I haven't been on HealthUnlocked for a while, but I was reading this article this morning and it took me right back to last year when every conversation I had with a number of GPs (and specialists) about my myriad symptoms wasn't listened to/acted upon - instead, I too was offered antidepressants. Thankfully, I found a naturopath to help me sort out my many vitamin deficiencies.
I thought this might be of interest to some of you.
One problem with the article and the theory behind it: it assumes the source of the chronic pain has healed. That's not always true; sometimes there is structural damage to bones, sometimes there are lesions on nerves -- damage that never reverses. Soft tissue can be permanently damaged. The article describes good ways ways to adapt to the pain, but saying the damage has healed and the pain is just from a mistake in the nerve messages -- that's almost as bad as saying it's emotional. I don't think there is good research to support the nerve message theory (hypothesis). And doctors do use this theory to avoid prescribing pain medication.
It would be an interesting survey: how many women compared to men, presenting with the same symptoms, firstly get offered antidepressants. Whether female/male GP makes a difference also interests me.
If the starting point with GPs generally when diagnosing female patients (the medical equivalent of a "default setting" for women) is seen as "depressed state", perhaps it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. And that really would be depressing !
No wonder it takes up to 10 years to get a Pernicious Anaemia diagnosis.
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