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I wish there were more like her. There are plenty on a long list of drugs living marginally, off the grid, a little too far into the "sick role" to make a move. We do what we can. I blame some of what I see on the chronic poverty and torpor of the Appalachian culture. But there are any number of patients on a given clinic day that are victims of our polypharmacy world. These issues we write about on our blogs have a real impact in the real world. It’s not just that SSRIs can cause suicidal thoughts, or that Seroquel can cause weight gain and diabetes, it’s that the whole idea that a mental symptom automatically equals a disease entity, and that automatically equals a bunch of drugs that’s at fault. Street drugs are a huge issue here in the "country." We don’t need to add a second drug problem to the mix.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>On the other hand, I see patients who respond to SSRIs, some who do well on Lithium or anticonvulsants for their real "bipolar," people with ADHD whose lives are changed when it’s treated, some psychotic people who can’t function without antipsychotics. But there are way too many whose symptoms have been chased with inappropriate medication to no avail. Way too many. And I often find myself thinking about Adolph Meyer’s old book, "Common Sense Psychiatry<\/font><\/strong>." I’m glad I read it way back when – but just the title is good enough… <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"