Depression

[CA1900]

Stummies, anyone?

 

[davidaviator]

Haven't heard of a "hydrochloride". Prozac is Fluoxetine Hydrochloride. There are numerous others such as "Trazodone Hydrocholoride" used to treat insomnia, anxiety and depression. They are all listed at www. leftseat.com/psychotropic.htm.

"Better living through chemistry"

 

[earhart]

This thread is really bumming me out ......................no really. :crying:

 

[Amish RakeFight]

once again, Depression is a disease. I don't have it, but it runs in my family. It is a chemical imbalance in your brain. I'm hardly the type to fall for these pharmaceutical driven commercials, either. You can't link depression with restless legs syndrome like it's some easy cure by going for a jog, or turning on the lights. What about Terry Bradshaw? He'd be with a crowd of people and have to leave because he has the urge to cry, and does. That's depression. It's documented. It's not something you can just "suck it up", or "tough it out". So are you trying to say that psychiatrists/cologists, are not needed? If someone gets depressed, all you have to do is go to Barnes N Noble and read a book?

Dude, you're missing my point.

Let me make it more clear to you.

I am NOT against someone taking medicine for depression. In fact, it may be the only way to help severely depressed individuals. That I understand. My point was that depression needs to be explored before you drop a pill which alters your chemistry. These medicines have some very profound side effects. Believe me.

Most people when they feel mildly depressed run off to their doctor and demand a particular anti-depressant. A quick fix. America is known as a pill popping nation. Pop a pill to lose weight for instance, instead of regular diet and exercise. No different here.

You would be surprised by how effective life changes and perhaps career changes are as well. Someone may merely exhibit the traits of a clinically depressed person for reasons OTHER than a chemical imbalance. A change of partner and job might just do the trick. Being more honest with yourself in life and your expectations may solve things too. The problem is that most people want a quick remedy. They don't want to work to change things in thier lives or endure lengthy therapy.

Depression is a chronic disease and takes time to heal. Depression doesn't happen over night. It's a cumulative snowball effect of many things entering the minds processing facilities. The individual does not recognize it until it reaches a certain threshold. It can be reversed, but not without a good deal of unraveling what has essentially become depression. This takes time, and most people don't care to do so. They simply do not want to put in the effort.

Understand that most people are not depressed from the womb, but acquire certain character traits and personalities that leave them more prone to depression. Life is tough and it gets us down at times. Some individuals have difficulty coping with life and create defense mechanisms around them. Most are unaware of it unless you know what to look for. These faulty mechanisims and thoughts begin to consume our thoughts and feed the depressive nature. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Depression is insidious in that it gets worse and worse if not delt with. People with depression have a fear of thier illness and become weak, further compounding their situation.

Depression has become increasingly more abundant in our society and this is due more to changes outside of our chemistry. It is based in psychology. The rapidity of the world and the expectations of a fast moving sosicety lays very unrealistic expectations on all of us. Some are unable to cope and adapt. Things need to be mentally unpacked with a mental health professional before you delve into the world of head medicines. A little introspection and corrective mind exercises will help a lot. Reading books on depression and solutions or coping mechanisms WILL help. That is very ignorant of you to claim the opposite. Reading and understanding what one is going though is priceless and many times does more to help than the psychiatrist who cares more about getting you out the door with a script in under 45 minutes. Trust me.

The point is, one should seek other avenues before deciding that they want a quick fix medicine which can do more harm in the long run to your brain. These medicines in time will permanently rearrange your brains chemistry in that the serotonin and dopamine will no longer be able to properly function without the guidenace and activity of this synthetic drug.

I never said it's something to "suck it up" or "tough it out" and it will go away. Im telling you that there are other treatments that should be explored before jumping into medicine. I also said that mental health professionals ARE needed. Yet you somehow misread what I wrote and think that I said they arent needed?

And for the record, I know friends and family who have been depressed and taken an assortment of medications. One person, unfortuantely commited suicide after being on an SSRI for a few weeks. I also have experience in the pharmaceutical business and have studied these issues academically.

 

[learflyer]

Dude, you're missing my point.

Let me make it more clear to you.

I am NOT against someone taking medicine for depression. In fact, it may be the only way to help severely depressed individuals. That I understand. My point was that depression needs to be explored before you drop a pill which alters your chemistry. These medicines have some very profound side effects. Believe me.

Most people when they feel mildly depressed run off to their doctor and demand a particular anti-depressant. A quick fix. America is known as a pill popping nation. Pop a pill to lose weight for instance, instead of regular diet and exercise. No different here.

You would be surprised by how effective life changes and perhaps career changes are as well. Someone may merely exhibit the traits of a clinically depressed person for reasons OTHER than a chemical imbalance. A change of partner and job might just do the trick. Being more honest with yourself in life and your expectations may solve things too. The problem is that most people want a quick remedy. They don't want to work to change things in thier lives or endure lengthy therapy.

Depression is a chronic disease and takes time to heal. Depression doesn't happen over night. It's a cumulative snowball effect of many things entering the minds processing facilities. The individual does not recognize it until it reaches a certain threshold. It can be reversed, but not without a good deal of unraveling what has essentially become depression. This takes time, and most people don't care to do so. They simply do not want to put in the effort.

Understand that most people are not depressed from the womb, but acquire certain character traits and personalities that leave them more prone to depression. Life is tough and it gets us down at times. Some individuals have difficulty coping with life and create defense mechanisms around them. Most are unaware of it unless you know what to look for. These faulty mechanisims and thoughts begin to consume our thoughts and feed the depressive nature. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Depression is insidious in that it gets worse and worse if not delt with. People with depression have a fear of thier illness and become weak, further compounding their situation.

Depression has become increasingly more abundant in our society and this is due more to changes outside of our chemistry. It is based in psychology. The rapidity of the world and the expectations of a fast moving sosicety lays very unrealistic expectations on all of us. Some are unable to cope and adapt. Things need to be mentally unpacked with a mental health professional before you delve into the world of head medicines. A little introspection and corrective mind exercises will help a lot. Reading books on depression and solutions or coping mechanisms WILL help. That is very ignorant of you to claim the opposite. Reading and understanding what one is going though is priceless and many times does more to help than the psychiatrist who cares more about getting you out the door with a script in under 45 minutes. Trust me.

The point is, one should seek other avenues before deciding that they want a quick fix medicine which can do more harm in the long run to your brain. These medicines in time will permanently rearrange your brains chemistry in that the serotonin and dopamine will no longer be able to properly function without the guidenace and activity of this synthetic drug.

I never said it's something to "suck it up" or "tough it out" and it will go away. Im telling you that there are other treatments that should be explored before jumping into medicine. I also said that mental health professionals ARE needed. Yet you somehow misread what I wrote and think that I said they arent needed?

And for the record, I know friends and family who have been depressed and taken an assortment of medications. One person, unfortuantely commited suicide after being on an SSRI for a few weeks. I also have experience in the pharmaceutical business and have studied these issues academically.

I think I got ya finally! good post.:beer:

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I think I got ya finally! good post.:beer:

Depression is an awful thing. Most of my posts are never nearly as lengthy as these have been, but I have strong feelings on the subject due to personal experiences as I mentioned.

Cheers. :beer:

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Some evidence to fortify my pharmaceutical argument.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/health/14pain.html?em&ex=1200459600&en=bac45d5aff5a17d7&ei=5087

 

[Amish RakeFight]

...and today, yet another article about a widely prescribed drug that has been found to be useless.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/b...em&ex=1200546000&en=3790ea9662bb0e93&ei=5087

 

[AC560]

Scientology holds the answers for curing depression.

 

[CA1900]

Scientology?

I don't have that kind of spare cash lying around...

 

[G21Agoose]

An interesting article in this week's Economist concerning drugs for treating depression.

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10765331

 

[Amish RakeFight]

NYT article detailing the far reaching hands of the pharmeceutical industry in their connections to the next DSM-IV revision. What goes in has a great bearing on what will be considered the next big "illness" to be treated by expensive pharmeceuticals. For instance, "Road Rage" is now classified as a mental disorder as well as RLS or restless leg syndrome. These pharmeceutical companies create needs not cures. It's more about profits than it is about cure these days. They prey on peoples fears. Without an offical designation and diagnosis inside this offical medical book, insurnace companies will not pay for said illness. This is why there is a conflict of interest when they have discretion as to what does or does not make it into this medical bible.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/...em&ex=1210392000&en=b17b144c46661899&ei=5087

The comments below from the doctors are worth perusing as well.


.

 

[avbug]

Just have a drink or ten and your troubles and cares will be releaved.

That comment was probably meant to be humorous, but depression isn't funny, and it can become a life and death matter. The kind of condition where life holds so little joy that death is preferable. Depression can be a living hell, and it's a very serious condition.

No, not everyone gets depressed. There's a big difference between feeling a little down, and being depressed.

Take depression seriously, and seek help.

 

[justthewife]

AmishRake,

you are right, sort of. Things like ADD and restless legs syndrome do exist, but by putting advertisements on TV, this gives people the idea that they are much more common than they really are. So, people who really don't have a classical diagnosis of a disorder come to the doctor seeking drugs because they fit the symptoms listed on the TV. This is bad medicine, but it sure increases drug company profits.

My favorite invented disorder is PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). What woman doesn't feel cranky before her period? But in actuality, a minute percentage actually need to be medicated, and they already have other underlying medical and mental issues.

I have restless legs syndrome- nearly 7 nights a week, and none of the new advertised medications worked at all for me. To classify it as a psychological disorder is absolute insane--it's a movement disorder. I guess it's just a way to increase revenue and find new uses for other drugs. For example, for restless legs syndrome, they treat you with drugs used for patients with Parkinson's disease. For a small few, they work. For the rest of us, it's back to the old way of treating restless legs - codeine and a valium-like drug(I'm not a pilot- no worries) . But because these are both generic, there's not much profit to be made, so they come up with Requip and Mirapex and advertise the HELL out of them, and the masses flock to the doctor asking for them.

Just wanted to clarify your info- you were generally on the right track, though!

 

[avbug]

Let's get back to the original poster's question:

This question came up at work last week and the lot of us were stumped, so I thought I'd pose the question here. If a pilot gets diagnosed with depression, the kind where "happy pill" medication would be required, is that an instant no-go with regards to getting a medical?

The FAA does not approve any psychotropic drugs, or mood altering drugs. Any clinical diagnosis of depression will require additional supporting documentation and a psychiatric evaluation before any further action by the FAA can be taken, and then only upon further consideration of that evaluation.