traumatic stress disorder compounded by depression and anxiety, and all I'll say is it sucks!

I have been in treatment forever (or so it seems), and I din't knowwhat I'd do with either my therapist or my psychiatrist. Although I have long periods of relapse, I also have equally long periods of being a genuinely happy-hearted person. I do rely on medication, and I continue therapy even when I'm feeling well.

I have come to terms with the fact that I will always be ill (I'm on disability), but that just makes me hyper-appreciative of good times when I am a very productive person with several volunteer activities and close relationships with friends. I feel blessed, after years of searching, to have found qualified, competent professionals on whom I can depend. I would urge anyone in a similar situation not to give up on finding the right help!

 

Has anyone heard of CBT? (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) It has helped my daughter with her anxiety, but I don't know if it would be appropriate for treating depression. There's certainly no 'magic pill', but CBT seems to hold some promise.

 

Yes, that sounds pretty close. As I understand it, the cognitive behavioural part means being aware of your own thoughts and actions. The therapy part comes in when you try to challenge those thoughts. For someone with excess anxiety, it means listening to your worries and applying a reality test to them. We know there aren't really monsters under the bed, but sometimes we have to convince ourselves. My experience with CBT is only beginning, but I see how it might apply to depression. We know, deep down, that we are caring, responsible, intelligent people, but those little voices often say otherwise, and we need to learn not to listen to them. Trapping 'worry dragons' is the thought process used for anxiety, stopping the worries as soon as they start, so they don't become debilitating. With depression, there are thoughts of 'I can't do it' , 'I don't feel like it', and 'nobody cares'. With CBT, in theory, we can stop these destructive thoughts and prevent them from controlling our emotions. Ultimately, we should be able to build ourselves up instead of tearing ourselves down. The spiral works upwards, too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Salsawonder @ Mar 27 2006, 05:02 PM) [snapback]231061[/snapback]</div>

Even in situational depression, anti-depressants can be appropriate. For example, if a woman had postpartum blues, I would be inclined to treat that, and perhaps even give the woman Prozac for the next pregnancy. I would be concerned that postpartum psychosis would develop, in which the mother would deliberately kill her new baby. It's not a bad thing to treat situational depression, even if it's not as grave as this scenario. For example, if a loved one just died, it would be acceptable to treat with an antidepressant, even if the loved one just died recently. Part of the issue is stigmatizing mental health, that if you're on a medication, that somehow you were too mentally weak to deal with a problem without medication.