--- Mags N Brei <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > To do drugs or not to > do drugs, that is a big question. The whole thing > about "mental illness" comes down to, as Catherine > mentioned, the stigma, the godawful stigma of > needing support/help..I wonder where that all stems > from? If you had a broken leg, no one would > flinch..but say you are having emotional struggles > and they look the other way. And if there is a > chemical imbalance, what are you supposed to do > about that on your own?
That's a tough one. If you can see the broken leg, you know the person has been hurt. I'm sure the stigma of mental illness (I don't even like the term "mental illness" because it also carries a stigma) relates to its invisibility. You can't see what's wrong. Sometimes people behave badly or strangely but they're not mentally ill (that we know of.) So, if someone is behaving badly, maybe it's because they choose to. Which means, they can choose not to - pull up their socks, behave like an adult and so on. In the old days, people might have thought they were possessed by devils or whatever, so maybe it meant they were evil or deserved it. I'd be a bit reluctant to talk to people about my depression if I thought they'd try to do an exorcism or burn me at the stake! When my mother was ill with cancer, her doctor asked if she would like to talk to a psychiatrist - instead of seeing this as possibly a good thing (she could talk about her feelings), my mother was insulted - she thought her doctor was telling her she was nuts! I think for a lot of us, we can help ourselves by taking care of ourselves, eating a good, balanced diet, but not depriving of ourselves by some of the food we really love (like chocolate!); by exercising and getting fresh air; by having balance in our lives (recognizing that our job is not us, spending time with our friends and family). Today's society is so rushed that often taking a drug for something is a quicker fix than changing lifestyle. This will ultimately be to our detriment though, so it's best to take the time now. Which is not to say that there aren't people out there who genuinely benefit from taking the medication; but I think doctors are too quick to prescribe medication when there are alternatives. That's going to be my mantra for 2003, that's for sure. I've been taking Zoloft for depression for three or four years now, but I'm slowly cutting back on the dose in the hope of going off it altogether. I think I understand enough about myself to do what I need to do if I feel myself slipping too far down - also you can't cut that stuff right off without having horrible symptoms, including dizziness and nausea, so it has to be done slowly. If that doesn't work, I'll stay on the stuff, but I'm certainly eager to try it without. There are too many side-effects (not major ones, but annoying ones, like the fact that the capsules it comes in often make me throw up, so I have to break them open and mix the powder with juice - it tastes awful! - or the feeling of being somehow distanced from people and things). ===== Catherine Toronto ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
