My daughter's boss is forcing her to take anti-depressants

[Pooky]

Its a pain really though I think people are being unfair towards the doctor. There are people that fake it or force the doctor into a quick "fix" you cant really say that it shouldnt be described. You werent there when the patient opened up and you dont know why the doctor decided to use an anti-depressant. Its up to their discretion grant them that professional courtesy no ?

besides to be honest almost every doctor I know is reluctant to prescribe anti-depressants just because they dont take long to decide an anti-depressant when you say you depressed and it takes 15 seconds to decide a drug that does not mean its often prescribed.

The problem with depression is that its subjective. The dr cant do a physical test that the patient will be willing to go for and pay for. They also dont expect you to lie to them. It takes me about 15 seconds to a couple minutes to recommend a drug to a consulting dr. Also its next to impossible to tell if the patient is genuinely depressed, acutely depressed, chronically depressed and so on but can you as a Dr allow a patient who is feeling depressed perhaps suicidal leave your office with no treatment because society thinks "you prescibe them so easily" ... society doesnt have to deal with the suicide later.

Society isnt every intelligent. People are dumb in groups and who are they to say that a Dr (unless society is a panel of MOs) cannot use the tools available to he/she ?

I agree, I don't place the blame solely in the doctors lap, they have a job to do and if a patient tells them that they are depressed, there's nothing much the doctor can do other than believe them.

 

[rubytox]

My GP wanted me to take an anti-depressant even though I insisted on not taking mind-altering meds. Sure, I was going through a tough time and suffered from insomnia. It seems as of doctors would rather prescribe an anti-depressant than a sleeping tablet. ??

 

[isie]

I'm pretty sure you're wrong on this one. A GP is fully qualified to prescribe any medication he needs to according to the person's condition. My sister is a doctor, in fact she has specialised in Radiology, yet she is fully qualified to prescribe any medication to her patients. True, it is not her nor a GP's field, and it is best to leave this sort of thing to a psychiatrist to diagnose and prescribe.

I guess ya any GP can prescribe, but really should they?

none the less the boss has no right to dispense the meds to the OP's daughter.

 

[rubytox]

I guess ya any GP can prescribe, but really should they?

none the less the boss has no right to dispense the meds to the OP's daughter.

My niece recently told me that the school psychologist prescribed Conserta for her 9 year old son. Because I thought she was mistaken, I double checked and said that no school psychologist can prescribe medicine. They can only make a recommendation to a medical doctor. My niece is adamant that the school psychologist called them in, had a discussion and started administering Conserta. Obviously it's with the parents' permission but it does not change the fact that this should not happen. It's easier for the teachers to manage a child on Ritalin or Conserta. I'm just not sure if it's in the best interest of the child.

 

[Ninja'd]

So boss forces employee to take pills and suddenly rubytox is a bad father?

 

[DJ...]

My GP wanted me to take an anti-depressant even though I insisted on not taking mind-altering meds. Sure, I was going through a tough time and suffered from insomnia. It seems as of doctors would rather prescribe an anti-depressant than a sleeping tablet. ??

And what do you think the sleeping tablets are?

If t always baffles me when people take such a hardcore line against something they know very little about...

 

[copacetic]

indeed however most people arent willing to go to a psychiatrist, the GPs generally understand this so they initiate therapy its well within their right to do so. There is too little information to understand what really happened to allow a GP to prescribe it. Somethings stay in the consultation room and never come out

Again, another reason why I choose to be informed as a patient.

As for going to a psychiatrist, I think it's less a case of unwilling, and more a case of unable to afford.

 

[copacetic]

Psychiatrists prescribe often far too readily as well. I don't envy the people who have to deal with the 'depressed' patients etc.

It's fashionable to be depressed.

It's also goddamn awful actually being depressed, believe me.

 

[Pooky]

It's also goddamn awful actually being depressed, believe me.

so you've said

 

[copacetic]

My GP wanted me to take an anti-depressant even though I insisted on not taking mind-altering meds. Sure, I was going through a tough time and suffered from insomnia. It seems as of doctors would rather prescribe an anti-depressant than a sleeping tablet. ??

Most sleeping tablets are far more dangerous (overdose potential/habit forming potential) than the commonly used antidepressants...

 

[R13...]

Again, another reason why I choose to be informed as a patient.

As for going to a psychiatrist, I think it's less a case of unwilling, and more a case of unable to afford.

When I was applying to study and bursaries there were questions in the forms about whether you've ever been to a psychiatrist or not. I think that period put a stigma on shrinks for me.

 

[rubytox]

Again, another reason why I choose to be informed as a patient.

As for going to a psychiatrist, I think it's less a case of unwilling, and more a case of unable to afford.

Well, in my case I'm worried I end up with a Hannibal as my psychiatrist ...

 

[Humberto]

A modern trend is to use low doses of atypical antipsychotics like Seroquel for insomnia as they don't carry abuse potential and are reasonably safe.

Having had depression in the past has meant that I cannot get unqualified life insurance; my life insurance and disability policies exclude events caused by psychiatric illness.

 

[Looney]

I use seroquel for sleep. There are nights that I just can't fall asleep and seroquel is the only thing that will knock me out.

Earlier this year I decided I needed to go on anti depressants due to the fact that I struggled to cope with my fathers death in November 2012. I had been seeing a psychologist for more than 3 years on how to handle my fathers condition and how best I could prepare myself for what was coming (not that you can really prepare for death). Anyway, I decided that I didn't need to see a psychiatrist in order to prescribe me anti depressants. I knew the cause of my depression and didn't want to waste my time and money. I headed off to my GP who knew of my fathers passing and when I told him I needed something to help me, he immediately prescribed me Zoloft. He was well within his rights to prescribe me anti depressants. A GP should know when he should prescribe and when he should advise you to see a psychiatrist. If you go to a GP and ask for anti depressants because "nobody likes me" or "the love of my life left me and I want to kill myself", then the GP will recommend you to a psychiatrist.

 

[D3nz]

I use seroquel for sleep. There are nights that I just can't fall asleep and seroquel is the only thing that will knock me out.

Earlier this year I decided I needed to go on anti depressants due to the fact that I struggled to cope with my fathers death in November 2012. I had been seeing a psychologist for more than 3 years on how to handle my fathers condition and how best I could prepare myself for what was coming (not that you can really prepare for death). Anyway, I decided that I didn't need to see a psychiatrist in order to prescribe me anti depressants. I knew the cause of my depression and didn't want to waste my time and money. I headed off to my GP who knew of my fathers passing and when I told him I needed something to help me, he immediately prescribed me Zoloft. He was well within his rights to prescribe me anti depressants. A GP should know when he should prescribe and when he should advise you to see a psychiatrist. If you go to a GP and ask for anti depressants because "nobody likes me" or "the love of my life left me and I want to kill myself", then the GP will recommend you to a psychiatrist.

Shouldn't that be psychologist?

 

[Looney]

Shouldn't that be psychologist?

Not necessarily a psychiatrist is qualified enough to not only prescribe you medication but also discuss your emotional state and depression with you. When you go to a psychiatrist you don't only go for the pills. You go to discuss your problems and the psychiatrist will determine if you need therapy, pills or both.

A psychologist is only qualified for therapy.

 

[isie]

Shouldn't that be psychologist?

psychiatrist can prescribe, psychologist cant - psychiatrist has a medical degree - I think

 

[Sherbang]

And what do you think the sleeping tablets are?

If t always baffles me when people take such a hardcore line against something they know very little about...

Wait... what? You think sleeping tablets and anti-depressants are the same thing? :wtf:

 

[D3nz]

Not necessarily a psychiatrist is qualified enough to not only prescribe you medication but also discuss your emotional state and depression with you. When you go to a psychiatrist you don't only go for the pills. You go to discuss your problems and the psychiatrist will determine if you need therapy, pills or both.

A psychologist is only qualified for therapy.

Kind of what I meant. If you're going to ask your GP for antidepressants because "nobody likes me" or "the love of my life left me and I want to kill myself", he should know you need therapy and not meds.

 

[AfricanTech]

psychiatrist can prescribe, psychologist cant - psychiatrist has a medical degree - I think

You are correct - psychiatrist does a medical degree first before specialising as psychiatrist