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karbutt
Age: 28
Location: nothing great, georgia 
- #21
- Posted: 08/23/2014 03:44
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Depression is a disorder. Meditation can help some people but those with chemical imbalances or trauma...
_________________
Pipe Dreams is a virus...
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- #22
- Posted: 08/23/2014 13:18
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| karbutt wrote: | | Depression is a disorder. Meditation can help some people but those with chemical imbalances or trauma... |
It's important to consider that things we once believed were true, may not actually be so (world is flat etc).
Take a read of this
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cur...imbalances
I know some people don;t like reading articles so I'll isolate the major points
| Quote: | Instead of challenging your beliefs in this chemical imbalance theory of depression, let me stimulate your curiosity. Let me share a yet to be published study by Dr. Brett Deacon and his colleagues. They recruited 91 adults who are clinically depressed or once was. To make this credible, he gave everyone a fake "Rapid Depression Test" that determined whether their serotonin levels were abnormally low compared to other neurotransmitters. To make this test seem legit, they swiped the inside of people's mouths with a cotton swab and the saliva was carefully moved to a sealed container to be taken to the lab for examination. Afterwards, everyone received detailed test results and a random half of participants were told that their serotonin levels were problematic and there is a clear chemical explanation for their depression. The other half were told their serotonin levels were normal and their depression cannot be purely explained by brain chemistry.
The big question: What happens to people when they buy in to a biomedical explanation for their depression?
The answer: Bad things. They become pessimistic that recovery is possible. They become less confident that they can manage and regulate negative moods that arise (and they always do). The notion that depression is their brain's fault does not lessen the stigma or self-blame one bit. And they no longer believe that psychotherapy is a credible or useful strategy for treating their depression and instead, are ready to be dispensed a pill cure. Essentially, they become less flexible in their options for treating depression and less confident that they will escape its clutches.
It is going to be tough to battle the science fiction promoted by pharmaceutical companies. What makes the challenge increasingly difficult is that these companies spent $57.5 billion to promote drugs in 2004, and the numbers are only getting bigger. If we care about reducing human suffering, it's time to bring on the noise and ensure that everyone knows the science. We are fortunate to have scientists that are willing to fight powerful companies and dominant beliefs in search for the truth. |
Until they can prove that someone has a chemical imbalance that is causing them to be unhappy and not just making that guess, I personally won;t believe it (and many psychologists believe the same).
The serotonin levels thing is a 50 year old theory that is starting to hold less and less water as we do more research.
Last edited by Wombi on 08/23/2014 14:28; edited 1 time in total
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- #23
- Posted: 08/23/2014 14:25
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Yeah, it seems there's a lot of controversy about the efficacy of medication in treating depression. Most doctors will tell you that even if you're taking meds, you'll be much better off combining it with non-chemical treatments like therapy, exercise, meditation, etc.
I absolutely agree that pills are not a magic cure-all for mood disorders, but there are a wide variety of conditions that are very closely related to depression (bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, etc.) for which medication can provide definite help. If you're trying to decide whether or not to take medication for any condition, consider your doctor your #1 resource.
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karbutt
Age: 28
Location: nothing great, georgia
- #24
- Posted: 08/26/2014 03:09
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I won't argue that these things (non-medication) don't help, because they clearly do. But I couldn't function normally without my medication. So I couldn't even do those things before.
_________________
Pipe Dreams is a virus...
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benpaco
Who's gonna watch you die?
Age: 28
Location: Missouri
- #25
- Posted: 08/26/2014 03:24
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I know people whose lives are infinitely better (or even just existent) thanks to conventional drugs. I know others who have become absolute hollow shells of who they used to be.
That said, karbutt, I'm really really glad you're doing better on them.
_________________
. . . 2016 . . . 2015 . . .
"While I'm alive, I'll make tiny changes to Earth" - Frightened Rabbit
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