Australia and depression

[Strick]

I work in disability services in Tasmania with the intellectually disabled and my impression is that society here is much more medicalised than in the UK.

 

I think the reasons are many and varied but, in Tasmania, we are much closer to the days of the big mental hospitals/asylums than seems to be the case in other parts of Australia and most of the UK. So much so, that many of my colleagues worked in those places and some are stuck in a patient/nurse paradigm that pathologises clients who are often simply not ill - in the sense that a person with Downs Syndrome is not ill, but might well have found themselves living on a ward a few years back being attended to by doctors and nurses to cater their daily living needs.

 

In terms of the general population, the culture seems similar to the USA with ads for various obscure medications on some channels all the time. Moreover, diseases themselves seem to be advertised as though going down with a case of them might actually be in some way desirable... It's enough to make even the healthiest of us begin to morph into raging hypochondriacs!

 

I'm sure the evil drug companies have a lot to answer for..

[caramac]

My Mum suffers from Mental Illness and has all her life. When we were growing up she had a few "nervous breakdowns" where they had to take her away, basically knock her out with whatever drugs they used at the time and wait for a couple of weeks to see how she pulled up. A lot of the time, after a couple of weeks almost solid sleep, due to the drugs, she would be back almost normal. Usually she couldn't remember the last couple of weeks, sometimes more, before the Health Service had done something about it.

 

To get admitted she had to be really bad and just about uncontrollable. I've seen her in a padded cell, in a straight jacket, she's had electro convulsive therapy and a plethora of different drugs, some of which she didn't react to very well at all.

 

About 30 years ago they found out that lithium is an emotional stabiliser and she has been on lithium treatment ever since. She has to have regular blood tests to monitor how much is in her system as it's a poison. She got very sick at one time and nearly died, due to missing a blood test when the NHS couldn't fit her in over Christmas.

 

Over the years the acceptance of, treatment and follow up of mental illness has increased immensely. We just didn't talk about it very much when we were younger and chose not to mention it to friends, even though a lot offered to help. It's just so hard to understand that someone they felt they could probably help was so far out of it they were a different person, almost like a wild animal and unpredictable.

 

I don't think I've ever known more help, talk, awareness opportunity for treatment and early intervention than is available now. I hope it's the same in the UK as here.

 

I really believe that the numbers reflect how many people are now willing to come forward and talk about there problems, due to organisations like beyond blue. Openly advertising on TV, posters to get help if you need it. Has to raise awareness and numbers coming forward.

 

I had a 3 or 4 friends commit suicide when I was young too. As usual no-one saw it coming in any of them. Actually one did have a real rough trot when his marriage split up, he lost his house and just about everything else during the miners strike. Hung himself. Still came as a shock though.

 

I think there is a case for over diagnosis though. Young people can almost get into a state where they are talking about it too much and persuading themselves they must have it. With the internet and self diagnosis on just about everything rife, the slightest bit of extra pressure, exams, bullying, realtionship issues and I don't think people cope as well as they used to.

 

 

 

Early intervention services are growing everywhere, thankfully, although still patchy depending where you are. I'm glad your Mum gets the help she needs.

[Skani]

I'm sure the evil drug companies have a lot to answer for..

 

Interesting segment on ABC's 7.30 Report last night on the dramatic increase in the prescribing of Seroquel...for all sorts of conditions for which it was not intended.

[jac2011]

My posts earlier were not intended to say all drugs are bad, they are I am sure very valid reasons that people suffering from mental illnesses do need medicine, however, the research and seminar I went to by Joanna Moncrieff is purely about the over prescription of drugs when first off non-pharmaceutical interventions could be tried. She also discusses how individuals are given far stronger doses than what is necessary and they are left on the drugs after their episodes rather than being tapered off it as the side effects often indicate relapse when it is purely the side effects of the drugs. Most of these drugs have highly significant side effects and reduce life expectancy and therefore the more we can reduce their use the more positive outlook on the individuals. Another factor is education, most people I have met have been given medication but know nothing about it, I was in Joanna Moncrieff's seminar with service users and they were angry that they are not given a clear explanation by doctors as to what the effects of the medication could do. They were angry about the lack of choice, even whilst they were mentally well their psychiatrists were telling them what to take rather than offering them the facts to make an informed decision themselves. Yet, in this day and age we are supposed to be patient led and about recovery, choice and autonomy???

[starlight7]

With over-worked GPs you will get the quick fix solutions. Most are not trained in disorders of the mind and tend to treat people using the medical model which involves the use of chemicals. They simply don't have the time to sit with a patient to find causes.