Comments on: Mad Men, Women, and Children http://alchemicalmusings.org/2009/08/23/mad-men-women-and-children/ Aurum nostrum non est aurum vulgi Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:49:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Susan Gurney http://alchemicalmusings.org/2009/08/23/mad-men-women-and-children/comment-page-1/#comment-55468 Susan Gurney Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:31:08 +0000 http://alchemicalmusings.org/?p=380#comment-55468 Could we work for a law that all interactions between examining admitting psychiatrists and involuntarily committted patients are video-taped and free to be accessed under the freedom of information act? Thanks, Jonah, Suasn Could we work for a law that all interactions between examining admitting psychiatrists
and involuntarily committted patients are video-taped and free to be accessed under the
freedom of information act?
Thanks, Jonah,
Suasn

]]> By: PipeBomb http://alchemicalmusings.org/2009/08/23/mad-men-women-and-children/comment-page-1/#comment-44589 PipeBomb Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:57:49 +0000 http://alchemicalmusings.org/?p=380#comment-44589 With the mainstream movement happening with mental health seems to be more for the benefit of pharmaceutical sales then actual patients. As it was proclaimed in the ABC Outsiders program that viewed about mental health ‘depression should be seen as sexy and popular as erectile dysfunction’ (paraphrased). Knocking down the wall for people to talk openly about mental health is a good thing, but this movement I believe is just clearing the forest so big pharm can build a new market. There is no talk of any other solutions to mental health but medications. I am a combat vet from the Gulf War (Desert Storm) and I’m currently on a voluntary team helping returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan now. Many of these people are being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the automatic response is to give them drugs. There is no guidance on how to handle nightmares or flashbacks of battle, just drugs. Drugs that alter the mind are giving to these people and sent back to their families to try to live the way that they were before the war. I am finding that the majority of these people just need someone to talk to and have a place to express their feelings and frustrations. They have a lot of bottled up stress and need to vent it out. The drugs just numb them to it so they never really face the issues. What is going to happen 20 or 30 years from now when these guys are no longer taking the drugs and one night all of the horrors of war reappear to them? They’re not going to have the tools that they need to cope with the issues. Drugs are not a solution for everyone. People need to know what other options there are so they can find what works for them. With just about every other medical issue out there, we are given choices to make, meds, surgery, radiation treatments, and the list goes on. Why are we forced into only one treatment for mental health? Why are we not even told that there are alternatives? We have to keep these things in mind when they are trying to feed us the hype by big pharm. PipeBomb Member of The Icarus Project P.S. Thank you for bring up this issue and I like your take on it. With the mainstream movement happening with mental health seems to be more for the benefit of pharmaceutical sales then actual patients. As it was proclaimed in the ABC Outsiders program that viewed about mental health ‘depression should be seen as sexy and popular as erectile dysfunction’ (paraphrased). Knocking down the wall for people to talk openly about mental health is a good thing, but this movement I believe is just clearing the forest so big pharm can build a new market. There is no talk of any other solutions to mental health but medications.

I am a combat vet from the Gulf War (Desert Storm) and I’m currently on a voluntary team helping returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan now. Many of these people are being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the automatic response is to give them drugs. There is no guidance on how to handle nightmares or flashbacks of battle, just drugs. Drugs that alter the mind are giving to these people and sent back to their families to try to live the way that they were before the war.

I am finding that the majority of these people just need someone to talk to and have a place to express their feelings and frustrations. They have a lot of bottled up stress and need to vent it out. The drugs just numb them to it so they never really face the issues. What is going to happen 20 or 30 years from now when these guys are no longer taking the drugs and one night all of the horrors of war reappear to them? They’re not going to have the tools that they need to cope with the issues.

Drugs are not a solution for everyone. People need to know what other options there are so they can find what works for them. With just about every other medical issue out there, we are given choices to make, meds, surgery, radiation treatments, and the list goes on. Why are we forced into only one treatment for mental health? Why are we not even told that there are alternatives? We have to keep these things in mind when they are trying to feed us the hype by big pharm.

PipeBomb
Member of The Icarus Project

P.S. Thank you for bring up this issue and I like your take on it.

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