I'll never forget how in my late 20s, when I was struggling with anxiety-related issues, I went to a psychiatrist and after a 2-minute conversation describing my life circumstances he prescribed me anti-depressants. It was surreal how easy it was for him to give me drugs, especially because I wasn't ambitious about taking pills for my problems. At the time, I was working a stressful call center job and I started developing panic attacks while I was at work.
Courageous for you to write about this aspect of your life Adam. When it comes to mental health I always prefer Ph.d psychologists over Psychiatrist MDs or MSWs or counselors/therapists without a Ph.d. While there is nothing "wrong" with the latter three categories, Ph.d psychologists generally don't push pills. It seems as if the first solution to any mental health issue for Psychiatrists is a prescription. In my professional life I've worked closely with Ph.d Psychologists and, as a group, they tend to be quite capable, highly educated, deeply thoughtful and research based in their problem solving. The lane they operate in is invariably very wide and I find that they are almost always highly accomplished problem solvers, which is very beneficial to those with mental health issues. I am not a fan of pills unless they are absolutely necessary, and one's perspective on what is "absolutely necessary" is important. Since Ph.d Psychologists are not MDs they tend to look in other places than the medicine cabinet for solutions, and I prefer that approach. A good one will not shy away from recommending that a patient see a psychiatrist for a prescription if it's appropriate and necessary, but if one's main tool is a prescription pad then that is often the solution that a patient receives. Ph.d Psychologists have a lot of other tools in their kit bags and I personally like that.
I know your article is heavy mental health, but what you discuss also applies to our physical health. I am a short, stocky 63 year old man. I have always been active (running, weight lifting, biking, swimming, etc). When I was in my 30's I was prescribed meds for high blood pressure and told I was overweight. I had gained 10 lbs. in 10 years; from(170 to 180lbs) Nothing was discussed about what to do to loss weight, if in fact that was the issue, or if losing weight would get me off of the the medication. As I have gotten older, doctors after a very short visit, decide my dosage needs to increase and they need to add another pill to my regiment. When most doctors look at my chart they just see my age and weight, but when they come in the room and see me, the look on their face says it all. They were not expecting to see someone who is fit and muscular, yet nothing changes concerning their recommendations. I even had a doctor tell me that because of my age (at the time in my late 40's) I should stop running because it's "bad for your knees". It's only bad for your knees if you don't run with proper form and good running shoes. They stick to the script, which, I believe, is to push more drugs on their patients. As you mentioned, they're not interested in getting you healthy, they want you to keep coming back for more. I currently weigh 190lbs (and admit I am now over weight) but I'm still active. Per the outdated BMI charts they still use, I'm obese. My muscle mass is 148.2 lbs. My bone mass is 7.8lbs I have 18.3% body fat which falls in the acceptable level and is 1.3% off from being in the level of fit. None of this data came from any doctor I have seen. Without going on and on about myself, the bottom-line, IMO is we should question any doctor who quickly feels that the solution to any problem we have is prescription drugs. I find it interesting that herbs and natural drugs that have and are proving to be helpful with mental and physical health issues are pooped upon by big pharma and the medical community, at least until they can figure out a way to profit from them.
The use of body and mind-altering chemicals should be a last resort (or no resort) only in the most extreme psychological distress, especially for young people. Breggin is a psychiatrist who has for decades been exposing the tilt of psychiatry to pharmaceuticals. Protect your children, protect yourself.
While medications have their place, they are not always sustainable nor the best choice.
While not a clinical trial by any means, changes in diet and behavior made far more difference to my ADHD than decades of drugs. Costs less too. I encourage others to try the same, within reason.
I have long believed that depression, and possibly anxiety, are symptoms of things that are wrong in your life. Your bad relationship and toxic work environment were poisoning your mind. I'm glad to hear you've overcome these things. Life will always be a battle, and sometimes the challenge is deciding what to fight for and what to abandon. Thanks for writing.
I’m so glad you were able to pull yourself out of that terrible situation and enjoyed reading about your journey. But I just want to bring up that is not everyone’s experience. A pill is not evil in and of its self. Some people generally need medication to be able to complete the steps that you were able to do.
Not every doctor is money grubbing. I agree many psychiatrists (medical doctors in general) don’t often give adequate time and attention to patients, I am just not familiar with how an individual psychiatrist could monetarily benefit from a prescription. Some just do what they feel is expected of them as a medical doctor. Many many patients come to a doctors office looking for a pill to make it better, that has become a societal expectation I don’t think we can blame doctors for.
Courageous for you to write about this aspect of your life Adam. When it comes to mental health I always prefer Ph.d psychologists over Psychiatrist MDs or MSWs or counselors/therapists without a Ph.d. While there is nothing "wrong" with the latter three categories, Ph.d psychologists generally don't push pills. It seems as if the first solution to any mental health issue for Psychiatrists is a prescription. In my professional life I've worked closely with Ph.d Psychologists and, as a group, they tend to be quite capable, highly educated, deeply thoughtful and research based in their problem solving. The lane they operate in is invariably very wide and I find that they are almost always highly accomplished problem solvers, which is very beneficial to those with mental health issues. I am not a fan of pills unless they are absolutely necessary, and one's perspective on what is "absolutely necessary" is important. Since Ph.d Psychologists are not MDs they tend to look in other places than the medicine cabinet for solutions, and I prefer that approach. A good one will not shy away from recommending that a patient see a psychiatrist for a prescription if it's appropriate and necessary, but if one's main tool is a prescription pad then that is often the solution that a patient receives. Ph.d Psychologists have a lot of other tools in their kit bags and I personally like that.
Thank you for making that distinction. I appreciate the comment!
I know your article is heavy mental health, but what you discuss also applies to our physical health. I am a short, stocky 63 year old man. I have always been active (running, weight lifting, biking, swimming, etc). When I was in my 30's I was prescribed meds for high blood pressure and told I was overweight. I had gained 10 lbs. in 10 years; from(170 to 180lbs) Nothing was discussed about what to do to loss weight, if in fact that was the issue, or if losing weight would get me off of the the medication. As I have gotten older, doctors after a very short visit, decide my dosage needs to increase and they need to add another pill to my regiment. When most doctors look at my chart they just see my age and weight, but when they come in the room and see me, the look on their face says it all. They were not expecting to see someone who is fit and muscular, yet nothing changes concerning their recommendations. I even had a doctor tell me that because of my age (at the time in my late 40's) I should stop running because it's "bad for your knees". It's only bad for your knees if you don't run with proper form and good running shoes. They stick to the script, which, I believe, is to push more drugs on their patients. As you mentioned, they're not interested in getting you healthy, they want you to keep coming back for more. I currently weigh 190lbs (and admit I am now over weight) but I'm still active. Per the outdated BMI charts they still use, I'm obese. My muscle mass is 148.2 lbs. My bone mass is 7.8lbs I have 18.3% body fat which falls in the acceptable level and is 1.3% off from being in the level of fit. None of this data came from any doctor I have seen. Without going on and on about myself, the bottom-line, IMO is we should question any doctor who quickly feels that the solution to any problem we have is prescription drugs. I find it interesting that herbs and natural drugs that have and are proving to be helpful with mental and physical health issues are pooped upon by big pharma and the medical community, at least until they can figure out a way to profit from them.
You make great points and comparisons.
The use of body and mind-altering chemicals should be a last resort (or no resort) only in the most extreme psychological distress, especially for young people. Breggin is a psychiatrist who has for decades been exposing the tilt of psychiatry to pharmaceuticals. Protect your children, protect yourself.
While medications have their place, they are not always sustainable nor the best choice.
While not a clinical trial by any means, changes in diet and behavior made far more difference to my ADHD than decades of drugs. Costs less too. I encourage others to try the same, within reason.
Thanks for your piece. Excellent, as always.
My pleasure. Thank you for sharing.
I have long believed that depression, and possibly anxiety, are symptoms of things that are wrong in your life. Your bad relationship and toxic work environment were poisoning your mind. I'm glad to hear you've overcome these things. Life will always be a battle, and sometimes the challenge is deciding what to fight for and what to abandon. Thanks for writing.
I agree. Thank you for reading it!
I’m so glad you were able to pull yourself out of that terrible situation and enjoyed reading about your journey. But I just want to bring up that is not everyone’s experience. A pill is not evil in and of its self. Some people generally need medication to be able to complete the steps that you were able to do.
Not every doctor is money grubbing. I agree many psychiatrists (medical doctors in general) don’t often give adequate time and attention to patients, I am just not familiar with how an individual psychiatrist could monetarily benefit from a prescription. Some just do what they feel is expected of them as a medical doctor. Many many patients come to a doctors office looking for a pill to make it better, that has become a societal expectation I don’t think we can blame doctors for.
Talking about it is the most therapeutic part of the therapy.