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Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 11:46:31 AM
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pink..
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quote:
ORIGINAL: agapetos
quote:
In order to stay on meds, one has to keep going to the doctor for refills. Do you actually have to see a doctor? Once I'm at the right level, and we're happy with how I'm doing and there are no problems, I don't need to see a doctor each time I need a prescription. I'm just curious (and need clarification) whether you have to have a consultation.
Any one I know of has to go in once a month for the first year or so.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 1:36:09 PM
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Mollymouser
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quote:
ORIGINAL: agapetos
quote:
In order to stay on meds, one has to keep going to the doctor for refills. Do you actually have to see a doctor? Once I'm at the right level, and we're happy with how I'm doing and there are no problems, I don't need to see a doctor each time I need a prescription. I'm just curious (and need clarification) whether you have to have a consultation.
Agapetos, for me, I must see my primary care physician at least once a year in order to get refills for my prescriptions. This is the legal minimum. As a diabetic, I see my endocrinologist every 3-4 months because of the nature of the illness and needing to adjust dosages on multiple medications. I would assume that once someone has a stable medical condition and is on a maintenance dosage of a prescription, the need for physician monitoring would be less -- but it depends on the patient, the physician, and the medical condition.
It should also be noted that many primary care physicians routinely prescribe and monitor their patients for depression/anxiety medications and don't always refer them to psychiatrists. I have a number of close friends on those sorts of prescriptions, obtained via prescriptions from primary care physicians/internists.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 1:40:30 PM
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Mollymouser
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stellaluna
I agree that there can be frustration when the medical/insurance establishment doesn't treat mental illness the same. But I also think that people with chronic (debilitating) physical illnesses will find a way to get treatment, whereas they might let treatment for a mental illness lapse. It goes both ways.
If you live alone and work in solitude, do what you want. But if you have a family that depends on you and work that requires you to interact with others, I think there is an obligation there to be as mentally healthy as possible, even if you think you don't need __ (whatever treatment has been prescribed). That's all I'm saying.
Agreed. If necessary, I would give up cable television, the Internet, phones, eating out, etc. to pay for necessary medical treatment -- I prioritize it right up there with shelter, food and clothing as a necessity.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 3:18:49 PM
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agapetos
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quote:
Now that I think about it, the reason I go every two months is because I have to have my lithium blood levels checked. Interesting. I only needed to have my lithium checked every 3 months (after it was stable) and could see the nurse for that, then phone and get the results. If there were any problems I could speak with my GP or psychiatrist.
quote:
Agapetos, for me, I must see my primary care physician at least once a year in order to get refills for my prescriptions. This is the legal minimum. I don't know what the legal minimum requirement is here, but I see my Gp fairly regularly and have a health check every year with my GP, which includes medication reviews. I also have a health care plan which is reviewed at least yearly and includes medication issues. My doctor and psychiatrist receive a copy of that so will see if there are any problems.
Thanks for responding to the post. It's interesting to know what other people's treatment is like.
quote:
Agreed. If necessary, I would give up cable television, the Internet, phones, eating out, etc. to pay for necessary medical treatment -- I prioritize it right up there with shelter, food and clothing as a necessity. Having known the difference that my meds have made to my mental health, I'd be inclined to agree. Sometimes it's hard to keep trying different combinations and such though.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 9:49:37 PM
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KatieC52
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stellaluna
One of my doctors required maintenance visits, the one I have now does not. However, the one that required the visits did allow me to skip sometimes if I told him I just didn't have time to come in or couldn't afford to.
I agree that there can be frustration when the medical/insurance establishment doesn't treat mental illness the same. But I also think that people with chronic (debilitating) physical illnesses will find a way to get treatment, whereas they might let treatment for a mental illness lapse. It goes both ways.
If you live alone and work in solitude, do what you want. But if you have a family that depends on you and work that requires you to interact with others, I think there is an obligation there to be as mentally healthy as possible, even if you think you don't need __ (whatever treatment has been prescribed). That's all I'm saying.
You think there is an obligation to be mentally healthy? well no one chooses to be otherwise. Sometimes people are so sick they dont know how to go about getting treatment. Are you insured? Have you ever tried to go to a doctor of any kind with no insurance? Unless you have good insurance, are wealthy or go on Dr Phil, its very hard to get treated for anything in this country.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/29/2010 10:04:19 PM
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agapetos
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quote:
You think there is an obligation to be mentally healthy? I think there are many who choose to ignore that obligation ~ just as there are many who refuse to recognise that their lifestyle is affecting they're physical health and their problems are not simply down to genes or age or whatever, but it's down to them not wanting to do anything about it.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 11:45:15 AM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KatieC52
You think there is an obligation to be mentally healthy?
I do.
quote:
well no one chooses to be otherwise.
I beg to differ - I know people who choose otherwise (and they're here in the UK where we don't have insurance issues over healthcare)
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 1:52:24 PM
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Mollymouser
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KatieC52
You think there is an obligation to be mentally healthy?
I think that there is an obligation to TRY to be mentally healthy, or to WORK TOWARD becoming mentally healthy. For some, that may be finding out a medication that works, then taking all necessary steps to obtain that medication. For others, that may be looking into group therapy, counseling, individual therapy, or similar opportunities. For others, it may be taking the time and effort to research their mental health problem and reading books on dealing with the subject, avoiding known stressors, and doing what can be done to try to get healthier.
It's not a one-size-fits all solution, but I do think some people would rather deny or complain about being mentally unhealthy rather than proactively attempting to deal with it.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 10:34:51 PM
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KatieC52
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I dont believe that anyone WANTS to be sick, physically or mentally. There may be a few exceptions in this world, but not many. Some of you seem angry at the mentally ill. Some of them are really sick and dont know how to get treatment. Some cant afford it. A little compassion may be in order. Unless you have walked in their shoes you are wrong to judge them.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 10:49:49 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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I can honestly say I don't WANT to be mentally ill. But I am. I also have a job, a husband, and two children. The whole reason we even have insurance is my job, so it's pretty important. I have basically two choices. I can take these meds, see my doctor, and try to do everything I can to take care of myself. Or I can let bipolar run its course because I don't like that Lithium makes me feel strange or sometimes my hands shake and lose my job, go manic and cheat on my H again, and be too depressed to take care of my children. When someone wants help but cannot get it for financial reasons, that breaks my heart. When someone won't at least try to move heaven and earth to get treatment, have no sympathy.
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Eihstein's IQ may be higher than mine, but God's IQ is higher than anyone's.
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Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 11:25:09 PM
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pink..
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There are some who don't know they are mentally ill. How does one obtain help for an illness that they don't know they have?
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 11:47:52 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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Obviously if someone doesn't know/hasn't been diagnosed with a mental illness they can be treated. I have had bronchitis all week, but until I went to the doctor yesterday and got antibiotics (and an unpleasant shot)I could not be treated.
But I think most people can agree that there are people out there with mental illness who WON'T get treated. In fact, one of the hallmarks of many bipolars (which I am) is that once they feel better they stop taking meds, or they stop taking meds because they miss the mania. If I EVER do that, I hope that the parents of my students rise u in protest and my H gives me a swift behind kick into the hospital.
My H has type 1 diabetes. Without his insulin he will die. If he doesn't test his sugar, it gets out of control and he gets sick, unable to go to work, even erratic. Honestly, if he didn't do these thing, not only would it be dangerous, it would be just about the most self-centered thing I could think of.
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Jer. 29:11, II Tim. 2:13, Jude 24, 25
https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=58896
Eihstein's IQ may be higher than mine, but God's IQ is higher than anyone's.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/30/2010 11:49:32 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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Oops, I meant to say CAN'T be treated in that first sentence.
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Jer. 29:11, II Tim. 2:13, Jude 24, 25
https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=58896
Eihstein's IQ may be higher than mine, but God's IQ is higher than anyone's.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 3:44:26 AM
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agapetos
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quote:
I dont believe that anyone WANTS to be sick, physically or mentally. It suits many people to be "sick".
quote:
Some of you seem angry at the mentally ill. Some of them are really sick and dont know how to get treatment. Some cant afford it. A little compassion may be in order. Unless you have walked in their shoes you are wrong to judge them. Please understand that when I talk about people who aren't taking responsibility for their health (be it mental or physical) I'm not talking about those who are unable to get help because of finances/not knowing where to go etc. There are plenty of people in the world today who are able to recognise that something is wrong, or who have spoken with someone (medical person) and choose to ignore the advice given, for whatever reason.
quote:
There are some who don't know they are mentally ill. How does one obtain help for an illness that they don't know they have? This is a whole different question to those who know they have problems and are doing nothing about them. Someone may have cancer but because they don't know they have it, they don't get treated. The same can be said for mental health problems.
quote:
In fact, one of the hallmarks of many bipolars (which I am) is that once they feel better they stop taking meds, Actually, this is true of many people, regardless of illness. There are plenty of people who've been prescribed antibiotics for 7 days but stop taking them after 3 or 4 days. Then they go back to the doctor because they become ill again and have to be prescribed different, perhaps stronger antibiotics.
The same can be said for antidepressants. This is how my doctor talked to me about stopping antidepressants (obviously once one has been found that works for the individual). People taking them need to be "well" for at least 3 months, continuously. Naturally there are stress factors that life may throw at you, but taking those into account, the individual should be stable (ie their mood shouldn't drop down to becoming depressed again. If mood does drop, then the 3-month clock is reset. If mood is stable, it's possible to start discussing reductions. Again, this varies greatly from individual to individual and is not good for all. The patient needs to be honest with their doctor, jsut as much as the doctor needs to listen to their patient.
Too often though, the patient will "feel better" and stop taking their medication ~ with the result that they then feel worse before they started the meds ~ and so say they are useless.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 8:00:01 AM
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manda59
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From: Hampshire, UK
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KatieC52
I dont believe that anyone WANTS to be sick, physically or mentally. There may be a few exceptions in this world, but not many. Some of you seem angry at the mentally ill. Some of them are really sick and dont know how to get treatment. Some cant afford it. A little compassion may be in order. Unless you have walked in their shoes you are wrong to judge them.
KatieC52,
Actually, most (all?) of us posting here at the moment ourselves have mental health issues of some sort or another.
Here in the UK, healthcare is free or heavily subsidised (we can see any healthcare professional for free, and just pay a nominal amount for prescriptions). Yet even here I know people who are ill but don't take their meds.
So it's not always about money.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 11:44:19 AM
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agapetos
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quote:
like telling his assistant to tell me that I was only to talk about one issue per visit because and I quote: "she tends to bring up other issues at a visit" This really bothered me. Isn't a doc suppose to be concerned about the whole patient and not how many visits he bill a patient? Not sure what you mean by the term 'assistant' (I live in the UK and I've never met an 'assistant' before) but I do think the doctor should have spoken to you himself about this. And yes, the doctor should be concerned about the 'whole' patient. However... as patients, it is our responsibility to not go to the doctor and expect them to discuss each problem we have. Doctors all have an appointment system. It's generally 1 appointment for 1 issue. My doctor is more than happy to give me the time that I need when I need it. I try to keep to the 1 issue per appointment but sometimes we've (she and I) have both deviated from this. If I have more than 1 issue that needs dealing with urgently, I make a double appointment, otherwise I decide on the most urgent and go with that.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 12:06:37 PM
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allensak9
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well, that time I went in to see him about mastitis and I was covered in poison ivy and he never even mentioned let let alone asked about it
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Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 11:02:31 PM
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pink..
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With as much as doctors are paid, it wouldn't hurt for them to deal with several of the patient's issues at once. It would certainly help the patient.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 1/31/2010 11:28:14 PM
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stellaluna
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They will generally, if you mention it at the time you make your appointment.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 2/1/2010 12:04:48 AM
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agapetos
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Coltblue
With as much as doctors are paid, it wouldn't hurt for them to deal with several of the patient's issues at once. It would certainly help the patient.
My GP operates on a 3-hour session and has 18 single appointments. For the first few patients to make a single appointment but go with 2 maybe 3 issues, that's fine ~ for them. But what if you're patient number 10 and your baby is sick and you have to get to your older child's nursery to pick them up? How is it fine then? What if you're patient number 18 and each patient before you has gone with 2 issues. How long would you have to wait then? Would you really be happy about it?
My doctor is brilliant. She gives each patient the time that they need, which is right (someone being told they have cancer would need more time, for instance). If you have 2 issues, make a double appointment. If you have more issues and they can be resolved over the phone, call and the doctor (mine at least) will call you back at the end of their appointments.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 2/1/2010 12:06:48 AM
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agapetos
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quote:
ORIGINAL: allensak9
well, that time I went in to see him about mastitis and I was covered in poison ivy and he never even mentioned let let alone asked about it
I'd suggest that you bring this matter up with him (or his assistant?) and if you need to talk about 2 issues you request a double appointment or ask what they suggest you do when something like this happens again.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 2/1/2010 12:35:15 AM
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Ps103
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MODERATOR'S NOTE :: ATTENTION PLEASE
Yes, please start a new thread to discuss general health care, doctor's visits, etc.
This threads is for discussing:
quote:
This thread is created in order to provide an area for users to debate and discuss mental health related issues such as the following:
ADD, ADHD, Bi-Polar, Depression, etc.
This thread is not intended to be a place where one receives encouragement or support or to discuss one's personal issues.
Online Community should not be viewed as a replacement for the development of relationships with local people. Nor should it be considered an alternative to one getting medical or spiritual counseling.
Please do not start new discussions on topics that are mental health related.
Because of the nature of the topics that may take place in this thread and because certain individuals may not be equipped to discuss them in an appropriate manner we reserve the right to edit, restrict, or ban any individual for any reason at our sole discretion. We reserve the right to take that action without giving any reason for the decision.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 2/1/2010 6:03:22 AM
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heremainsfaithful
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There are some very wise posts on this thread, and some very compassionate people. Even when it comes to posts I do not agree with, I can glean something, whether it makes me think or just helps me understand why some disorders are so understood. I am also glad that threads like this are monitored. Not because people can't be trusted or anything, but because we all know there can be serious ramifications for some who post.
These issues - when to medicate, what are other options, How can our faith play a role in our (can I use "our") treatment, are all worthy topics of healthy debate. I think the key is to know when to just bow out and go it alone, whether it be because ones hands are tied behind ones back, or whether it be the ill-prescribed does of steroids one was given for bronchitis. I am both, so I want to let you know I'll praying for you, and hopefully once the steroids run there course and IF these silly twines come unbound from my hands, I'll be back. You guys are very insightful.
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Jer. 29:11, II Tim. 2:13, Jude 24, 25
https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=58896
Eihstein's IQ may be higher than mine, but God's IQ is higher than anyone's.
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RE: Mental Health Debate - One Stop Thread - 2/1/2010 2:15:06 PM
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Kath
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I have deleted a few posts for discussion medication side effects.
Please do not use our community, including this thread, to discuss the side effects of drugs prescribed for mental health related ailments.
This should be discussed with your health care professional.
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