Jump to content

What Doctors Love


AmyMarie

Recommended Posts

They prescribe medication. Why? Because it is more expensive and it pays them. Professional therapists are profoundly are paid less. Those who suffer with anxiety, with the help of sessions in therapy get just as much improvement as with medication. With both they make more.

Why is the prescribed medication rising? We can not force people to go to an office to explain their feelings and accept help. Not all can do that, but some have not tried. There is no problem in getting help. These counselors have studied all the workings in the mind, just to help others and I bet themselves. With that, they will try their best to get as close to pushing us to accomplishing every goal we have in our lives. No one wants to fall. No one wants to see us fall. Overcome your problem, do not let it win.

 

I wanted to conclude this on the site, because not once did I come across recommendation to see a counselor. I was distraught for those who are licensed to see this and not be introduced for those who need help. Well here I am. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going into psychotherapy is a great, great thing! The problem is that sometimes it is hard to find someone who jibes with you. Especially for me, I don't live in the city.

This is a very complex task, taking on a hppd patient. Often times we are less sedate than your average heavily medicated paranoid schizophrenic and more twisted than your average neurotic that wants to spend the hour talking about the superficialities of the week.

I know at my peak of symptoms I was literally ready to crawl up walls. I've had psychologists say they don't want to see me as a patient.

That's what doctors do, they practice medicine.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post but I'm getting there. Lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They prescribe medication. Why? Because it is more expensive and it pays them. Professional therapists are profoundly are paid less. Those who suffer with anxiety, with the help of sessions in therapy get just as much improvement as with medication. With both they make more.

Why is the prescribed medication rising? We can not force people to go to an office to explain their feelings and accept help. Not all can do that, but some have not tried. There is no problem in getting help. These counselors have studied all the workings in the mind, just to help others and I bet themselves. With that, they will try their best to get as close to pushing us to accomplishing every goal we have in our lives. No one wants to fall. No one wants to see us fall. Overcome your problem, do not let it win.

 

I wanted to conclude this on the site, because not once did I come across recommendation to see a counselor. I was distraught for those who are licensed to see this and not be introduced for those who need help. Well here I am. 

 

Amy,

Professional therapists/counselors/psychiatrist are great for people who have depression or anxiety because of some underlying issues. Maybe they were abused as a child, was in a car accident, are self conscious etc. etc. This is where a therapist or whatever will come in handy, they can help you fight the root of the problem, something no medication can do. And yes most people will eventually beat their anxiety/depression with the help of a therapist.

 

Now you got this other group of people, this is where I fall in and a lot of others do too, where you have a chemical imbalance. Either messed up Gaba levels, Serotonin levels, Dopamine levels, Norepinephrine levels, Glutamate levels etc.etc. There is no amount of counseling that will fix these imbalances. I do agree counseling and getting support can help with this group of people but more than likely medication is needed.

 

I go to this program called supportive outpatient program or SOP and it is basically just counseling. They give a ton of good advice on how to deal with anxiety and depression but they also agree there is only so much counseling can do for some people. If someone has extremely low neurotransmitter levels all counseling can do is really help you deal with it but not get rid of it. Basically what I am trying to say is if you are depressed and are thinking about killing yourself they can help with keeping you off the rope but for most with a chemical imbalance they can't ever help you be truly happy. So yeah, they can help but only so much, just help you live day by day really and who wants that? But for people with some underlying issue, counseling is the ONLY way to fix that.....Medication will just cover it up.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

AndrewCb, your reply is spot on!

Both are needed, fixing the chemical inbalance with the right meds and therapy for the other, non-chemistry problems.

For many HPPD'ers there are 2 parts; the chemical inbalance which messes with a lot of things in the psyche aswell, and the trauma which HPPD causes, the realization live with a permanent disability can be a fearful, soulscarring shock.

In my experience, both meds and therapy have been needed for my current improved state.

I agree that too many doctors act like "here you go, take this standard medicine A, and we'll set up at new appointment in 6 months". Those that only care about their salary and benefits from medical corporations.

But some (not many) doctors are brilliant, they really care for their patients, listen, do their research, and will use every evidence-based method for helping. From unconventional meds to unconventional therapy.

Scientifical methods and evidence are needed for both meds and therapy.

Doctors who claim that hypnotization, magic stones, mindfullness or other types of alternative medicine can cure every disease are fraudulent quacks.

It's simply impossible to fix a chemical inbalance such as HPPD with therapy, like it is equally impossible to stop a cancer tumor from growing with therapy.

But it's of course helpful for the psyche of the sufferer with therapeutic support..

Therapy can not resolve the physical causes on it's own, just as little as meds can fix all emotional problems which comes with the above mentioned diagnoses..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Well, as I wrote above, a doctor can not claim that such methods can cure anything. He can say that some people find it helpful, but he can not prescibe it. Because there is too little evidence on it still, and it will require time and training to benefit from those methods, if they even have an measurable effect at all, which also cannot be an placebo effect.

It's simply unethical and a loathing pat on the shoulder if a doctor would do so.

They are obliged to use evidence based treatment, which could be a combination of medication and some forms of theraphy.

I mean, if they find tumor in you, and your doctor refuses surgery and medicine, but instead tells you to go meditate to stop the tumor growth.. Wouldn't you think that doctor is a criminal lunatic, who leaves you to die? Would you trust his competence?

The same thing can be applied to HPPD, anxiety etc.

But for anyone who wishes to use mindfulness/ meditation in their everyday life if they think it helps, go ahead.

If you get good results, I'm happy for you!

But don't claim it should be standard medical practice to prescribe such methods..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding of having chemical imbalances, isn't that a theory? I would more likely to believe that the imbalance is caused by the DP/DR that some experience which would be a reaction of heavy anxiety or a shock to the body.

All we know for sure is that the visual cortex is working too hard right, which can lead to that it takes energy from other parts of the brain, yes. But I doubt that our complete serotonin or dopamin receptors are that messed up in a way where they can't recover. Even with tissue brain damage such as MS the brain does heal, but it's not fast enough to make a significant difference.

 

I mean if you'd lessen the visuals to some extent using medication and then goes for a CBT with a psychologist toghether with some kind of anti-depressive (if it's goes along) to cure or improve DP/DR. Do you still think that you'd be messed up? Except for the bi-effects of the meds that is.

 

There is also a connection between anxiety or DP/DR with visual distortions suchs as visual snow, floaters and light sensitivity. So getting rid of that with either medication or a psychiatrist would be great for the visuals as well. I think a combination would be best to be able to cope with it and move on.

 

Dr. Abraham have said several times that HPPD usually comes with depression, anxiety, depersonalization which all is curable according to him. It's harder with the visuals. Well if you only got the visuals left, I doubt our brain structure would be that different from a normal brain. It all depends of course if you were a heavy user of drugs, alcohol, psyhcological issues or symptoms such as ADD etc that can interfere with the brain. I'm sure that every case is unique.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's the neurological imbalance which is the primary cause for most of the anxiety and DP/DR, not the other way around.

Of course, as all of us HPPD'ers know, anxiety and stress triggers flare ups in the visuals and DP/DR, which in turn triggers more anxiety etc.

A downward spiral, simply put..

So using methods like CBT can reduce your fear of the horrible HPPD-related visuals and feelings, I know that even arachnophobes can lose their fear of spiders with these types of therapeutical methods..

But the thing is, the very pathways which are damaged with HPPD, actually produces a altered feeling of reality. Which is DP/DR, primarely DR of those two.

Think of an hallucinogen like an avalanche in your brain, it doesn't last long but levels objects in it's path to shreds.

So with HPPD, the avalanche has passed long ago, but the neural pathways it has ravaged are not recovered, meaning that you have less filtering for normal signals, leading to overactivity anyway, but of course not a surge as an hallucinogen will create.

It's quite complicated to explain, read this article for more insight on how it works, be warned it's written in doctor language though! ;-)

http://psychedelic-information-theory.com/5HT2A-Agonism-and-Multisensory-Binding

So the best way so far to keep HPPD symptoms and other comorbid disorders is some kind of anti-EP for symptom reduction/control, maybe an NRI/NDRI antidepressant for depressive issues (SSRI's interferes too much with the HPPD symptoms).

This in turn might make you better able to be receptive to psychotherapy, of these methods I think CPT & CBT works best for acceptance, fear and anxiety reduction.

Also this seems to be the best treatment for HPPD so far, by medical knowledge.

But it's no cure! There's no cure for HPPD yet, most sufferers who pass the 5 year period without naturally healing from HPPD has a slim to none chance of ever recovering..

Still they can at least keep the symptoms in check and accept life with a permanent disability, which is hard but possible!

Better than nothing.. ;-)

If some people want to use some alternative methods like meditation/ mindfulness etc. then sure, go ahead..

Because it's your life, if you feel better from it, good for you!

In another thread there's a claim that people can "heal" the damage by meditating, which lacks any evidence.

The very same response I would give to people who claims only medication can "heal" the damage, it also lacks much evidence but has more substance than alternative medicine.

The nature is in motion all the time, no absolute yes or no answer, no absolute truths, but rather a constant flow of "more true" and "less true". You might say that the strive for knowledge is not a goal to reach, but the strive for more knowledge is the goal. Quantitative collections turns to qualitative leaps..

That's how science and research works also, and from what's known so far about HPPD, the above mentioned medications and therapeutical methods is what's by evidence the best yet.

In the future better and more efficient methods might come, as science will take another step forward, closer to perfection but never reaching absolute perfection, as there's no such thing in nature at all!

Maybe some kind of "cure" will be found?

Until then it would be wishful thinking and instilling false hope to desperate people, to claim "full healing or curing" is possible.

A realistic view is necessary to achieve some kind of improvement.

Those who believe too much in absolutes are the ones who will fall the hardest when things don't work the way they thought..

Again I apologize for sounding too sharp-edged and writing an incredibly long post, but I think it's necessary for all of us with HPPD to elevate our common knowledge.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.