Does anyone else think this......?

[kheath]

I have recently been through the ringer again, with my constant battle with anxiety and depression. I never really get a complete lift. I recently had a bout of IBS, probably bought by an increase of more stress than normal. Whilst I was in the Dr's I asked her a simple question, which she did not really answer for obvious reasons. I would like to put the question too all of the people on here however and see what you think.

Anxiety, Depression, mental illness, is an affliction, a incumbent, something that prevents a lot of us leading a normal existence, or interferes if you like with life it actually stops us living it and not caring about the worries holding us back, this thing, this anxiety, depression, this problem we all share, is for the most part a combination of misinterpreted interactions of thoughts in our brains, like a badly wired plug switching off and on, in our brains this is a release, or non release of chemicals fueled by thoughts, experiences stimuli that in the most part don't exist. The analogy of a someone setting of a fire alarm I think I was once told, except there is no fire, this then in turn releases responses due to the chemical responses, that in turn make us unhappy, unwell and feel as we do.

So my question to the Dr was this, if we had someone who was physically impaired, or someone who had become so through there life, and they experienced disability, or pain, or prevention of living a quality of life, why are the medical fraternity more predisposed to helping at great length and cost. Yet when someone present symptom and gets diagnosed with a chronic condition like mental illness, there is a almost a second rate response, and one based on criteria, let me elaborate.

If we suffer as a result of a predisposition of a lack of things like Serotonin, or GABA5 response, is that not akin to someone with any other type of predisposed illness such as diabetes, or heart defect, or indeed downs syndrome. I don't mean to offend anyone who has any of these, but I do think that at this time when we know so much about why, we do so little to actually acknowledge, that some of us are born and will suffer as a result of almost fate of nature, and that nurture may just qualify the symptoms more, as opposed to make them, and that if we are born with this misalignment we should be treated as others with care, and assistance and not told things, such as, "have some CBT and you will be better", "you really should not be on this medication it probably isn't working" or better still, "well if this SSRI didn't work I am sure there is one that will", when in truth you need a much more palative and long term view. Truth is some people suffer from mental illness and get better to where it becomes just a thing that happened in their lives, like catching the measles or when we got chicken pox. But for a lot of us, it is something we need to live with and accept that we will probably always have. Why then cannot the medical profession see this and respond accordingly?

[Hidden]

Because most GP doctors dont understand it, and because they dont have a simple cure, they feel inadequate, and pass it off as just nerves etc. there learning is directed more towards the physical side of health, when really, its the mind that rules the body.

Psychiatry is where we get some help, but its early days for them too, I think some great leaps have been made in the last 50 yrs regarding mental illness, but there's still much to do. Why then do they pump us with drugs? simple MONEY, its cheaper. The world revolves around money.

I think there are ways to deal with anxiety panics Agoraphobia depression, because I'm doing it myself, with help, and no drugs now.

It is difficult though, because we are told what is important in life, money, having more needing more etc

just look at the adverts on TV or the news.

Its a lie and we are playing the game.

We may ask ourselves what is really important in life, and then seek it out, but there's no people to direct us anymore, or very few.

I sincerely hope this doesn't offend anyone

Its a great topic.

b

xxx

[Hidden]

I agree, it's like we're still living during the madhouses Act of 1774 lol, the mental health act is a joke. They bang on about community care and better public awareness re mental health but thanks to the media only focussing on and sensationalising extreme cases where people hurt themselves or others due to there illness, the rest of us don't stand a chance of being understood.

Ignorance is not bliss and the more educated the general populous are re all forms of mental health, the faster we will be provided with the same care as others with disabilities.

Xxxxx Cookie xxxx

[sheffieldwed]

Oh gosh hun i so agree and sometimes i ask my gp why and they simply just dont have the answer or reason why and yes the meds work sometimes but not forever and i beleve sometimes are just a simple answer to cover up any real knowledge or understanding i stopped taking my meds last week and still trying to work out whether i am getting worse again i dont feel myself but am back at docs prob just to hear the same and not actually getting any further forward we do need help as you say just like others who suffer with a diff illness if its labelled a illness then it should be as important as any other why should we suffer in silence and shut ourselves off this is a life our life and we should be helped so agree with all you say xxxx

[kheath]

It is good to read these comments, I was trying to open up a conversation, if you like, I don't like the word disabled, the implications of it are wrong, for someone who may not be able to excel in one thing may be prolific in another, because of something that afflicts us. The thing, that astounds me and is almost a certainty is that we have to come to sort of excuse those that are for want of a better term the "professionals" who provide us with care. I am sorry but it is not acceptable, the comment about it is about money, made earlier is a fair one, but if that were the case sorry it is not acceptable, it is also very true about the focus of treatment being less for those of us whom suffer from the black dog as Winston Churchill put it. If you didn't get the answers or where given a bunch more question about any other thing in your life you would not sit there, in fact it seems that the more unimportant that something is the more we are likely to fight, but when it comes to the important stuff we just roll over, as we did not go to university for 7 plus years and be told why people think and what the right thing is to do. The bottom line is non of it is acceptable, we should have the same access and not feel that because you or anyone you know who suffers as to rely either from time to time or maybe for the rest of their lives on a medication that alters brain chemistry, that affords them a better life that somehow this isn't real care. It isn't I agree perfect nothing is ever perfect, but again, if it were a person with a chronic disorder and it required care from medication it would be given, as is the case with my partner who is given a drug to prevent migraine, I don't ever see her being lectured by a Dr informing her that really she should be able to get over this herself, it is accepted that by a specialist who she paid to see, said "you were probably prone to this due to ill formed synaptic nerve ending when you were born, so we can assist you with this and help by taking this drug etc".

A lot of people don't have to rely on medicine or pharmaceuticals to "feel normal" or offering her countless version of the same type of SSRI Tricyclic or MAOI's, any drug ending in a 'pam' or lithium, etc, etc. I think were I am going with this is. I after 25 years knowing what I suffer from after being told what it is labelled, and on reflection actually realizing that I always had these feeling even as a child, that maybe just maybe, some of us are born badly wired, and maybe some of use with a little help from the right environmental support and medication can have fully functional lives like the rest of the so called "normal" society should not be looked at by the GP, Psychiatrists, or others in the profession as transitory patients, but more like my partner, or anyone else who as a "condition" or "ailment".

[nannyann23]

I so agree with all the comments, you go out an stab someone to death and almost immediately your classed as mentally unstable and given all the help in the world. But present yourself to the GP with this awful illness-- and it is an illness like any other-- except you haven't had the urge to kill, then your GP wont deal with it in the same way except to give you an appointment to see the mental health team and prescribe a pill. My anxiety started 12 years go when my then 7 year old grandson was rushed to the childrens hospital in Birmingham and put into an induced coma for 2 days to stop him fitting. Now he is 19 and still has epilepsy which reared its ugly head again a month ago after 8 years. Guess what - he was still on the same dose of medicine he has been on since he was 7 years old, No wonder he started again, no one picked up the fact he was 12 years older but still on a dose more suited to a 7 year old. Its all been changed now after 5 trips to A&E and the knowledge of a paramedic ( God bless her ) who noticed his dosage was too small for his age and size. Just got to wait now for it to kick in. Stay strong all you lovely people out there, and don't let the B******s grind you down and rob you of your life xxxx Love Nanny Ann

[sheffieldwed]

So right guys hit the nail on the head but still we feel ashamed of the way we feel and i dont know about everyone else but i feel like my illness is less important than others and feel as though people look at me as if to say get on with it i feel as thpugh i am harrassing the gp for such a little cause but why should i have to feel like this why this is my life and i too have the right to get help and support and try not to waste my life feeling the way i do so i agree with what you say xxxx

[sasays]

I havn't read all the comments entirely as im at work but although i agree witrh the sentiment im also very aware that mental illness is just not measurable in the same way as physical, there isnt enough knowledge, science if you will, in regards to mental health. I believe the public are not getting the support they require because the metal health profession just isnt there yet. A general practitioner is just that, general, they are there as a first point of call but i do think they need more information on 'next steps'.

Healthcare and medicine is based on science, fact and education, none of these things have been investigated to the same lengths in the field of mental health, and the developments are much much slower and i would think are of a much bigger risk for clinical trails etc. Most 'ailments' are fixed by medication, someone has to fund the time and money to develop these medicines and if you dont know enough about the problem, then i doubt the research and development in those areas is there yet as there isnt enough profit to be made. New drug development takes approx 7 years end to end process and have shockingly low sucess rate, the majority never seeing the light of day. If there is no money to be made, the busienss oppertunity is far more risky and is far less likley to be taken up.

I don't think GPs are provided with enough information on mental health but i do feel that alot more publicity on the alternative services available is being done and that the GPs need more information on these services so we are more confident in seeking help from them for mental health issues. We're going in the right direction but its definitely a very slow process and one that has taken far far too long.

I think when it comes to mental health, the rule of 'go see your GP' isnt quite enough, its teh one time where you'd definitely be better off doing some pre approintment reasearch into your local mental health services, that way youre armed with some information to take to your GP and because of this they may feel they are able to actually help. I genuinely don't think they feel like they can usually, its like mental health is like a big black hole for GPs, they're not quite sure what to do about it and as they have no facts to work with, no test to carry out i can understand why they may feel a little helpless.

I feel the NHS could benefit a great deal from mental health reps, like drug reps but not for sales, just creating a network/community between the GPs and the other mental health services and charities avaialable.

Personally my GP couldnt help much at all, in fact our meets are usually pretty akward BUT she did hand me a leaflet for IAPT and i am enternally grateful for that.

I have my fingers tightly crossed for the future. The past was no good, the present needs work, but there seems to be some positive action out there so im hoping for teh best for future generations.