This week I learned three new things about psychotherapy and depression.
I’m a fan of psychotherapy for everyone. In fact, if we could get the mid-East folks to sit down for some good counselling, I think it would be more effective in bringing peace than anything you can do with a gun.
With that said, there are limitations to therapy and sometimes therapy is not all it’s cracked up to be. So this week, a look at three perspectives on psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy is no better than placebo in treating depression?
Which type of psychotherapy is better for depression?
The Bipolar Burble welcomes today’s guest writer, Allison Gamble. She provides resources about psychology degrees.
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Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a federal program that supplements income in order to help the elderly and disabled, including those with a mental illness, pay for food, clothing, health care and shelter. Many who receive SSI money are children with diagnosed mental illnesses without any access to health insurance. SSI covers adults with similar conditions.
SSI At Risk
Unfortunately, recent economic proposals force many of these individuals to face reduced SSI funds or a complete cessation of aid. This would mean adequate medical and therapeutic treatment would disappear, income support for their families would be gone, and, all in all, this would represent a huge step backwards for those affected by mental illness.
But by far, venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine (Effexor and Pristiq) are the ones I hear about. In my opinion, these two drugs are a nightmare to come off of for most people. ^ (I’m not saying everyone has trouble with these antidepressants, just that many do.)
It’s a bit of a short week what with the holiday and all, but still, there is time for three new things about mental health. Today’s three new things are:
A safety warning on the atypical antipsychotic drug asenapine maleate (Saphris)
Saffron and depression
Multi-drug (polypharmacy) treatment of mental illness
But the key to getting off antidepressants successfully is to minimize withdrawal symptoms because otherwise you may feel like you’re trapped on the antidepressants. Additionally, the withdrawal symptoms may get mistaken for returning illness symptoms, which you do have to watch for, but if possible, it’s best not to get withdrawal and returning symptoms confused.
So, here are some tips on the best way to get off antidepressants while minimizing withdrawal.
I try not to give medical advice here because I am not a doctor. But so many people ask me about this I felt I had to address getting off antidepressants without withdrawal. So many people with bipolar disorder (depression and others) need information about getting off psych meds and they are not getting it from their doctors.
This is the first in a three-part series:
When to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder
How to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder While Minimizing Withdrawal
How to Stop Taking venlafaxine (Effexor) and Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – as they are particularly nasty to get off
In my line of work I come across the most obscure information, which is why I love sharing it with you. This week’s three new things about mental illness include:
A weekly mental health link-party
How scientists want to drug children who might get a mental illness
How hat makers used to experience social phobia
How could you not want to know the details about that?
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to give me your opinion, but there’s more to do. Only about half of the people who have clicked on the survey have filled it out. We can do better than that!
In the final installation of my mixed moods series, I talk about how to treat mixed moods in bipolar disorder. If you need a refresher on mixed moods in bipolar 1 or bipolar 2, see the first three articles in this series:
Nevertheless, St. John’s wort is the most well-known alternative treatment for depression and many people take it. However, there are absolutely some dangers in taking St. John’s wort that you should know about, especially if you’re bipolar.
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