--- colin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The really sad part is that Jaco Pastorius was > >bipolar (manic depressive). It is not uncommon for > untreated manics to spiral > >into addiction as self medication. > > > I think the main reason being that the 'treatment' > is often worse than > the complaint. Certainly all the drugs that I know > of have unacceptable > side effects, sudden and early death being two of > them. Apart from that, > the drugs don't actually do a lot except make other > people feel better > and like they are doing something. They make the > taker feel dreadful and > often far worse than when they were unmedicated.
Colin, I'm happy for you that you are able to take care of yourself without medication. Many people can - Patti Duke is one of them. If you haven't read her autobiography, I'd recommend it. She had a very weird childhood. However, medication does work very well for some people and I'm sure you're not implying that no one needs medication. Not all doctors and shrinks are out to get everyone on drugs - some of them actually do seem to know what they're doing and do care about their patients' welfare. My brother-in-law is bipolar and, without his medication, becomes paranoid and delusional and unable to function. (He usually thinks he's in the CIA, which being Canadian, is pretty unlikely in any case!; except that being in the CIA or being a spy, or else being watched by the CIA or some other spy group is pretty common with delusional people for some reason.)Fortunately he does not become violent (not usually, although being violent - getting into a bad fight with someone when he was in his late teens or early twenties - was what led to his being diagnosed, and having a psych evaluation was what kept him out of jail.) As long as he takes his medication (it was lithium, but now he's on something else, I'm not sure what), he can be successful at his work and be there for my sister and their kids. He is a wonderful and caring person. When he's not on medication, he makes not just his life, but their lives, and the lives of his parents, complete hell. These medications work very well for some people. It is true that there are side effects and that they can cause damage and possibly premature death (it's either the kidneys or the liver that has to be monitored); however, the alternative for many people is an even earlier death - by their own hand. People who recognize their illness and take responsibility for it themselves (that is, not leaving it up to others to make them get help), by taking care of their bodies, eating properly, getting enough sleep and so on, are in a better position to deal with it without medication. Unfortunately many people go into denial about it and there's still a huge stigma attached to it - after all, mental illness is a "weakness" and not a *real* illness in the minds of many people, so, maybe if you ignore it, it will just go away. Or maybe you're just not trying hard enough. Still others use alcohol as a form of self-medication, although they may not be aware that's what they're doing. If people looked at these things the same way as they do something like diabetes, the whole thing makes much more sense. It's a chemical imbalance, so you need to get your body back into balance. Some diabetes (the late-onset/lifestyle-induced kind) can be controlled strictly through healthy lifestyles and diet. Other people need to take insulin. Once again, I'm happy for you that you can do it without medication. That's always the preferred choice, IMO; unfortunately it's not the answer for everyone. ===== Catherine Toronto ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
