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why are we prone to silence re: mental health issues - Page 4

post #46 of 58
7/13/09 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwiteaboy View Post
The problem you face here is, which intensive long-term treatment modalities are empirically supported? The pressure from insurance companies for short-term (12 session) therapies has influenced the bulk of treatment outcome research towards cognitive and behavioral therapies, so there's little evidence (that I'm aware of) that long-term therapies are effective. This doesn't mean that they're not, of course, just that we don't know which orientations are successful over the long-term.

agreed, this is a difficult minefield to navigate. i can only speak from personal experience, but, for what it's worth, here is one article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/he...sych.html?_r=1

i'm not sure any form of treatment will ever be able to withstand the confines of empirical support give the multifactorial nature of all treatments, psychotherapy is just too experiential to lend itself to the limits of empiricism.
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post #47 of 58
7/13/09 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by martjc786 View Post
mental health also needs to be seen from a cross cultural perspective. in some asian and latino cultures, it is normal for a relative of someone who has died to hallucinate and perceive their presence in the room, or even hear their dead relative speak to them. this individual would carry out full conversations with their dead relative. would this considered normal in america? probably not. theyd be labeled as a schizophrenic.

re: foucault and szasz...
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post #48 of 58
7/13/09 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mccvi View Post
agreed, this is a difficult minefield to navigate. i can only speak from personal experience, but, for what it's worth, here is one article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/he...sych.html?_r=1

i'm not sure any form of treatment will ever be able to withstand the confines of empirical support give the multifactorial nature of all treatments, psychotherapy is just too experiential to lend itself to the limits of empiricism.

Interesting! I hadn't seen that; thanks for sharing. I'm starting a PhD in clinical psychology next month, so opinions on mental health issues are always interesting to me.
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post #49 of 58
7/13/09 at 4:52pm
I don't understand the stigma. To me, someone with a diagnosis of "mental illness x" is someone who had a problem, and has sought or is seeking help to get better (for what that's worth).

Contrast that with the myriad people you meet every week who probably SHOULD be getting some form of treatment, but are afraid of being "labelled" or are too pathological to realize they have a problem.

It's like kiddy-diddlers: I don't understand the mentality. I'd rather the fucker be in my community so I know exactly what he looks like, where he lives, when he shits and brushes his teeth, etc. rather than anonymous and "out there".

ETA: I am NOT comparing the mentally ill with pedophiles, just the desire to remain anonymous (for differing reasons) on the part of both.
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post #50 of 58
7/14/09 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
how effective is treatment of the really crazy, at this point in time? there seems to be huge resistance to drugs, by the borderline mentally ill. I would guess that the level of drugs and therapy needed to treat the seriously crazy must be huge, probrably unpleasant and probrably very expensive. but does it really work?

Many of the new schizophrenia medications are actually very effective, and don't come with some of the terrible side effects the old generation did. The trouble, as always, is a patient's compliance with the treatment regime. In other words, keeping the patient taking the medication.
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post #51 of 58
7/14/09 at 10:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gnatty8 View Post
Many of the new schizophrenia medications are actually very effective, and don't come with some of the terrible side effects the old generation did. The trouble, as always, is a patient's compliance with the treatment regime. In other words, keeping the patient taking the medication.

And therein lies a big, big part of the issue. I have bipolar friends who keep thinking they've overcome it, as one would a cold or the flu. They stop taking their meds, and then *hello human roller-coaster*.

Another case of where an educated and involved community or circle of unaffected peers can help with compliance, IMHO. If only Joe knows he should be on meds and decides he's just not going to take them....who follows up behind Joe? But if Joe's friends know that he ought to be on meds, and they see behavior that indicates he's off them: Joe's friends tell him to get back on. But is that too much to ask? It would certainly mean a deeper interrelational involvement between people. And you'd have to pick your friends carefully, but IMHO both of those are not bad things.
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post #52 of 58
7/14/09 at 9:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas View Post
And therein lies a big, big part of the issue. I have bipolar friends who keep thinking they've overcome it, as one would a cold or the flu. They stop taking their meds, and then *hello human roller-coaster*.

Another case of where an educated and involved community or circle of unaffected peers can help with compliance, IMHO. If only Joe knows he should be on meds and decides he's just not going to take them....who follows up behind Joe? But if Joe's friends know that he ought to be on meds, and they see behavior that indicates he's off them: Joe's friends tell him to get back on. But is that too much to ask? It would certainly mean a deeper interrelational involvement between people. And you'd have to pick your friends carefully, but IMHO both of those are not bad things.

Ever moreso with schizophrenia in my experience. In most cases, the schizophrenic will simply ignore counsel of family and friends to take the meds, and in some cases, willl simply flee to avoid conflict. They can develop deep-seated beliefs that their medicine is poison, and will do almostg anything to avoid taking it. In other cases, they simply do not perceive their own behavior to be aberrant, and simply assume that well-intentioned intervenors are part of a conspiracy, or are trying to poison them. It can get very complex, and very painful to watch.
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post #53 of 58
7/15/09 at 12:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gnatty8 View Post
Ever moreso with schizophrenia in my experience. In most cases, the schizophrenic will simply ignore counsel of family and friends to take the meds, and in some cases, willl simply flee to avoid conflict. They can develop deep-seated beliefs that their medicine is poison, and will do almostg anything to avoid taking it. In other cases, they simply do not perceive their own behavior to be aberrant, and simply assume that well-intentioned intervenors are part of a conspiracy, or are trying to poison them. It can get very complex, and very painful to watch.

This is a complex issue, but to just add one facet... the anti-psychotic meds are littered with side effects, and the complaints made by patients are often quite legitimate. Then there are the issues of accuracy of diagnosis (which is pretty poor across the board with many people with personality disorders/bi-polar/and psychotic episodes nos often being misdiagnosed as schizophrenic) and proper pharmacological treatment (which is very hit or miss within psychiatry).

I second the very painful to watch, not just in regards to the patients states of mind but also the treatment they receive.
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post #54 of 58
7/15/09 at 12:24am
american is a country characterized in a large part by an idea of the self made, individualistic man, and such an individual would never fall victim to something as pussy as 'mental illness' also schizophrenia is a horrible disease =/
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post #55 of 58
7/15/09 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gnatty8 View Post
Ever moreso with schizophrenia in my experience. In most cases, the schizophrenic will simply ignore counsel of family and friends to take the meds, and in some cases, willl simply flee to avoid conflict. They can develop deep-seated beliefs that their medicine is poison, and will do almostg anything to avoid taking it. In other cases, they simply do not perceive their own behavior to be aberrant, and simply assume that well-intentioned intervenors are part of a conspiracy, or are trying to poison them. It can get very complex, and very painful to watch.

yes the paranoia is really horrible to experience first hand
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post #56 of 58
7/15/09 at 12:36am
I think that a lot of the silence is because frankly a lot of it can be completely subjective. Look at GAD: I know most of the people in my class are always worried about things....does that mean they have a disorder? Sometimes I read the news and just say "man the world sucks today"...do I have depression? What about someone who is really disciplined....does that mean they have OCD? I understand the spectrums on all of these...I"m just referring to the gray part in the middle.

Granted, while there are MAJOR mental health issues (i.e. schizophrenia), I think all of us have tendencies for some sort of disorder...whether it be OCD, mild depression, mild anxiety, etc. I'm willing to bet 3/4 of the general population have at least one of the symptoms that Lexapro or Paxil is designed to treat. We all stay hush because this is the norm, and treatment is usually relatively simple.

In an exaggerated future, if we bring mental health into the spotlight I can only imagine the political correctness that would come. Stealing would be okay because we were depressed, violence is okay because we are OCD, etc. Yuck.
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post #57 of 58
7/15/09 at 12:45am
Hey Guys-

Do you know the song the Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle?


-Danny Wilson (the Guy)
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post #58 of 58
7/15/09 at 1:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilson brother View Post
Hey Guys-

Do you know the song the Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle?


-Danny Wilson (the Guy)

Turn the channel if you have a problem.
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