View Full Version : Best way to treat depression



Patrick
03-28-2005, 10:51 PM
What do you feel is the best way to treat depression, if you had to pick just one?

Midtowner
04-08-2005, 10:22 PM
I'm not a big fan of 'happy pills'. They don't get to the root of the problem. I think for some, counseling, and for others, self-counseling (in other words, rationalization, figuring out what makes them happy, taking some initiative and getting themselves better). Somehow, before proazac, we got along just fine. Has the introduction of anti-depressants reduced the number of depressed people in our country?

Keith
04-09-2005, 07:20 AM
I'm not a big fan of 'happy pills'. They don't get to the root of the problem. I think for some, counseling, and for others, self-counseling (in other words, rationalization, figuring out what makes them happy, taking some initiative and getting themselves better). Somehow, before proazac, we got along just fine. Has the introduction of anti-depressants reduced the number of depressed people in our country?
Have you ever gone through deep depression? If not, then you have no idea how important medication and counselling is. Anti-depressants are not "happy pills." Anti-depressants are medications that could prevent someone from committing suicide, in some of the most serious cases.

Have you ever woken up in the morning, and was so down that you did not want to get out of bed, or you did not want to eat? Have you ever gone to bed at night, and when you finally got to sleep, you woke up three hours later and could not go back to sleep? Being sleep deprived, not having an appetite, and not wanting to get out and do things are common symptoms of depression. Maybe you experienced a death in the family, or you broke up with your girlfriend/boyfriend, or you are going through a divorce, or something else tramatic has affected your life. When something like this, or similar to this, has happened in your life, it is the time to seek counselling and find the right medication.

To me, there is no such thing as self counselling. Even if you know what makes you happy, depression will still take that happiness away. I have found that counselling, medication, and faith in God, is the only way to fight depression. I went through this many years ago, so I am living proof that this works.

Sure, I tried to be tough, and say to myself that everything was alright, but it would never go away.

There are many people in the U.S. that are on anti-depressants, and the strange thing about it is, these people are your friends, co-workers, relatives, etc....and you would never know they are on any type of medication because they act normal. The medication is not a happy pill, it is a survival pill for many people. Do I think people abuse anti-depressants? Yes, however, people also abuse valium, codeine, and other serious drugs.

mranderson
04-09-2005, 08:37 AM
I will add to what Keith said.

In 1992, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. What brought into the forefront was the fact I had been on my job for several years and I could not get promoted. I knew so much about my job it was boring, the typical client was rude, and I needed a different position within the company. I had tried countless times for promotion, and was passed over in favor of "designer" people. One's who were of different races, different orientations, and younger in age. In short, I was the victim of discrimination. I was so upset I went into a downward spiral. My doctor prescribed Welbutrin. One of these things midtowner has incorrectly called a "happy" pill. Welbutrin did not make me "happy." What it did is control the crying jags, control my temper, made me get up and clean the apartment, eat less, socialize more, and in short, take control of my life. I lost a lot of weight and found a more fulfilling life as a result. When I was taken off Welbutrin, I was not thrilled. The weight came back, and some of the old habits returned. Not all, but some.

Recently, I went through what I later learned was a very destructive relationship. It had positive effects, however. I am well on my way to the goal of finding Mrs. Anderson and losing weight. When I went back to the doctor, I told her about the weight I lost while on Welbutrin. She put me back on it. I told her I wanted to take it as long as I needed to. For the rest of my life if needed. She said she would allow me to control the time frame. I have so far reduced my food intake by at least 75%, am working out, losing the weight, and have once again controlled a temper that goes ballistic in unacceptable traffic patterns.

So. For those who feel anti depressants are "happy" pills, you could not be more incorrect. They are a useful resource to take control of ones life when it goes out of control due to chimical imbalance. I am more satisfied, more optomistic, and get more compliments than I know what to do with. I will always be a fan of your so called "happy pills." I can name some people who probably need them themselves.

Midtowner
04-09-2005, 08:51 AM
Perhaps the happy pills would be more effective when combined with some therapy. It seems that they contribute to the culture of "Take two of these and don't call me in the morning" that we seem to be experiencing in the medical industry -- in other words, medicate and ignore.

In grade school/middle school, I was correctly diagnosed with ADHD, which is essentially a chemical imbalance that occurs when signals are not properly sent amongst neurotransmitters. My mother had up to that point tried all kinds of things to help my behavior. Amongst those things, were the diagnosis of several food allergies (which I do not have) by some quack who said something to the effect that eating wheat products, brewer's yeast, etc. would "eat away" at my pancreas. She also had a doctor advocate the use of restraints. Finally, a Dr. Irwin in Tulsa recommended Ritalin. While it did help with the problem, taking medication did not really solve the issue.

Eventually, around age 14, I decided that I couldn't be on this drug for the rest of my life and decided that I would just deal with whatever problems I had. Amazingly, I'm still ADHD as heck, but starting law school.. made it through college, etc. It's not an excuse to fail, it's just a different aspect to my personality.

Anyhow, I guess the decision here should be between you and your doctor. However, my personal feeling is that if it were me, I probably would refuse treatment when it came to antidepressants and deal with the issue on my own because that's how I work. If you need the pill and are willing to deal with the side effects, I guess that's between you and your doctor.

I do not think, however, that general practitioners should have the ability to prescribe drugs for conditions that they probably are not qualified to diagnose (like ADHD and depression).

Patrick
04-12-2005, 01:11 AM
Having dealt with suicidal patients in the psych ward, I can tell you first hand the importance of antidepressants. They've saved numerous lives and allowed my patients to survive through therapy. Without meds, msome patients wouldn't even be able to be mentally awake enough to benefit from therapy.

I do agree that therapy is important and should be combined with medication, but medication has its place, especially over the short term, and possibly over the long term in patients where long term counseling, psychotherapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is ineffective.

Unfortunately, for most, deep depression is not a medical condition you can simply pull yourself out of easily. It's a seriuos condition that impairs your every function. More seriously depressed people find simple daily life to be a struggle.

Patrick
04-12-2005, 01:15 AM
I do not think, however, that general practitioners should have the ability to prescribe drugs for conditions that they probably are not qualified to diagnose (like ADHD and depression).

I can see both sides to this. I do believe that psychiatrists and psychologists are more appropriately trained to diagnose these conditions and other heqalth conditions. But, depression isn't a very hard diagnosis to make when the symptoms are clear, and thus I see no reason why I GP should have problems diagnosing depression.

In psychiatry every diagnosis is based off of the DSM-IV criteria and a battery of tests. Although most GP's don't have the variuos tests, DSM-IV criteria usually sufficee for diagnosing depression. For ADHD, I prefer a more in depth series of tests, especially since ADHD is a more chronic condition and it involves the use of Schedule II drugs in most instances.

Karried
04-15-2005, 09:08 PM
I think anyone who suffers from depression should consider anti-depressants as a short term (perhaps longer) cure for depression and not feel bad about it. When I had my second son, I experienced a strange phenomenon, I withdrew from friends and family and got very isolated and unhappy. I didn't know it was post partum depression and didn't think to ask for help. I was strong! Yeah right, I was depressed due to a chemical imbalance brought on by hormones relating to the pregnancy. I finally gave in and made a call, got meds - took them for a short while and got better fast. I'm fine now but without that, I dont' know what would have happened. It was a strange time - moral of the story, if you feel sad, helpless, hopeless, lethargic or unhappy, don't wait another minute - get help today.

travich
06-08-2005, 07:01 PM
I think it's complicated, but for someone with a chemical imbalance, it's obviously going to be medication.