Posted by tom grimes on March 8, 2004, at 17:34:55
In reply to Psycho-Babble Books Guest Author: Tom Grimes, posted by Dr. Bob on February 21, 2004, at 16:35:28
Hi. When I give readings, there's always this silence as people wait to ask the first question. So, I'll start with a thought. If you've read [email protected], you'll notice that the main character, Will, goes through several diagnoses. There's lot of information out there, which in the book becomes Information Sickness, or IS. As in -- is. To be. But one of the thing that has perplexed and interested me is the trends in diagnosis. Do they precede medication, or does medication define the illness by making it more treatable. For instance, right now I'm considering Trileptal. It isn't, of course, an FDA approved treatment for bi-polar I or II. And BP I/II are vanishing categories. Now it's more or less all bi-polar if there is any cycling at all. And Trileptal, which is an anti-convulsant, seems to work in terms of diminishing the cycles in both intensity and frequency. So, depression with normal or up periods seems to be on the wane. And my book asks the question, what if you're not able to figure all this out on your own? What if you're 19, or can't read all the literature? What if you can't understand all the information being thrown at you? I also just wanted to be funny. And while I'm thinking of it, if any of you live in LA, I have a short play going up on the subject of medication and despair in April/May. It will be performed with a new piece by Sam Shepard and several other playwrights. Anyway, feel free to ask me anything. Best, Tom
poster:tom grimes
thread:316365
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20040211/msgs/322156.html