Vive_La_Villa Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 8 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said: My missus mum has stopped taking her anti depressants. They were jumbling her head up bad, so after years of taking them, she's gradually came off them, and feels a lot better. My missus is trying to do the same. They helped me but then I stop and then I get bad again. Vicious cycle. But what if they never actually did anything and it's all in my head? What if people have been taking these pills for all these years and putting up with side affects for no reason. Also there is no evidence of what the long term affects are yet. It's an unknown. Its all a bit of a headf**k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 6 minutes ago, Ingram85 said: Medication does work for a lot of people, I work with people who when on them are the nicest and the personality change when off them is too much to be a placebo affect. Do you know if it's SSRI's? I can feel like a different person so they must do something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 29 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: I'm listening to an audiobook on depression called Lost connections. It's going against everything I have ever believed about anti-depressants and apparently backed up by studies that have been kept quiet and debunked by large pharmaceutical companies. In particular regarding SSRI's that make billions for them with the General theme being they are mainly placebo affect. I don't know what to think anymore. I believe that there are some rather dodgy claims made by Mr Hari in his book (and the columns he's written promoting it). It would seem that there is very much a case to be made to call in to question pharma's involvement in how we have been directed to view depression (the chemical imbalance thing for one) but I'm not sure that a journalist of questionable repute (who has admitted plagiarism) taking stats out of context to support his opinions is the best place to start. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 19 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: They helped me but then I stop and then I get bad again. Vicious cycle. But what if they never actually did anything and it's all in my head? What if people have been taking these pills for all these years and putting up with side affects for no reason. Also there is no evidence of what the long term affects are yet. It's an unknown. Its all a bit of a headf**k. You could be right. The brain is a funny thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 @Vive_La_Villa Here's a twitter post - thread about Hari's column(s)/book: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, snowychap said: @Vive_La_Villa Here's a twitter post - thread about Hari's column(s)/book: Thanks for that. It's hard to know what to believe anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 49 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: I'm listening to an audiobook on depression called Lost connections. It's going against everything I have ever believed about anti-depressants and apparently backed up by studies that have been kept quiet and debunked by large pharmaceutical companies. In particular regarding SSRI's that make billions for them with the General theme being they are mainly placebo affect. I don't know what to think anymore. I know nothing on depression. I do know that Johann Hari's track record suggests you shouldn't be taking any advice or information from him on any serious medical condition. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: Thanks for that. It's hard to know what to believe anymore. No probs. I agree. I wouldn't write off all opinions and that may include some of what Hari says about depression - I read his artcile and some of it resonated. I would, however, question when people make claims about empirical evidence supporting what they say or just present their opinion as science. If things work for you then that's good and perhaps it's not worth demanding the reasoning as it may well be the case that no one has that to give you. Edited February 4, 2018 by snowychap 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 By all means investigate, but please don't stop any prescribed courses of medication just because of what Johann Hari has to say. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 10 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: By all means investigate, but please don't stop any prescribed courses of medication just because of what Johann Hari has to say. Yea, you'd have to be mental to do that. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Can I ask for those of the older generation was desperation as common as it is now back then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted February 5, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted February 5, 2018 I'm currently on an antidepressant after being on an anti anxiety for a bit. And been referred for CBT. So yeah. I guess I'm experiencing mental health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted February 5, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted February 5, 2018 48 minutes ago, Demitri_C said: Can I ask for those of the older generation was desperation as common as it is now back then? Don't know. We didn't have the internet to tell us about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 49 minutes ago, Demitri_C said: Can I ask for those of the older generation was desperation as common as it is now back then? It was pretty desperate times back then. But on a serious note I suspect people were more likely to suffer in silence. Ive been reading that one of the large causes of depression could be the increase in sugar consumption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Do you think doctors prescribe anti depressants too quickly now? Or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 My head is a bit all over the place at the moment. No idea what I want with anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 11 minutes ago, Xela said: Do you think doctors prescribe anti depressants too quickly now? Or not? I had CBT a few years ago and was not once offered anti depressants (though technically I've recently been taking a very mild form of one to help prevent migraines). Talking to someone seemed a much better way of overcoming anxiety issues to me, but I think there are some forms of depression that need medication to tackle a chemical inbalance in the brain. I'm not sure how exactly they find out if you need the latter. I don't really see what good doctors signing people off work for long periods of time does, I couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck at home just being depressed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCDAN Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Xela said: Do you think doctors prescribe anti depressants too quickly now? Or not? In America they definitely do, their attitude to medicating is frankly scary. No idea about this country or others though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted February 5, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted February 5, 2018 3 hours ago, Xela said: Do you think doctors prescribe anti depressants too quickly now? Or not? It's an easy option. They often work (or at least defer the issue), and makes patients feel like something is being done. I think doctors are in a difficult position with mental health. It isn't like any other malady. You break a leg and the solution is more or less the same for everyone. Mental health? Who knows. The best you can do is find the box that fits and try to work with what goes with that. Patients will want to feel like something is being done and we're programed now to view pills as the path to help, so many are going to go to their GP wanting something that can help straightaway. There are definitely cases of over subscription, but that is more things like the US 'opioid epidemic'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted February 5, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted February 5, 2018 5 hours ago, Chindie said: I'm currently on an antidepressant after being on an anti anxiety for a bit. And been referred for CBT. So yeah. I guess I'm experiencing mental health. Sorry to hear you’re going through that but heartened to hear you’re getting the help you need. I love the fact that VT is a safe environment where people feel free enough to talk about such things. If only it was so accepted in all walks of life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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