Bill I am aware of some things about you that some people reading will not be. You’re situation is very different from most peoples. You very well may be a case of anti-depressants proper application.
I know someone who has depression and PTSD who does very well off of medication compared to when he is on it.
Like with all things, there is a middle ground. Doctors have no incentive to find it. That’s part of what makes it dangerous.
Bill I would also assume you would agree that if your faith were strong enough you would not need the pills. Of course, this is not very applicable because we all lack faith. Some more than others, but most of us are not sinless for any extended period of time. Not implying you lack faith more than others, just provoking thought.
I agree that doctor’s have no incentive to find middle ground. Psychiatrists essentially prescribe psychiatric medications and then look to see if they have a positive impact on the person, but they are essentially pill prescribers, they are not in any way couselors nor do they actively work with a patient to ‘solve’ their problems. I assme that most all of them have the ability to do this, but the way the medical system works, unless you are privately paying the psychiatrist to give you ‘talk therapy’ you are going to get pills prescribed to you.
I also know that psychiatrists will work with individuals to lower and eventually stop their medication if the person is in a situation where they may be ‘temporarilly’ depresssed or anxious, rather than considered ‘chronically mentally ill’.
And I myself have done OK off of medications at times and have done terrible while on medications at times. With respect to “Bill I would also assume you would agree that if your faith were strong enough you would not need the pills.” I would agree with this but my situation is very complicated. And at one point while working with a psychologist (a ‘talk therapy’ doctor) to address the underlying issues that cause my problems I had a pretty extreme reaction. A ‘pandora’s box’ was opened, I was not prepared to deal with it, it was terrifying and lasted a few months or so.
So I believe that medications are over prescribed, drug companies are ‘pill pushers’ and doctors are not incentivised to cure people, they are incentivised to keep people stable. A good doctor will work with a person to try and get them to do things that will work towards ‘curing’ them, such as working to get a person exercizing, eating healthy, and encouraging spirituality (this is complicated for them and I’m assuming that most doctor’s do not beleive in God and for those that do I think this is a touchy subject from a doctor’s point of view, I’m not sure why exactly, maybe they fear being sued or offending people).
I can say that since I have returned to the Church and am invested in being a good Catholic I have had certain prayers answered that I can say in one case I believed it was extremely unlikely to happen and was fearful the prayer would not be answered, I did my best to have faith and consider that prayer being answered a small mericle in the grand sceme of things (and a HUGE one for me in my and my families life, HUGE, HUGE, HUGE). I am extremely blessed to have had that prayer answered, I won’t go into details but as far as I am concerned there is no other possible explaination than God intervening in my life. It was and is absoultely amazing. Thanks for your post and it’s been a pleasure talking with you.
God Bless,
Bill