Depression.

RiaX said:
The state provides a good psychiatric care. They have the modern drugs and due to the cost of the drugs the patient doesnt receive unecessary treatment. If you dont mind the wait and logistical issues you cannot get better psych care that this. The state even does dual psycology and psychiatry which is what anyone with a mental illness is suppose to do. The problem with the private psychologist is that they ride the patient as a gravy train the state system they dont get paid per patient so the faster you sort your patient out the less work for you.

A GP can diagnose and treat and people tend to avoid the GP because they under the impression that a GP is poor doctor because they are just a mere GP.
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That's the truth.
I've been to Weskoppies earlier this year, it's amazing what they do for their patients! A pity they closed so many wards after the strike a few years ago, the need is much bigger than the beds they have available!

GP's can and do diagnose and treat the majority of mental illnesses in SA. It's only the minority that reaches a psychiatrist - and then it's the resistant or difficult patients. But your 'straight forward' depression can easily be managed by a GP (they actually study those stuff!!)
Don't see a psychologist as someone that replaces a GP, they are only a tool a doctor can use to help his patients.
 
D3nz said:
The only option someone who has admitted to feeling suicidal should be considering, is a visit to their doctor. It's irresponsible to suggest vitamin D and magnesium in those circumstances.
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It's irresponsible to keep suggesting anti-depressants that likely won't help. People who are suicidal unless it's spontaneous are not looking to die but rather for a way out of that feeling and have most likely had many doctor's visits. I don't get this western indoctrination that it's ok for doctors to keep putting patients at risk but don't let anybody dare suggest anything that could actually work.
 
Well, since taking the vitamin D, I'm doing quite well. Thank you Swa.

RE: PSYCHIATRISTS

I've consulted with three in my life, and honestly, they struck me as the least smart doctors of all, less smart than other specialists like ENT surgeons, and less smart than GPs.

I honestly feel that clinical psychiatry - diagnosing and treating mental illness - as practised by consultant psychiatrists, is an easy specialty. Consultant psychiatrists really don't know the finer details of how the brain works; they really just diagnose mental illness according to standard diagnostic criteria, and prescribe medication according to standard treatment algorithms. It's not that hard, really.

The best psychiatric treatment I got was from GPs, not psychiatrists.

In reality, most psychiatrists don't do therapy. Of the three psychiatrists I've seen, only one did therapy. When I told my most recent psychiatrist I wanted cognitive behavioural therapy, she referred me to a psychologist.

Psychiatrists are basically script writers.
 
I've seen plenty of psychiatrists over the years, but the most recent one was different, very different, young and very expensive to boot.

He was extremely direct, sharper than most and not a mind game player.
He was affiliated with my neurosurgeon. When I looked into his eyes, I saw a very high level of scrutiny and intelligence. (Never saw that in the previous docs, and they were all the older generation. (and he looked like a double of Kevin Bacon) :D

Is Humberto a purple elephant or rhino or hippo ?
 
rubytox said:
I see that you have an answer for everything.
I get the feeling that you would advise a person with PTDS or OCD <insert diagnoses here> to

a) Take a pill
b) Get over it.

Sela.
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No I dont have the answer for everything. I got answers for these type of things because its my job to have these answers. Ask me to use a mac computer and im buggered lol

Though essentially yes you have to get over it if you have an acute cause. For example if your depressed for someone dying or you have low self esteem or what ever you have to get over it and thats what therapy with a psychologist does. The medication aids your support to block the negative effects of the disease.

Likewise if you have no cause i.e chronic depression to the extent that your mind blocks out your cause or the patient cannot identify the cause or if its a genetic neurotransmitter production defect then chronic management is required with "pills"

The problem is not me having answers the problem is people not recognising that depression is a serious illness that requires medical attention just like diabetes, HIV or cancer. Just because you cant see the disease objectively does not mean it doesnt exist.

And like diabetes hiv and cancer, depression and mental illness are very complex diseases that we cannot cure hence chronic long term treatment is used. I would tell a depressed patient to seek counsel and TRY to get over it just like how I would tell a diabetic to STFU and take insulin or the tablets and not eat sugar. There are no exception if you want to get better you must do as you told by your Drs

And medicine does work thats why the average life expectancy has gone up to 65 years from 50 years a decade ago. So medicine is working, obviously you cant save everyone and you cant stop them from dying
 
Swa said:
It's irresponsible to keep suggesting anti-depressants that likely won't help. People who are suicidal unless it's spontaneous are not looking to die but rather for a way out of that feeling and have most likely had many doctor's visits. I don't get this western indoctrination that it's ok for doctors to keep putting patients at risk but don't let anybody dare suggest anything that could actually work.
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You have to remember that there are different types of depression...mild to moderate to major. While mild to moderate depression may respond well to vitamin D and magnesium, major/clinical depression is a medical condition and requires treatment.
 
Swa thinks evolutions is a conspiracy ..... he doesnt understand degrees of severity. Just warning you
 
D3nz said:
You have to remember that there are different types of depression...mild to moderate to major. While mild to moderate depression may respond well to vitamin D and magnesium, major/clinical depression is a medical condition and requires treatment.
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Yes I know there are different types but you have have it wrong here. Major and acute depression does not refer to the intensity of the disease but to the condition. Both can be mild to severe. Acute depression is usually brought on by life circumstances and for this physical treatments are usually ineffective. It usually goes away once you deal with the issue causing it but from a clinical standpoint you can give the same anti-depressants to ease the path to recovery. Major or clinical depression is a medical condition. In some individuals the cause is physical (damage, genetic) and medication is all that will help but in others it's chemical.

The studies actually show the opposite of what you claim. Magnesium is most effective for clinical depression. Yes it is a medical condition but this nonsense that modern medicine is all that will help must stop. Telling people to just keep seeing doctors is putting them more at risk than going for something off the shelf that studies have shown to be more effective.
 
Swa said:
Yes I know there are different types but you have have it wrong here. Major and acute depression does not refer to the intensity of the disease but to the condition. Both can be mild to severe. Acute depression is usually brought on by life circumstances and for this physical treatments are usually ineffective. It usually goes away once you deal with the issue causing it but from a clinical standpoint you can give the same anti-depressants to ease the path to recovery. Major or clinical depression is a medical condition. In some individuals the cause is physical (damage, genetic) and medication is all that will help but in others it's chemical.

The studies actually show the opposite of what you claim. Magnesium is most effective for clinical depression. Yes it is a medical condition but this nonsense that modern medicine is all that will help must stop. Telling people to just keep seeing doctors is putting them more at risk than going for something off the shelf that studies have shown to be more effective.
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So what you're saying is that if someone says they're feeling suicidal,actually admitted considering taking some pills to end it all, we should tell them to take vitamin D or magnesium ?
 
Who was that marketer turned motivational speaker after undergoing a short course of electroshock treatment which changed his entire life for the better? Of course you'll have Scientology front groups like Citizens commission on Human Rights trying to get this treatment banned just because they have a pathological hatred of Psychiatrists.
 
Hosehead said:
Who was that marketer turned motivational speaker after undergoing a short course of electroshock treatment which changed his entire life for the better? Of course you'll have Scientology front groups like Citizens commission on Human Rights trying to get this treatment banned just because they have a pathological hatred of Psychiatrists.
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Mike Lipkin?
 
Swa said:
Yes I know there are different types but you have have it wrong here. Major and acute depression does not refer to the intensity of the disease but to the condition. Both can be mild to severe. Acute depression is usually brought on by life circumstances and for this physical treatments are usually ineffective. It usually goes away once you deal with the issue causing it but from a clinical standpoint you can give the same anti-depressants to ease the path to recovery. Major or clinical depression is a medical condition. In some individuals the cause is physical (damage, genetic) and medication is all that will help but in others it's chemical.

The studies actually show the opposite of what you claim. Magnesium is most effective for clinical depression. Yes it is a medical condition but this nonsense that modern medicine is all that will help must stop. Telling people to just keep seeing doctors is putting them more at risk than going for something off the shelf that studies have shown to be more effective.
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Well cant argue with your first paragraph.

Swa will you tell a person with a UTI (urinary tract infection) to eat horseradish instead of taking the antibiotic ciprofloxacin ?
 
D3nz said:
So what you're saying is that if someone says they're feeling suicidal,actually admitted considering taking some pills to end it all, we should tell them to take vitamin D or magnesium ?
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You are completely misrepresenting my point. People don't just decide being suicidal on a whim. It is usually a long process asking for help and having exhausted all options. Now what you are in fact saying is that we should just tell this person to go see another doctor after all the ones that failed. As long as someone has options they will try to resist suicide. Now put yourself in this person's shoes where you are telling them to keep doing what they've been doing instead.

As usual RiaX coming in with a flawed analogy.
 
So this thread seems to have moved beyond its original purpose, but I reckon I'll post anyway. Time for me to join this thread.

Not seriously depressed, but I've noticed I'm persistently down lately.

Started taking St John Wort recently & planning on exercising more. Will see if it helps...so far so good, though naturally confirmation bias, placebo effect etc.
 
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