Psychoactive medicine: help or hoodoo?

ladyislingering · 08-30-2010, 06:02 PM

When it comes to the treatment of psychiatric illness, (in YOUR opinion) to drugs help, or are they just a bunch of shit?

AboutAGirl · 08-30-2010, 07:10 PM

I am not a doctor.

But I have my own mental problems and I refuse to touch those prescription drugs, though they've been offered to me. What I do instead is... ingest cannabis! Ha. In very controlled doses, with no leeway beyond. I don't even like getting "high" anymore, it doesn't make me feel high and the fun wore off years ago (and then I quit for a good long time but I kicked back into it as an alternative to prescription drugs). Prescription drugs usually have side-effects that are as bad as what they're intended to cure. Cannabis has no proven side-effects, is not lethal and is not strongly addictive. I have found that strict periodic use consistently balances out my mental state and alleviates the majority of my symptoms.

Though I am not a doctor, I would suspect that those suffering from particularly jarring illnesses, for example schizophrenia, regretfully have little choice but to turn to anti-psychotics and other powerful prescription drugs. Alternatively, for those burdened by -- for lack of a better term -- lesser illnesses, I would strongly recommend a dedicated regimen of multi-front help focusing strongly on behaviour modification and utilizing less dangerous (i.e. non-prescription) drugs. For example for the treatment of afflictions like depression and anxiety, I believe so-called recreational drugs such as cannabis and MDMA -- if highly tempered and controlled in their administration -- can be a healthy, cost-effective, safe and successful alternative to indebting ones facilities to the powerful addictive substances that would be prescribed to them legally. This is, of course, just one of many possible routes to take and it should be discarded if found to be personally ineffective, and other solutions would then be tried. Nothing is foolproof, but I think there's more to fear from prescription drugs than from the oft-recreational ones.

ComfortablyNumb · 08-31-2010, 12:21 AM

I guess it depends on the person. But IDK.

My ex has some issues and some meds helped others just triggered other problems.

My friend is bi-polar and the meds help.

My ex's father is bi-polar as well and the meds helped.

So haha it seems it really depends on the person maybe, but I have no clue.

DaKillerWolf · 09-01-2010, 08:29 PM

I have personally known three people very well in my life who are and were ( one is now dead ) paranoid / schizophrenic who seem perfectly normal while on their medication .When they stop taking it they fly off the deep end BIG TIME .

One laid down on the railroad track and was decapitated because he couldn't deal with the voices etc anymore .Another is a pretty young girl who is funny
very smart and charming as all get out and seriously the nicest , kindest person I have EVER met when she is balanced i.e. on her medication ,yet let her stop taking it and in a matter of days she is almost demonic .

There is no doubt that the right medication for the right mental illness helps immensely.

ladyislingering · 09-01-2010, 08:49 PM

Sorry to hear of the kid who took his life. That happened recently in this area as well, though it is rumoured that particular individual was beat and left to die on the tracks .. when, sadly, a train came through.

I have noticed, from personal experience, a significant difference between a medicated state, and a non-medicated state. I didn't believe anything would happen, so there was not really a direct correlation between my opinion and the effect.

Though, it could depend on the person and it could depend on the chemical. Just throwing a little bit of an opinion into my own thread for once.

**Cosmic Harmony** · 09-01-2010, 08:55 PM

I think they're 50/50.

**METALPRIEST** · 09-01-2010, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Cosmic Harmony

I think they're 50/50.

Same here

Odysseus · 09-02-2010, 12:22 AM

I would also say it depends on the person and what shape their brain is in, from a medical standpoint. Drugs can assist in correcting a neurological imbalance or deficiency which can enable some people to function in a productive, healthy manner.

I do believe that we, as a society, are way over medicated though in some areas.

TheFeldster · 09-02-2010, 05:04 AM

Sometimes I think psychologist and psychiatrists fail to determine the difference between a mental "illness" and just someone with a wacked out personality. Indeed, it's impossible to tell.

If they do have an "illness" (like a family friend of mine who suffers from clinical depression) then it's likey the meds should work. If not, then I'm afraid no precription drug taken in a safe manner is going to change your personality (thus, a distinction needs to be made between a clinically depressed person, and someone who's just generally cynical and unhappy with life).

Tray73 · 09-03-2010, 01:55 PM

Yes they do help, and are essential with regards treating serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and clinical depression. Some mental health problems can be sucessfully treated without meds (eg anxiety/panic disorders and some forms of depression), through therapy or counselling, and I would always recommend trying this first, or at least a combination of therapy and short term drug treatment. I think some doctors do dish out pills like antidepressants too readily, instead of spending a little more time talking with their patients and finding out exactly what's going on (a few weeks of the blues is not depression), they write a script out and usher them quickly out the door so they can move on to the next patient.
I personally have suffered for years with depression and anxiety, and in those years have tried anything I think may help (everything from cognitive therapy to herbal remedies and hypnotherapy), but in the end it was only finding the right antidepressant that has helped to any significance. I was so ill before, these meds literally saved my life. So just from personal experience I can say that yes, absolutely, psychiatric drugs DO help in the treatment of mental illness.

SchindlerHaughton · 09-04-2010, 02:49 AM

It depends. These drugs can help with things such as anxiety and depression, so I'm not against the use of these meds. However, if there are some significant side effects and there are alternative means of treatment (therapy, etc.), then I would probably turn to that before anything else.

Archon · 09-08-2010, 06:24 PM

They help to some degree, believe me. My father is a psychiatrist. However claiming every single kid has ADHD or ADD is simply ridiculous. Everyone and their brother has a Ritalin prescription. My friend for example is depressed and take Zoloft and it works out well for him however he hates a few side effects. I think the medical field needs to re-make the requirements to diagnose a patient with ADD or ADHD as I have been told I have both and I live a normal life.

**Magic** · 09-08-2010, 06:47 PM

I have witnessed all extremes of mental illness not only in my line of work but in my family. There are all sorts of mental illnesses from personality disorders to organic brain disorders, and they need to be properly diagnosed by a professional before any treatment can begin.

Treatment can range from somatic (holistic) and psychotherapy, relaxation and behavioral modification techniques, electrical stimulus, and drugs. In most cases, a professional will use more than just drugs to treat a diagnosed illness.

The dangers of any person suffering from an illness is self-diagnosis and self-medicating. It is best to let professionals help. Also once a person is diagnosed, treatment should begin immediately and most likely will take several weeks to see any improvements. There is no such thing as a 'take this pill and all your problems will be gone' cure for mental disorders.

**Lord Grendel** · 09-08-2010, 07:09 PM

I have no personal experience but from what I have seen and read properly administered drug therapy is better than the alternative. The big problem I see is even though the drugs do control the symptoms, the side effects are unpleasant and have their own long range health issues associated with them.

DaKillerWolf · 09-08-2010, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by Archon

They help to some degree, believe me. My father is a psychiatrist. However claiming every single kid has ADHD or ADD is simply ridiculous. Everyone and their brother has a Ritalin prescription. My friend for example is depressed and take Zoloft and it works out well for him however he hates a few side effects. I think the medical field needs to re-make the requirements to diagnose a patient with ADD or ADHD as I have been told I have both and I live a normal life.

I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Prescription drugs are passed out like candy to kids now days. I swear at least half my elementary school would
been on Ritalin had we grown up in this era. Drugs are the new answer for lack of parenting skills it seems to me. Your kids act up ? Drug 'em!

Once again, I believe drugs work well in the proper situations but the medical
field needs an overhauling for sure.