Just Give Him a Pill

Every morning I take up to five pills. I've been on prescription medications for a decade. Now I'm on them for life. A decade ago, in my early twenties I developed an obsession problem. First I would obsess over my girlfriend. Then she dumped me and I would obsess over space travel and the posssilbilities of the distant future. Doctors asked me questions but mainly relied on my parents to determine my illness. The determined I was schizophrenic because I had delusions of a beautiful future coming and bi polar because it excited me.
I went on anti psychotics and modd stabilizers immediately. None worked the way the doctors wanted and they put me on one and the next and the next as if they were different colored skittles and I was given a full bag and told to eat them one color at a time.
Ten years passed and I grew accustomed to considering myself mental. I dropped most of my social skills and became recluse.
Ten years passed and they finally decided to give me OCD medication. It works. But the false diagnosis left it's mark both physically and mentally. Now I have to take anti psychotics because I have built up a mental addiction to letting these drugs control how my thouht process works. I have to take mood balancing medications because I feel anguish that I have wasted the last ten years of my life.
My obsession problem was minor and it was taken to the extremes to "fix". People still liked me, I could operate normally. But TPTB (The people that be - my parents) were so quick to turn to medicine, now I'll be on it the rest of my life. Think about this next time you think you know what is wrong with someone and convince them.... or force them, to see a doctor and take medication.
For the rest of my life I'll wince when I hear, just give him a pill.

a reply to: ChefSlug


Since the early days of psychology and the first pressing of their "bible" the DSM, now on it's fifth edition, a group of people most of which with problems of their own have been trying to label and pigeonhole any behavior which may not fit into their definition of normal.
What is normal? It used to be homosexuality was deviant mental behavior and curable! Now, we have affluenza. Which means if you are rich enough you can get away with rape and murder because you are incapable of feeling since you are so wealthy.
Psychology is akin to witch doctory or phrenology. Psychiatry and Neurologist at least focus on physical aspects but is still in its infancy.

Good luck. Focus on yourself. Be well.

a reply to: ChefSlug

Do you know, the longer I've been in my job, the more I'm convinced people are frightened of emotions. I don't mean you ChefSlug, I mean the professionals around the mental health system. I've been a psychotherapist for 10 years now (ohmygod I'm getting old) and the number of psychiatrists and therapists and doctors I've met who shy away from emotions never fails to shock me.
To give you an example, I had a client a few years ago who had just been admitted to an inpatient ward at the psychiatric hospital. She had suffered from years of familial sexual abuse, and she had refused to speak for about 6 months. She was about 20 years old, skin and bone and just sat rocking herself on a chair when I first went to see her.
I started to talk to her and as I always do, I started to tell her who had referred her to me and why. As I was talking a nurse grabbed my arm and said quietly 'don't mention the 'rape'' (she mouthed the word rape, as if it were unspeakable)-'we don't want her to cry'.
I kid you not. I think I said something like 'don't be so bloody ridiculous' and carried on talking to the young woman. After about 9 months, and a lot of snottery hankies, she took her story to the police and I'm glad to say both the perpetrators were sentenced.

One of my colleagues insists that only 'ploppy tears' as she calls them, are healing tears. Anything less isn't considered crying in her book! I like that theory, since it's true in a way. Emotions are messy, and uncomfortable to sit with and feel overwhelming at times, but they're a part of us we have to learn to face them and live with them.
All too often it seems the answer is 'give them a pill' before every other avenue has been exhausted.

I wish you well ChefSlug, all the best.

B x

a reply to: ChefSlug
Chefslug,
I just want to say that I have been eating prescribed pills just to function off/on for the past 25 years. In one instance,
I was told that I needed to continue taking the pills (Effexor) even if I did not feel I needed them anymore. I asked,
"For the rest of my life?". The answer was, "Yes". Despite this, I stopped taking the pills when I felt they were not doing
anything for me, and lived a somewhat normal life for 7 or 8 years WITHOUT the pills that I was told I needed to consume
unquestionably forever. Certainly, the doctors, drug companies, and the entire health system benefits from revenue generated by telling their patients they need to take these pills forever, but, perhaps there is a more sinister aspect of control involved.

Just remember, YOU are in CONTROL of YOUR LIFE. Medication can help get through some of the bumps in life's rocky road, but it should not be the entire answer to problems. A good friend, a fuzzy kitten, a walk in the woods, soothing music, beautiful art... add these to your daily regiment of pharmaceuticals and perhaps life will begin to look a bit different.

I want to state that I am not a doctor, I am not trying to convince you not to take your pills, and you should do what you think is best for your individual situation. The main reason my reply is that I can understand your frustration. If you ever
feel like talking... here I am!

Best of luck to you,
SeattleRat