RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread

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stellaluna -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/2/2006 4:36:59 PM)
I think there are the same reasons for mental illness as there are for physical illness: environment, behavior, genetics. It's just that the brain is less understood than the rest of the body. Despite leaps and bounds in medical technology, no one truly knows why a passing odor will bring back a flood of memories. They do know how falling wrong can break a bone or cause a sprain. The brain is a unique, wonderful and DELICATE organ. For all its mysteries, it is the very thing physically that defines who we are--inasmuch as it processes information and determines how we act and react, how we speak, what we understand, how we control ourselves.

Hischild1994 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/3/2006 1:58:14 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: agapetos Did you do it without the hyphen? I typed in bipolar ~ didn't get many hits and there wasn't really much in what I read... I thought I did both, but I might have just typed it with the hyphen.

FoxInSox -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/3/2006 11:55:26 AM)
quote: no one truly knows why a passing odor will bring back a flood of memories its because the part of the brain that processes smells is right next to the hippocampus, which stores memory. michelle

comeuphither -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/14/2006 5:32:27 AM)
all of you in this thread are very sound and balanced in what you said. I read on all of this too but what are your thoughts on sugar and foods in hyper children, adhd? i was diagnosed with that one but the bad side effects of a few years of adderall for instance....it catches up. I just got a few scary reports on new warning labels now have to be on ritalin adderall etc. too late for that now. I hope I don't have heart trouble. I also had guilt problems when taking it. is God displeased because of this being a highly abused drug to many? things like that always hit me. brain drugs scare me. Deb

phosadaud -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/14/2006 1:21:18 PM)
If you need it, you need it. Sadly, no matter what medications you take - for your brain, for your heart, for your stomach - there are side effects and some can be severe. The medications can also be abused. That doesn't mean that medications are "bad" though. It is between you and your doctor to decide what an appropriate course of treatment is - not society.

Hischild1994 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/14/2006 3:25:58 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: comeuphither all of you in this thread are very sound and balanced in what you said. I read on all of this too but what are your thoughts on sugar and foods in hyper children, adhd? i was diagnosed with that one but the bad side effects of a few years of adderall for instance....it catches up. I just got a few scary reports on new warning labels now have to be on ritalin adderall etc. too late for that now. I hope I don't have heart trouble. I also had guilt problems when taking it. is God displeased because of this being a highly abused drug to many? things like that always hit me. brain drugs scare me. Deb Like I said before, I think some children need the meds and some don't. Good diet and exercise habits never hurt anyone. However, sometimes meds are still needed.

lynn1020 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/25/2006 4:42:21 PM)
What should you do if you know someone that is thinking of suicide?

phosadaud -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/25/2006 5:45:56 PM)
Don't ignore it! Pray for them! Let them know how much you care about them. Love them. Don't tell them what to do - just listen and take them seriously. Encourage them to seek help and do NOT condemn them for what they are feeling. If you have to - physically go with them to seek that help. They need to know that this is treatable. Here are some resources for you and for the person struggling. Most important - if you believe this is an imminent threat - don't be afraid to call 911.

Hischild1994 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (9/25/2006 7:23:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: phosadaud Don't ignore it! Pray for them! Let them know how much you care about them. Love them. Don't tell them what to do - just listen and take them seriously. Encourage them to seek help and do NOT condemn them for what they are feeling. If you have to - physically go with them to seek that help. They need to know that this is treatable. Here are some resources for you and for the person struggling. Most important - if you believe this is an imminent threat - don't be afraid to call 911. I second that!

larry_a -> Need help (9/26/2006 4:24:59 PM)
I need help bad. My wife is bi-poler. I have been wondering why she has been so cranky for months now, I just found out that she has been lying to me about taking her med's. I have been pushing her for the last week to take them but she won't, how do I get her to take them. If I tell her docter he might put her in the hospital and we can't afford that please give me some advice.

stateofgrace -> RE: Need help (9/26/2006 4:43:21 PM)
Larry, you might want to post this in the Mental Health Support thread instead of the Mental Health Debate Thread! There's also a Bipolar Support Thread in this Health area, there are some helpful links about Bipolar there.

happydays -> RE: Need help (9/26/2006 4:51:37 PM)
Most depression is connected with a loack of seritonin in the brain. Meds such as prozac get the body to produce more of this chemical that the body normally makes. Telling someone not to take meds for it is like telling someone to throw away their eyeglasses, or a diabetic to stop their insulin: It is dangerous, and if done from the pulpit, can open a church and the preacher dispensing medical advise a lawsuit.

phosadaud -> RE: Need help (9/26/2006 6:57:46 PM)
Exactly! I'll never understand how people think that if the body doesn't make enough insulin - it's a medical problem; but if the body doesn't make enough serotonin - it's just all in your head and your need to get over it..... [:@]

lostinthedesert -> RE: Need help (10/7/2006 11:14:58 PM)
I guess this is the place to put this. What do you folks think about the way society/authorities treat people with depression? I'm asking this because I believe things are getting worse out there. For example, I work in a field (engineering) where most positions in this job market require a security clearance. You cannot get one if you are taking anti-depressants. So one has to scavenge the temp jobs that don't pay well and work for less than desirable firms. I've had eight jobs in seven years and spent about 3-4 months a year unemployed. Then the city I live outside (thank God) of just passed a law mandating medication for mental health conditions. I read the ordinance and it only applies to persons living inside city limits. Still, it seems that if you have a condition it behoves you to not seek treatment, as the authorities will "crack down" on you. I brought this up on another forum a year ago, only to get flamed by a navy CPO who turned the whole thread into a flame war. Others chimed in and started bashing the president, others started fighting back and so on. I got banned and he was "promoted" to moderator. I hope people here will keep it objective and kind. I'm really not a bad guy, I just wish people would understand that we don't choose to have these conditions. I'd just like some objective opinions on whether people should not get treatment in order to get a job or continue medication and live with the stigma and "poverty" that results. Shouldn't the government want people to get medical help for these conditions rather than bury them and not?

womaninchrist -> RE: Need help (10/7/2006 11:52:44 PM)
Personally, until they do something about the professionalism and ethics issues that seem to often plague psychiatry (not that it's a bad science or "pseudo medicine") and come up with medication that's MUCH safer than some of what's on the market now (like the atypical antipsychotics)...I wouldn't advocate forced medication for anyone unless they're able to be ruled a danger to themselves or others - but if they're that bad off, legally they shouldn't be walking the streets either until more stable.

baabaasheep2006 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/9/2006 8:37:51 AM)
Hi would just like to say i have suffered with severe depression on and off for a few years i found that being on anti depressants really helped my situation and helped me get my life back into focus. People with depression seem to have a stigma attached to them which annoys me greatly. Unless you have suffered depression you cannot completely comprehend what its like it. It isn't a made up thing it is a real and debilitating illness which with the right help it can be overcome.

buckifn -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/11/2006 3:15:50 PM)
I would say depression is the closest thing to hell that will ever be experienced on this earth. ...but the good news is it can be treated and God can deliver us from even the deepest depths of despair. Medication alone is not the answer, but neither is the answer always eliminating medications. I think our plan of action should be decided by the simple question, "What would Jesus do?"

Kardinal -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/29/2006 1:27:52 PM)
Been a while since I posted here. I think that typically city laws that stipulate treatment, are so that people can be legally mandated/or involuntarily be committed to a hospital. Again within the profession there are lots of rules and ethics to follow before forcibly admitting someone. A simple (and no case is really simple) case of depression would not be forced in to treatment. The reasons for involuntary admission are Suicide/Homocide thoughts, and Hallucinations/Delusions that present as a harm to self or others. Beyond that it can be really difficult for a person to be hospitalized for treatment. I would love to see the actual law so I could provide a better interpertation as to what is occurring.

womaninchrist -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/29/2006 4:28:45 PM)
MOST mandatory treatment laws DO require proof that the individual in question presents a clear danger to either themself or to others. However, that is NOT true of all laws. There are a few locations that will forcibly treat ANYONE for simply having a known mental illness - and weirdly NAMI is one of the groups advocating for such laws.

Hischild1994 -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/29/2006 5:26:57 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: womaninchrist MOST mandatory treatment laws DO require proof that the individual in question presents a clear danger to either themself or to others. However, that is NOT true of all laws. There are a few locations that will forcibly treat ANYONE for simply having a known mental illness - and weirdly NAMI is one of the groups advocating for such laws. I'm assuming that NAMI stand for National Association (or Alliance or something like that) for Mental Illness? Why would they support a law that can clearly discourage a person from seeking treatment?

womaninchrist -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/29/2006 9:58:59 PM)
Yes, NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The first time I heard of such a law as one that would (or at least could) forcibly treat ANYONE with a mental illness was when one of the laws in New Mexico was in process of approval - I THINK it was the version of "Kendra's law" that was recently put on hold by the courts that had been passed by the city of Albuquerque, but don't quote me on anything more specific than that it involved at least part of the state of NM - and that NAMI was advocating FOR the passage of the law. Yes, NAMI really WAS doing such advocacy and no that's not the only time I've personally had to really and truly question what NAMI's agenda might be. As to where the other such laws are exactly, I don't know. I just know they're out there and that scares the snot out of me. After my childhood I can easily see - and agree with - forcibly medicating, even institutionalizing if necessary, someone who's unable to keep enough control of themself to quit endangering the safety of others (and also, I suppose the safety of themself). But to forcibly medicate or instituationalize all of us, when the biggest way we're threats is that we seldom easily fit into forced standards where "standards" are so rigid what's clearly desired comes closer to a colony of clones than a town or workplace full of individuals - and not because we do anything bad, but because we may have tendencies to odd sleep patterns or chafe at the thought of day #364 of grey polyester. Something is wrong when they try to stretch forced medication all the way to forcibly medicating all of us "just because" or "just in case".

phosadaud -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/31/2006 3:23:59 PM)
I think after the mental institutions were emptied back in the 70s, the pendulum swung too far away from treatment. I've worked with the mentally ill and it is downright difficult to get them treatment if they don't physically attack someone (and in a brutal way). I worked in a nursing home and we had folks who were there because their mental illness kept them from being able to care for themselves, but because they weren't violent, they just got stuck there and were not really getting much treatment of any kind. It made me so mad to see folks who needed help just being popped pills prescribed from a psychiatrist who I never saw in my years working there. Of course, they are the "lucky" ones. Far too many of our mentally ill end up homeless on the street. I think there is a middle ground in there that is needed. We went from demonizing mental illness to trying to shove it away and pretending it doesn't exist. Neither is good.

womaninchrist -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/31/2006 5:50:47 PM)
Thing is too, not only do you need to be able to convince those with mental health concerns that they really DO need treatment (so you don't end up with messes like what happened with my father) but you need timely access to competent care without having to mortgage the family to the hilt. Mental health care - if the state doesn't have a parity law - often isn't covered at all or is covered in rates and manners that make the coverage pointless if you need to actually use it. Then there's the issue of what often passes for psychiatric care and psychologists or therapists. Eek. I'll just leave it at eek. Honestly I don't know how some of the mental health providers I've seen got - and more importantly KEPT - both licenses and employment. This problem is paired with rampant safety issues in a couple of popular classes of medications (like the atypical antipsychotics). Unfortunately, many who have mental health issues are still in that grey area where they are aware something about them isn't quite like others, but they're very painfully aware of things like the issues of access to care, the issues of competence and professionalism with the care that's available, the safety of some of the treatments and the stigma that accompanies actually seeking the treatment they need. It's that last one that is particularly effective at convincing many to avoid treatment - even when they most desperately need it. I'll put it this way, I KNEW that I needed help - but had I had the slightest inkling what was going to happen to me (and my family) because I admitted to my illness and sought treatment, I'd STILL be avoiding mental health care. That's not good. We're ALL paying a price for those sorts of decisions. I know I paid dearly when my Dad made such a decision...

agapetos -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/31/2006 6:57:56 PM)
quote: I think there is a middle ground in there that is needed. We went from demonizing mental illness to trying to shove it away and pretending it doesn't exist. Neither is good. There's also a need for it to be recognised that people with mental health can and do function well in society ~ if they are given just a little support. People are so quick to knock anyone who claims benefit for mental health problems, but they don't want to give a little to help that person into work. Kind of a shame really huh?

phosadaud -> RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread (10/31/2006 8:56:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: agapetos quote: I think there is a middle ground in there that is needed. We went from demonizing mental illness to trying to shove it away and pretending it doesn't exist. Neither is good. There's also a need for it to be recognised that people with mental health can and do function well in society ~ if they are given just a little support. People are so quick to knock anyone who claims benefit for mental health problems, but they don't want to give a little to help that person into work. Kind of a shame really huh? I agree 100%. I think people would be shocked to know how many folks who work alongside them and live next to them and are extremely successful have struggled with and currently struggle with mental illness.

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