DEPRESSION & MISGUIDED ADVICE
- Tell me to stop taking my
medication and you might just as well place my head
within a hangman's noose. I, like approximately 10% of
the North American population, live with a disease called
chemical depression. This, in contrast to reactive
depression which is a relatively short lived period of
feeling "down", is characterized by a
persistent depressed mood. As the condition worsens the
individual becomes less able to function in activities of
daily living and may progress to a state of total inertia
and helplessness. Feelings of guilt become all consuming
and may lead to suicidal ideation, if not for the feeling
of self-loathing, then in a desperate attempt to rid
oneself of the perpetual sadness that is felt. It is
described in Holly Wilson Skodal's, Psychiatric Nursing
2nd Edition as follows:
�
-
"Medical-
biological
research has also found relationships between
affective disorders and biochemical changes.
Some, if not all, depressions are associated
with an absolute or relative deficiency of
catecholamines, particularly nor-
epinephrine, at functionally important
receptor sites in the brain."1
- �
Because of this and proven
family histories, chemical depression is considered to be
an inherited or genetic disease. For example, in my
family, my father and his siblings have all experienced
bouts of depression of which, as yet, only my father has
found it necessary to seek medical treatment. His
mother(my grandmother), who also received treatment,
commit suicide. Thankfully, since then new antidepressant
medication has been developed that is now capable of
relieving depression; usually within a few weeks.
Frequently however, one drug in particular, which is used
in the treatment of depression, has been under repeated
attack. The use of this drug ,Prozac, due to much
negative publicity, has become a social "No,
no", if you will. The extensive media coverage has
left many a layperson with a tainted view of the drug's
effectiveness. In turn, these albeit well meaning
individuals, emerge from their "dens of higher
learning" to rid the world of this "nasty"
drug. Their new found knowledge giving them not only
freedom, but a sense of urgency to offer their usually
unwanted advice. Which usually goes as follows:�
- "You're on
Prozac!",
- "Oh, that's
bad." ... "Em, em,you've gotta stop taking that!"
- "But it's helping
me. I feel better!"
- "Nope, its
bad." ... "Got lots of nasty side
effects!"
- "I'm not
experiencing any!"
- "You'd better get
a new doctor!" ... "Have you tried
this new herbal tea laxative?"
�
Give me a break! I'm depressed
not constipated! ... You see, what the media fails to
report adequately is that Prozac has saved the lives of
many depressed individuals, myself included. Of course,
some people do not respond well to Prozac, and some do
experience extremely bad reactions, but can this not be
said of all drugs? Penicillin is a good example. Many
people have had extremely serious allergic reactions to
penicillin. In fact, some have died as a result, but you
never hear people trying to persuade others that
penicillin is a bad drug! In fact, we "thank our
lucky stars" for its discovery. Of course, all
people do respond to drugs in different ways. Were this
not true, we would have no need for the vast array of
antibiotics and other medications now available. So, yes
while it is always preferable to avoid the use of drugs,
this is not always possible. Therefore, advising a patient
who is under a physician's care to stop taking their
medication is not only dangerous but down right
ludicrous. Yet, I and others are told on a consistent
basis to do just that, often, by amateur herbalists who
are riding the current wave of influence. They tell us
this with no knowledge of our medical history. They don't
even ask, seemingly, because they don't really want to
know. And even when they do know, they can't understand.
I mean how can one explain to someone that at times one
literally cannot get out of bed - that the world beyond
their room becomes completely overwhelming and how your
thought process becomes not only filled, but focused on
suicidal ideation, and beyond that to planning. What lay
person's need to understand, yea know, is that the
depressed individual has a suicide plan in place, in
fact, they know exactly, EXACTLY what they would do,
because this in an odd sort of way is their safety net.
Yet, because suicide is not easily understood and even
depressing to the unaffected, people stick their heads in
the sand rather than having to deal with the real
problem; and spew advice concerning the discontinuation
of medication. In my case, even one
"well-meaning" but idiotic naturopath told me
to stop taking my Prozac and to come back and see him in
one month when he returned from a lecturing tour. Smart
move! Tell me to walk a tightrope without the balancing
beam and then just to make sure when I fall I fall hard,
take away the safety net too! What a fool! Have you ever,
ever heard someone recommend to a diabetic that they stop
taking their insulin? Of course not, that's absurd! Well,
the same is true of antidepressants. They, like insulin,
alter hormonal imbalances within the hypothalamus of the
brain. Insulin affects the blood sugar regulating
mechanisms and antidepressants the emotion regulating
mechanisms. My point: people's lives "hang" in
the balance. Leave their treatment or the lack thereof to
the professionals. Do not pander your unsolicited advice
on them. Instead, use your energy to educate yourself and
others about the facts surrounding depression, its
treatment and especially, offer your support. A listening
ear and a kind word help to lift even the chemically
depressed spirit. Mostly though, spread the word to
others to keep their opinions about depression and its
treatment to themselves, or at the very least not to
discourage patients from continuing a prescribed course
of treatment. To do so, "keeping your opinion to
yourself", may just save a life. Not doing so, may
end one. So I say, "Please, DO NOT pass the noose of
misguided advice!", so that others like myself might
live.
Jan Dirksen, RPN
If you or someone you know would like to contact me
regarding depression, please feel free to do so.
I'd love to hear from you and support you!
Depression can be beaten!!
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