Mental health care still in the dark ages

[RCCOLA]

The way we treat people with mental illnesses, particularly depression and anxiety disorders, with medicine, analysis and therapy, is utterly archaic and disappointing, particularly when compared to advancements around us. From the heedless manner in which medications are prescribed, with significant side effects, to the discernable ineffectiveness of therapy where patients spend inordinate amounts of time, years, decades, for little progress, it’s an embarrassment that few discuss. Imagine, for instance, a teenage boys suffers some degree of depression, even temporary or situational, and a very well respected doctor prescribes him Prozac or similar, one of the side effects being some degree of sexual dysfunction. Do you know what this has the potential to do to a young man, someone who is already having problems and you pile this on? This is just one example. It's absolutely absurd because this happens ALL THE TIME. And for others who are prescribed something, male or female, tell me when you plan to stop taking it? Most of the time the answer is never. What the doctors don't tell you is that this is a life changing moment once you go down this road. For some, it's definitely beneficial but most of the time, it's not temporary. There are even websites devoted solely to getting yourself off of antidepressants. When will the call go out that we need something else, that we need to approach these issues from an entirely different perspective so that future psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists can make significant improvements? What are our future psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists taught at our universities and hospitals nowadays? For those of us that have been around, ask yourself what's better today than say, twenty or thirty years ago. At risk of going too deeply or off tangent I will suggest that at least the existential phenomenological approach to mental illness, taught at a few universities, has some degree of merit in my book in that it appears to dismiss why and how you got to this point and instead, focuses on what we should do now. I'm sure I'm oversimplifying but my god, something has to change. Who thinks spending twenty years in therapy and still feeling the same is a success? Think about it, why not just brainwash someone over a year's time, like a cult might do, and convince someone that they do indeed feel better....

This post really focuses of those of us who have major clinical depression or significant anxiety disorders rather than someone who feels down once in a while or who has seasonal depression, or someone that feels better from sitting in front of a light, etc. I'm not sure certain segments will get it, no disrespect intended.

Someone has a bad day and they're prescribed meds like candy, indifferent to the fact that this is most likely a life changing commitment, or a patient undergoes analysis for years yet nothing changes. What do universities and hospitals teach people, the same crap they've been shoveling fifty years ago? Think about it, there’s a cure for Hepatitis, human genome discoveries, 3D printed body parts, you name it, but when it comes to mental health, we're still in the dark ages, asking sufferers "so, how does this make you feel?" Really, this is where we are? I apologize for being so seemingly negative but in reality, it's positive in that, if people don't start questioning how we deal with mental health issues, things won't change. For the professionals, please be honest with yourself and try to see the forest through the trees. people are NOT getting better. The only part that has gotten better is that mental illness is much less taboo than it used to be. But our approach is akin to bleeding people with leeches.

[sweetiepye]

Thank you for posting this, it seems very timely. I consider this a professional kind of behavior but I'm also concerned with familial behavior. So many do not have support from family ,friends, or fellow workers. It is really inexcusable and makes a difficult situation almost impossible. Then to make matters really impossible to understand we do it to each other. I see examples of it all the time on HU. There is an example of it in this post, and I have been guilty of it myself.To what end ? I don't know. I do know this, we need to start with ourselves if we want change. Pam

[RCCOLA in reply to sweetiepye]

I don't have any support, unfortunately, but I manage and figure everything out on my own. Actually, I do have some degree of support in this forum. Those who understand what its like to have major clinical depression and anxiety, the kind that never goes away. The only people that seem to understand this are the only people I can really talk to and they are all sufferers.

[Jeff1943]

Psychiatry is an infant science. Freud was a fraud.

[RCCOLA in reply to Jeff1943]

Most all are frauds only they don't know it. I say this with no animosity at all. But don't you think that a psychologist, for example, that has been seeing the same person every week for 15 years, wonders why his/her patient isn't getting better? It's a complete joke.

[Sprinkle1]

I cannot agree with all your comments. Yes we are behind in treating mental illness in our great big country. It has improved from when I was 20 and in trouble. My body is prone to depression, and I have had a number of episodes, I am just coming out of a doozy, with severe anxiety. My therapist has kindly taken me off some of the pills the psychiatrist prescribed, when in my last trip into hospital. Back in 2000 when I was going thru a bad one the then psychiatrist said to me "There is So Much we do not know about the brain". So I think that is a weak spot. And the greedy drug company's make more and more pills for more and more money and half of them do not work, and so often the side effects are awful, I know. We need to push our Govt. to get serious about treating the millions of poor souls who suffer everyday. We need to make depression and anxiety common like the flu, accept it and deal with it. The No. 1 reason Dr's get patients in their office is for the 30 million sufferers looking for relief. I'd rather not take any pills, but they do help me so I swallow them daily hoping for them to do their job. Another thing is the cost, somebody is getting rich and it aint me. I have had ETC treatment, hated it and it did not help me that was over 50 years ago, I have been on MOIA's and SRIS, and when I get well I come of them, but I have a weakness and another round of depression visits.

The therapist I have now is great, she has me on a minimum of pills, and we talk about today, not my past. So that is my two cents worth, I am 77 and hope this is the last of these damn illnesses. I wish I could heal sufferers, but I do not have the answer. But to anyone out there suffering, it will end, it always does, do not give up on your brain that is malfunctioning, you are still in there and you will have fun again, and energy too. I send you love and peace.....Sprinkle 1......

[RCCOLA in reply to Sprinkle1]

The government can't be counted on to figure things out. This has to come at the university and hospital levels. I've had severe depression all of my life, the kind that freezes you in your tracks, the overwhelming sense of dread, and been to numerous doctors and therapists and unfortunately, while they try, I can see right through them. Hey, if these people provide you help, that's fantastic. But to see someone for years and have little to no change is so very disappointing.

[Sprinkle1 in reply to RCCOLA]

Hello RCCOLA, Like you I have had awful spells of depression/anxiety thru my life, even tried to kill myself twice, but was found both times. After the 2nd time in my 40's I swore I would never try again. I agree we need some good persevering research done at the clinical level, problem is they need money to do that, and that is where the govt. needs to step in. We can always find money for war, we need war on mental illness. The govt needs to realize we would have a stronger healthier work force, paying taxes, being happier people, and not a drain on public assistance. They need to rally and fight the illness like they did with cancer. If all of them would have this illness, I bet there would be money found for research.

I wish you well, I am dealing with depression/anxiety just now and it has made me quite ill, I barely function sometimes. I have a great therapist, we do not sit hours discussing my past, but here and now, my symptoms and how to deal with them, she also took me "OFF" 3 med's the psychiatrist had me on, which is good,, I do not like to take med's but am grateful for the relief they give me, and the side affects are not too bad. I have not had years of therapy, this is the 1st time in 19 years. I needed it to conquer the anxiety which had me full of fear and misery.

I hope you like what I wrote, I have to go and get ready, I am going to therapy!

I wish you well and free of depression, sending love & hugs. Sprinkle 1.....

[RCCOLA in reply to Sprinkle1]

You have a great attitude, I definitely commend you for that.

[Sprinkle1 in reply to RCCOLA]

Hello again, yesterday I saw my M.D. in the afternoon, I told her of our discussions, she then informed me that we have representatives lobbying the Govt. for more research into depression and mental illness. Thought I'd pass this good info. along to you, gives us something to hope for. Sending you healing, health, peace and love.....Sprinkle 1......

[Agora1 in reply to Sprinkle1]

Thanks Sprinkle1 for that message of hope xx

[RCCOLA in reply to Sprinkle1]

Thanks for the info. I will say, the universities are best equipped to manage this. They are the thinkers and where new ideas come from.

[Agora1]

Hi RCCOLA I agree with you 100%.... I am not new to mental health issues

that over the years have included medication, hospitalization, ER visits, psychiatrists,

psychologists and social workers.

Now 30 years later, I can see that nothing has really changed for the new generation

of people suffering from Anxiety, Depression and other off shoots of this disease.

It's true that progress has been made in so many other areas in the medical arena

but mental health is not one of them. Oh yes, newer drugs, newer procedures in

place of drugs but therapy itself hasn't changed. I've yet to hear my psychiatrist

or therapist use the word Accept. I had to learn that on my own from Dr. Claire

Weekes' books. My psychiatrist has his prescription pad in his hand asking to give

a number of your anxiety. I guess if you don't say the right number, you will be written

an order for a psychotropic drug which can open up an additional can of worms.

I got where I'm at today successfully by what I learned while in the hospital years

ago and applied it to myself. I've researched Anxiety in and out and found what works

for me. It's more than true that we, the patient, hold the key to our success. I didn't

want to waste anymore time with going in circles and mounting bills. It is more than

overdue to find a method that really works. A time for people not to lose their families,

their job and their self respect.

At one time, there were insane asylums for the mentally ill. Heavily drugged and walking

around like zombies. Now we medicate people and they are expected to live a normal

life while under many meds. Thanks RCCOLA for posting the truth. You can see you hit

a sore spot with me. I hope I live long enough to see changes in the Mental Health System

that will help others.

[RCCOLA in reply to Agora1]

I can't thank you enough. I'm so f'n tired and there's so much talk and writing and new meds and guess what, NOTHING CHANGES! You hit the absolutely nail on the head, you have to figure things out for yourself. To say that's frustrating is the understatement of a lifetime. I'm not just disappointed, I'm also angry because this is never discussed. The only articles and programs you see are written by....guess who...that's right, the psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists. The only people that understand what we're talking about are the people suffering. Again, I'm focusing on those in deep depression or who have a major anxiety disorder, something that doesn't go away with time or circumstances, it's always there, always rearing its ugly head. Again Agora1, you made my day. Just having someone else that I can identify with, someone who has been there and done that, is really great.

[Agora1 in reply to RCCOLA]

RCCOLA you are not alone in your feeling that way xx

[Shadow102030]

Check out a ted talk by johann Harris. He wrote a book that discusses other cultures who consider antidepressants to defined as be community involvement and assistance to those who are depressed. Actual physical solutions to the problem that caused the depression. Sitting with the person....listening....finding ways to help the person out. It is a community responsibility. Interesting idea. He states that depression and it’s rise is a result of our societal isolation. It’s actually why I sought out this community. I wonder if there is a way to create a small group to help each other.

I seek counseling. But feel it’s an empty activity with a goal of getting the therapist paid...even if he/s he says nothing. And many times they do...say nothing.

[Ragdoll15]

There is still a stigma attached to mental health. Doctors need to be educated in how to treat people suffering this way instead of treating them like second class citizens. I have been spoken down to in hospital by doctors implying that I am a time waster and one even making sarcastic jokes which I overheard.

[RCCOLA in reply to Ragdoll15]

That's too bad, sorry. It is less taboo now than it used to be although, I'm old enough to still feel a bit shameful when it's mentioned although I talk about it very little.