[MP-Ryan]

Which sucks a fat donkey ****.

There's an excellent legal reason for it, and if there is really a need for a friend to be intervening over family then that's what the courts are for.  Keep in mind the standard applies to all privacy issues and medical treatment.

[Flipside]

It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

[MP-Ryan]

It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

What if the friends are a negative influence, either encouraging suicide itself (re:  suicide promotion groups and pacts are currently a major problem in Japan) or encouraging behaviours that prolong the depressive episode?

People will mental illness often tend to try to "self-medicate" with drugs and/or alcohol, both of which make the symptoms worse.  Friends that encourage such behaviours are not good associates.

Note:  I'm not saying perhelion is anything like that, just throwing some very good reasons out there.

[High Max]

.

[Flipside]

It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

What if the friends are a negative influence, either encouraging suicide itself (re:  suicide promotion groups and pacts are currently a major problem in Japan) or encouraging behaviours that prolong the depressive episode?

People will mental illness often tend to try to "self-medicate" with drugs and/or alcohol, both of which make the symptoms worse.  Friends that encourage such behaviours are not good associates.

Note:  I'm not saying perhelion is anything like that, just throwing some very good reasons out there.

Oh, agreed, there are certain things that his friends would need to be aware of, but it just seems odd that it seems have been almost total isolation that has been recommended, but then, I don't know the details of the case, so there may well be factors I don't know about.

[High Max]

.

[TESLA]

About 2 years ago I got hit by a rather large truck moving rather fast. Did not die.

If you had, then that would be strange you typing away here some sort of zombie-snail

but then again, that would answer of questions 



But seriously though, suicide is not a funny issue, it can **** up a lot of families for life!

[iamzack]

It does seem odd that a Doctor should be ordering no contact with their friends if the person is a depressive, however, I'd have thought the opposite to isolation would be a better treatment, to encourage the patient to go out and learn to enjoy life a bit more, and realise that they are not truly alone in their problems.

Exactly. That was the number one problem I had in the psych ward. I wasn't allowed to so much as write a letter to Turambar, even though I refused to talk to anyone in my family because I didn't want anything to do with them.

Isolation makes me :[

[Hellstryker]

And given that your profile says you are 15, there is no way in hell you should EVER have been prescribed any sort of anti-depressant.  They are not tested in adolescents, and they don't work on adolescents.

I'm sure others wouldn't possibly so quick as to judge the wisdom of the great MP Ryan, but I'd like some actual proof here.

Edit: To clarify, I'm not disagreeing on the latter part of that statement, and I really hate to sound like Max, but people will use any excuse to make money. And you people laugh at cynicism.

[High Max]

.

[peterv]

Oh, agreed, there are certain things that his friends would need to be aware of, but it just seems odd that it seems have been almost total isolation that has been recommended, but then, I don't know the details of the case, so there may well be factors I don't know about.

Actually I don't know the details of the case either. What i do know is that the parents were initially informed of my friend's bad situation from another parent and afterwards they stopped saying anything at all about our friend, even to the parent that informed them. That made us think that they felt disgraced because of the situation or even felt guilty for it, in a wrong way, and kept everyone away to protect themselves.

[MP-Ryan]

And given that your profile says you are 15, there is no way in hell you should EVER have been prescribed any sort of anti-depressant.  They are not tested in adolescents, and they don't work on adolescents.

I'm sure others wouldn't possibly so quick as to judge the wisdom of the great MP Ryan, but I'd like some actual proof here.

Edit: To clarify, I'm not disagreeing on the latter part of that statement, and I really hate to sound like Max, but people will use any excuse to make money. And you people laugh at cynicism.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/antidepressant-medications-for-children-and-adolescents-information-for-parents-and-caregivers.shtml

Recently, there has been some concern that the use of antidepressant medications themselves may induce suicidal behavior in youths. Following a thorough and comprehensive review of all the available published and unpublished controlled clinical trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public warning in October 2004 about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents treated with SSRI antidepressant medications. In 2006, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that the agency extend the warning to include young adults up to age 25.

More recently, results of a comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006 suggested that the benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

That article is partially out-dated; several clinical trials since have found that antidepressants had essentially no effect on MDD in children and adolescents, and a number of the drug companies have stopped recommending their use (Buproprion, better known as Zyban, is not recommended for persons under age 18, for example, because its effectiveness has not been established.).  The psychological community actually has no consensus on whether diagnosis should even be possible in young people.

Up until the last 10-15 years, no one even conducted clinical trials for antidepressants in young people; it was just assumed they worked, and poor practices by GPs resulted in their prescription.

[Hellstryker]

Ah, but wait, you live in Canada. Surely there are legal differences up there, no? Maybe you have your silly little standards up there, but down here it's all about farming cash.  

[General Battuta]

Everything he just cited was American: FDA, JAMA, NIMH.

It's not that people tend to laugh at cynicism, but a certain kind of sophisticated cynicism seems more credible.

[Hellstryker]

Everything he just cited was American: FDA, JAMA, NIMH.

It's not that people tend to laugh at cynicism, but a certain kind of sophisticated cynicism seems more credible.

The simple fact is though that they do prescribe these things to everyone. It's not as though I'm an insolated incident.

[General Battuta]

Overprescription is a completely different issue from the drugs not working, which is the original assertion you made. And I agree, overprescription is a major problem.

But MP-Ryan has been saying (and my teaching agrees) that these drugs should not be prescribed to the young. The effects are not the same, and diagnosis of depression in adolescents is itself kinda problematic.

[MP-Ryan]

Overprescription is a completely different issue from the drugs not working, which is the original assertion you made. And I agree, overprescription is a major problem.

But MP-Ryan has been saying (and my teaching agrees) that these drugs should not be prescribed to the young. The effects are not the same, and diagnosis of depression in adolescents is itself kinda problematic.

It's not that I'm calling him a liar - I'm simply saying that the drugs should not be prescribed to him in the first place.  The sad fact is that a lot of GPs (in particular) cave to parents' demands and whip out the prescription pad because they don't have any psychology training.

I forgot to say it earlier, HellStryker, but don't ever feel that you shouldn't question people on their assertions and facts.  The sad truth is a lot of people out there say things and can't back it up.  Unfortunately [for you in this instance], I was called out enough in my early teens that I make damn sure I have a source for EVERYTHING now =)  Critical thinking skills are sadly lacking in most of the populace, and it's a valuable asset to you, so don't ever lose it.

[General Battuta]

It's not that I'm calling him a liar - I'm simply saying that the drugs should not be prescribed to him in the first place.  The sad fact is that a lot of GPs (in particular) cave to parents' demands and whip out the prescription pad because they don't have any psychology training.

Yes, this was my interpretation of your points. Sorry if it came across the wrong way.

[Nuke]

hahaha, that graphic is totally awesome. i wish i lived in san francisco.