Posted by Sad Panda on May 6, 2004, at 12:16:02
In reply to Re: Effexor added..success stories please! » Sad Panda, posted by SLS on May 5, 2004, at 17:09:04
> I am in disbelief of what you have written. I think you are generalizing for everyone that which applies to you personally. I was tempted to debate you regarding the phenomenology of unipolar depression, but I decided to simply post the conclusions of the NIMH, National Institutes of Health.
>
> “Evidence from neuroscience, genetics, and clinical investigation demonstrate that depression is a disorder of the brain”
>
> http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depresfact.cfm
>Hi Scott,
I'm a little short on time ATM, so I will read most of that link later, but this is in the second paragraph: "Genetics research indicates that vulnerability to depression results from the influence of multiple genes acting together with environmental factors." Too me that is saying exactly what I just said, 'enviromental factors' equates to my 'culmination of lifes events'. I know I am genetically predisposed to depression, but I would never have got depressed had things in my life not pushed me towards depression. I think this applies to the majority of people who have unipolar depression or anxiety disorders which are the type of people I am generalizing about.
> > In the scheme of brain problems, your stablemates are the epileptics, mine are people that have PTSD, Panic disorder & probably all of the various Anxiety disorders.
>
> From where did you draw this dichotomy?
>
>From the very simplistic reason that people with 'my type' of illness are treated with AD's primarily, where as bipolar people are treated with either Lithium or one of the many AED's. I have never heard of a person with unipolar depression being treated with Lamictal or Depakote, have you?
> Not only is this viewpoint wrong in my opinion, it also subverts and sabotages the treatments of those you place in the latter category. You declare that, “my depression is a culmination of lifes events & could probably treated with thearpy as equally well as drugs, maybe better.” You then group all of the anxiety disorders in with your own illness. I believe that to follow your construct, a great many people (not all) would be doomed to a lifetime of suffering, facilitated by the failure to recognize the target (neurobiological substrate) and shooting arrows at one that doesn’t exist (psychological pathology).
>I missed something here, how did I sabotage the treatments of those I place in the latter category?
> BTW, there are quite a few researchers who actually use the kindling model of epilepsy to explain anxiety disorders and depression, along with bipolar disorder.
>A few reaserachers believing in a model doesn't make something a fact.
> > > Out of curiosity, what would you classify lithium as being when it is used to treat bipolar disorder? The term ‘bandaid’ just doesn’t work for me.
>
> > It appears to be one of the mainstays for a lot of bipolar people, which doesn't say much for the other drugs that are used in BP.
>
> How so?
>
> Not too long ago, I asked a question of a middle-aged woman who had languished in state mental hospitals for much of her adult life. She is now in remission taking only lithium. I asked her how she would react if someone were to tell her that there is no such thing as a magic pill. I’ve been told that many times. She said that she wouldn’t believe them. For her, lithium is a cure.
>I didn't say Lithium was a bad thing, I've got no doubt that it's the best for many bipolars.
Cheers,
Panda.
poster:Sad Panda
thread:342881
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040505/msgs/343990.html