To think that most women are taking anti depressants?

[Jambalaya76]

Hi

I have been on and off these for most of my adult life. Life is easier with them and I find I am more able to cope with life stresses. I feel normal and tend to let upsets go over my head. Life is better with them. However, I have had a lot to deal with in my little life so feel like a need a little help.

Over the years, I have met so many people who say they also take them. Not that I ever bring it up. It made me wonder if I was to ask people, I wonder how many are taking anti depressants? This seems the perfect forum to ask.

So, how many of us woman here take, or have taken, antidepressants?

It is also true that there is no or very weak evidence that anti depressants work better than a placebo. Although placebos can be powerful.

psychedelicsheep I partly agree with you. But I do think bipolar with psychosis is biological in origin with social factors being influencers.

I know absolutely loads of my family and friends and even acquaintances on them. I think those saying they don't know anyone on them either have no friends/are just trying to be difficult to discredit what your are asking, or are not a person others would feel comfortable opening up to and disclosing that. Everyone I know knows someone on them. That said everyone I surround myself with are very optimistic, proactive people but who do struggle in that way with their MH

*you're

Graphista in the U.K. psychotherapists don't need to have pharmacology qualifications, so throstle doesn't make me under qualified to do my role.

*that psychotherapists aren't required to be is actually appalling imo, but thats not what I meant and you know it! You were commenting IMPLYING initially that you WERE an expert in psychiatric meds - but you're NOT and indeed I strongly suspect have a weird agenda AGAINST them - which I believe makes you a poor fit for your job as many of the people you're treating will be on them and NEED TO BE.

I don't prescribe meds, neither do I ever advise clients to stop taking them.
*
i suspect you don't DIRECTLY advise this but more subtly encourage them to consider doing so - which if I'm right also makes you a poor fit for your role*

I do however say let's see how a psychological approach goes first before starting on them.
*
and there it is - THAT is a subtle but effective dismissal of a treatment that may well greatly help a very vulnerable person that you are NOT qualified to comment on! But yet you see fit to do so anyway. The sheer arrogance is bordering on hubris!

If I knew you were treating someone I knew in real life I'd tell them to run for the hills be strongly advising them to get a different therapist.

Your bias against such meds is what makes you unsuitable for your role. Do your employers know your thoughts? More importantly are you upfront with your patients about your bias?

It's important that such biases are mentioned upfront.

I've tried cbt several times it DOESN'T help and can even make me worse, I met with one therapist who admitted they weren't sufficiently confident to undertake ANY OTHER form of therapy for OCD (I know - don't even get me started!) and actually SAID (at our FIRST meeting) That the reason it hadn't worked before was because I "hadn't tried hard enough - you have to want to get better" I actually complained about her and the complaint was upheld and she had to undertake additional training as should any therapist who will only entertain one type of therapy working in the Nhs!

If you aren't making your employers and patients aware of your bias I consider that means you are acting without professional transparency and that is surely part of your professional code of conduct? Or I bloody hope it is!

The bacp ethics/code of conduct are quite vague but I can see a few where you not declaring this bias could easily be construed as breaching this.

I can certainly see it meaning you're failing in your duty of care.

Thedudesmummy - she's actually been quite tame on this thread.

I'd love to know what you - as I suspect a properly qualified and experienced mh worker including pharmacology knowledge make of this comment made by same poster on another thread:

"In the psychology team I work in we see prescription of quetiapine to emotionally dysregulated / anxious young women as a human rights abuse. It shortens your life by an average of 19 years. And will add about 2 stone. Horrible stuff"

It's actually quite frightening and is making me angry on behalf of your patients that you even have access to them.

Graphista
Its worth noting that psych works mostly with a group of people who there is most def a leaning towards therapy and not medication .. apart from as your quote states some Qutiapine which in this instance is used to gain more control over emotions and can help with anxiety .
I have seen people on all sorts of medication when actually there problems were based in trauma that really wasn’t going to be helped by meds .
It seems pretty obvious that she has not dealt with acute mental illness other than that for many years if at all otherwise she wouldn’t be so entrenched in that view though.
The sweeping statements made have made me feel really angry and I really hope it does not put people off talking medication when the professional they see think it’s a good idea .
To state that mental illness is all down to social and environmental factors is laughable and shows a huge lack of any work done in acute mental health .
You can be rich / poor / in a fantastic relationship/ live in the most beautiful home etc etc etc and become unwell.
In fact for lots of people nothing changes in there life and they become very ill and can’t understand it at all .... which is why it’s so important to make people understand it’s illness .. not something you do to yourself.

Oh, I hadn't seen those other antipsychiatry/ antimedication posts of hers. That's distressing. Yes I have been a consultant psychiatrist for over twenty years. This happens to be something I know a lot about, obviously.

Psychology and pschotherapy are very much part of treatment of course but so are biological therapies. The worry about what she and others have said on here is that on the internet many people cannot tell who is who and what is truth and what lie/personal agenda. I think I will butt out of this now, I am not going to change this problem and I don't want to get into a bunfight. My parting comment to everyone would be to listen to a wide variety of opinions on everything, certainly be curious and sceptical about things, BUT make sure the opinions are from people who are actually qualified to have an opinion on a particular topic (goes for everything in life...)

Graphista I assure you my patients are happy with the service they receive and are quite safe with me.

My views are by no means individual to me, all my clinical psychologist colleagues are probably even more vocal than I am in their dislike of meds (or sole use of meds without therapy, which is really why I've been talking about).

Also isn't it considered bad form on here to post people's comments from other threads?

I think you have a very dangerous agenda @ psychedelicsheep.

It is also true that there is no or very weak evidence that anti depressants work better than a placebo.

The most recent research on this found most antidepressants to be notably more effective than a placebo, which is why them prescribing of them is considered to be part of evidence based practice.

But if you like taking over my back catalogue so much, why not count how many times I've used the word 'opinion' or 'in my experience' on this thread and how many times I've claimed something is 'fact'?

Also isn't it considered bad form on here to post people's comments from other threads?

Hardly in the same league as a so called educated, healthcare professional spouting a load of nonsense and presenting it as fact is it?

theharlotletter I agree. If I ever worked alongside someone with their views I'd be reporting them, and expecting action to be taken. it is frightening to think vulnerable people are in the care of someone with the opinions and manner they display on here.

*raking over that should say.

how many times I've used the word 'opinion' or 'in my experience' on this thread and how many times I've claimed something is 'fact'?

Semantics. Unimportant, because despite your possibly clever use of words (I can't be bothered to check how you worded them exactly, plus there is no need) your bias is clearly conveyed throughout your posts. Bias, anecdote and opinion has, or should have, no place in the role of any true healthcare professional.

You come across as someone who thinks they are an awful lot more clever and educated on the matter than you actually are. The saying 'how a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing' comes to mind with every post you make.

I haven't taken them myself but 3 of my friends do or have recently and one other really needs to but won't because of the stigma

Hand on heart I believe the work my team and I do really helps people and that is what I trained to do. We work hard and do our best to help people.

It is not an easy job being a therapist. To sit with people in their pain and darkness and try and help them find the light.

But I know that I can look at myself in the mirror and be sure that I have people's best interests at heart and helping people improve their lives is what's important to me.

And I know the collection of lovely feedback I have received over the years means more than the baseless criticism of internet randoms.

And with that I will say goodnight 😘

Yes, leave now that you have probably sown sufficient doubt in vulnerable people's minds and dripped just enough poison to be corrosive.

Yes, leave now that you have probably sown sufficient doubt in vulnerable people's minds and dripped just enough poison to be corrosive.

Quite. I can only hope that in RL, they are not in a position of authority to vulnerable people as they say they are. Though sadly, given the current state of MH services it wouldn't surprise me if they were, just one example of the shockingly poor level of care people with MH problems can be subjected to (if they are given any help at all, that is).

what theharlotletter said^

I think if you were on a thread with similar professionals discussing theories then fair enough. But on this thread there lots of us with MH issues, and probably lots of lurkers too, the main thing being to break down the stigma of Having MH problems and Ads. Your opinions as a processional can cause real harm to people. This was pointed out to you earlier on but you continued to blithly yamma on with out a care in world about that.

Nope!

*blithely

one other really needs to but won't because of the stigma

That is so sad. Also sad are the multitude of comments and posts on here that make it clear just how much the stigma and misinformation is very much still alive and kicking when it comes to depression and other MH illness.

It would be so nice to live in a world where I could freely talk about my experience of major depression and not worry I would be judged because of it. Or about my Mum's mental illness, psychosis and death without there being an awkward silence after. Not looking likely to happen any time soon though, is it?

"I assure you my patients are happy with the service they receive and are quite safe with me." Again vague and even evasive. Suggests to me you're not transparent with your patients about your bias.

"My views are by no means individual to me" so? There's millions of anti-vaxxers too! Just because there's more than one of them doesn't make them right!

"all my clinical psychologist colleagues are probably even more vocal than I am in their dislike of meds (or sole use of meds without therapy, which is really why I've been talking about)." I'm sceptical that you mean properly qualified clinical psychologists and even if you do I think it entirely possible you've misunderstood their comments.

I can believe and accept that they may think that for some patients and some conditions (both of which vary greatly) they have been fobbed off with only meds when they would in their individual cases ALSO have benefited from therapy or other supporting treatments - I DON'T believe they have an almost universal blanket bias against sole use of meds for all patients even if that's what works for the patient...

There's also currently a movement challenging the idea that therapy helps everyone - for some being made to constantly relive and revisit a trauma is NOT helpful, talking therapies make them worse/more distressed

One size fits all doesn't work WHATEVER treatment we're discussing.

"Also isn't it considered bad form on here to post people's comments from other threads?"

To the best of my knowledge it's not against TG (posting in a misleading way IS though)

"Semantics. Unimportant, because despite your possibly clever use of words (I can't be bothered to check how you worded them exactly, plus there is no need) your bias is clearly conveyed throughout your posts. Bias, anecdote and opinion has, or should have, no place in the role of any true healthcare professional."

This too

THINKING you're right and believing you're being caring and doing the right thing...while not...doesn't mean you're right or a safe person to work with such vulnerable people.

Hell the professionals that performed lobotomies, blood letting & insulin shock therapy thought they were acting in the best interest of patients!

Exactly, DaedricLordSlayer.

Such a condescending manner too, with the correcting people's grammar, and insistence on trying to get the last word (I'm off out now/ off to bed now). Completely unnecessary, unprofessional and childish.