Comments on: They Lied to Us… Prozac Doesn’t Work http://stressedout.org/2009/12/146/ innovative stress reduction Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:31:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tina http://stressedout.org/2009/12/146/comment-page-1/#comment-10952 Tina Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:03:46 +0000 http://stressedout.org/?p=146#comment-10952 In the past, I took an SRI to alleviate the syptoms of anxiety. I was in school, feeling overwhelmed by a second mortgage and in a relationship that was no longer healthy. I While the antidepressants did help a little, they could not change my belief about the circumstances that I was in. I was fortunate enought to have been introduced to a leading edge education that provided an extremely powerful paradigm through which to view my life. It also prompted me to make some changes. Re thinking my beliefs to treat anxiety is akin to teaching someone how to fish. I know that I wll never need these types of med again because I have gotten to the source of the anxiety.I am now in what some would call "less than desireable circumstances", but they are not defining how I react. I certainly have some ups and downs, but I have not fallen into the pit of despair. However, my husband is exhibiting some signs of depression. He has not had access to the same education that I have and he doesn't seem to be interested. He began taking medication to treat the symptoms, which I am thankful for. He is a calmer and more relaxed. I realized that He has not gotten to the source of his depression. However, for him, the cure is a change in circumstance. Meanwhile, he is taking meds to prevent the crippling effects of anxiety so that he can go about his day. I am thankful to the meds that offer some relief, but I feel that it is far more powerful and long lasting to get to the source. In the past, I took an SRI to alleviate the syptoms of anxiety. I was in school, feeling overwhelmed by a second mortgage and in a relationship that was no longer healthy. I While the antidepressants did help a little, they could not change my belief about the circumstances that I was in. I was fortunate enought to have been introduced to a leading edge education that provided an extremely powerful paradigm through which to view my life. It also prompted me to make some changes. Re thinking my beliefs to treat anxiety is akin to teaching someone how to fish. I know that I wll never need these types of med again because I have gotten to the source of the anxiety.I am now in what some would call “less than desireable circumstances”, but they are not defining how I react. I certainly have some ups and downs, but I have not fallen into the pit of despair. However, my husband is exhibiting some signs of depression. He has not had access to the same education that I have and he doesn’t seem to be interested. He began taking medication to treat the symptoms, which I am thankful for. He is a calmer and more relaxed. I realized that He has not gotten to the source of his depression. However, for him, the cure is a change in circumstance. Meanwhile, he is taking meds to prevent the crippling effects of anxiety so that he can go about his day. I am thankful to the meds that offer some relief, but I feel that it is far more powerful and long lasting to get to the source.

]]> By: David Dawson http://stressedout.org/2009/12/146/comment-page-1/#comment-10939 David Dawson Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:19:43 +0000 http://stressedout.org/?p=146#comment-10939 This is dangerously irresponsible information. I would feel remiss if I didn't point out that Deepak Chopra is a crackpot who relies on such bedrock medical practices as astrology and a dualistic view of humans as possessing a "mind" separate from the "body" in some amorphous, misunderstood "quantum" level. For solid, up-to-date, empirically based, peer-reviewed, published information on depression, biology, stress, and the connections between the three, take a look at a Nov 2009 lecture by Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biological sciences at Stanford University and of neurology at Stanford's School of Medicine. Obviously you need a refresher, given your comment that "genes related to stress are 'totally different from those related to depression.'" Such a statement indicates that you are ill-informed about the role of genetics in illness of any type. Sapolsky's lecture is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc . You will be enlightened as to the complexities of depression, neuroscience, psychology, and environmental factors. While I applaud your emphasis on finding more sophisticated models for depression than merely blaming a "chemical imbalance." Responsible physicians and researchers would agree with you wholeheartedly. This is a complex condition, one that I urge to study before publishing such posts as this one. The reason? Spreading misinformation is downright dangerous given the propensity for self-harm -- including, of course, suicide -- among those suffering from major depression. This is dangerously irresponsible information. I would feel remiss if I didn’t point out that Deepak Chopra is a crackpot who relies on such bedrock medical practices as astrology and a dualistic view of humans as possessing a “mind” separate from the “body” in some amorphous, misunderstood “quantum” level.

For solid, up-to-date, empirically based, peer-reviewed, published information on depression, biology, stress, and the connections between the three, take a look at a Nov 2009 lecture by Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biological sciences at Stanford University and of neurology at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Obviously you need a refresher, given your comment that “genes related to stress are ‘totally different from those related to depression.’” Such a statement indicates that you are ill-informed about the role of genetics in illness of any type.

Sapolsky’s lecture is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc . You will be enlightened as to the complexities of depression, neuroscience, psychology, and environmental factors. While I applaud your emphasis on finding more sophisticated models for depression than merely blaming a “chemical imbalance.” Responsible physicians and researchers would agree with you wholeheartedly. This is a complex condition, one that I urge to study before publishing such posts as this one.

The reason? Spreading misinformation is downright dangerous given the propensity for self-harm — including, of course, suicide — among those suffering from major depression.

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