Monday, March 20, 2006

Don't Take " Pill " For An Answer

I am infuriated by the staggering number of doctors, who we might as well call pill-pushers, who add shame to the healing profession.

Please-- If you see your general medical practitioner for emotional problems, DON'T TAKE "PILL" FOR AN ANSWER!

1) Ask about how COUNSELING can help you deal with your issues and possibly bypass having to take meds altogether!
2) Ask them for a referral to a psychiatrist so you know you will be monitored by a doctor who is abreast of all the latest psychiatric research should you need med management.
3) If your general medical practitioner says nothing about therapy or dodges your inquiries, find a new one!
4) Find a doctor who has a good bedside manner and who makes it clear that they care for your well-being.

We tend to view our doctors as mentors, authority figures, and all knowing healers. We trust them implicitly. Let us not forget that we must trust ourselves as well. Question your doctors, talk to them, be inquisitive. Play a working role in your health.



Thursday, March 09, 2006

Charity Begins At Home

When the topic of emotional and mental problems arises, it has become an unfortunate assumption in our society that a pill can solve all problems. This is simply not true and I'd like to open your eyes to the reality of depression, anti-depressant medications and all of the gray area in between.

First things first-- diagnosis. The DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Text Revision), published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the most updated manual describing in great detail virtually every mental disorder and is used by every mental health professional in the United States and many other countries. The DSM helps us make diagnoses based on a multidimensional approach to incorporate all of the possible contributions to a person's mental state.

Q: Who makes these diagnoses?
A: A medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed professional counselor, clinical social worker, or other competent mental health practitioner.

Once the appropriate diagnosis is made, based on the criteria set for the disorder, a plan of action is devised. This may or may not include medication management, which brings me to my point.

Once a qualified practitioner makes a diganosis, such as depression for example, he/she may find that through the patient's reporting as well as the level of severity as stated by the DSM, medication management may be helpful short term. At this point a psychiatrist will prescribe medication or a non-medical pratictioner will refer the patient to a competent psychiatrist. The short term medication management often lasts up to 6 months and its purpose is to alleviate the severe impacts of the depression to allow simultaneous talk therapy to take effect.

Simultaneous talk therapy is pertinent to recovery regardless of the illness.
It is possible that the client's mental state is more severe and longterm, and with the psychiatrist's and counselor's close and watchful eye, medication is managed for as long as deemed necessary in the best interest of the patient.
In many cases medication management is not needed at all as cognitive-behavioral talk therapy may be all the help the patient needs.
A few words about psychotropic drugs
I have seen miraculous changes in people as a result of proper medication management. They go on to live productive lives and find themselves again. When talk therapy is implemented as an equal part of treatment, poeple learn to cognitively and behaviorally manage their symptoms, should they arise again, resulting in less of a need for medication.
I believe that medicine has come a long way and we can surely reap the benefits. However, let us not forget that within us is our own medicine-- the presence of mind to know we need help, to ask for it, and to learn from our teachers and heal ourselves.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Helpful Books

Here are just a few self-help/emotional growth books that I have read that I really like. They could offer some insight into whatever you may be dealing with.

"Self Esteem" by McKay and Fanning
Harriet Lerner's "Dance of Anger" and other similar books
"Co-Dependent No More" by Melody Beattie
"You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay
"The Book of Romance" by Tommy Nelson
"Mind Over Mood" by Padesky and Greenberger
"Men Like Women Who Like Themselves:(And Other Secrets That the Smartest Women Know)" by Carter and Sokol