I despise bad reporting and I don’t care if you write for a newspaper with a circulation of 3 people or the New York Times – there is no excuse to report badly on mental illness, there is quality information available everywhere.
Point in case is Depression can be treated through lifestyle changes by Danielle Faipler in West Virginia University’s student paper, The Daily Athenaeum.
Comments on Depression can be treated through lifestyle changes
This article contains some of the most widely-spread mistruths about depression and mental illness and is inexcusable. It doesn’t even pass a sanity check (even by an insane person).
Antidepressants are good for short-term treatment, but they do not facilitate with the long-term changes needed to treat the illness, and they add to the growing prescription drug abuse problem in the U.S.
That is absolutely false and I would enjoy seeing any research that indicates otherwise. As I have shown, depressed people who take antidepressants do better long-term and antidepressants are not addictive. Stating otherwise is ignorant or untruthful.
A side effect of antidepressants is hallucinations, and most of the time, different medication is prescribed to the patient.
If the number of people who experienced hallucinations from taking antidepressants alone were to get together for a party, they could fit in my freaking apartment. Yes, it can happen with some antidepressants, but it’s far from common. (And what was the second half of the sentence? What different medication?)
Further Stigmatizing Depression and Mental Illness
A walk in the park may be all it takes for someone with depression to get out of their funk.
If that isn’t one of the most stigmatizing statements, I don’t know what is. Depression is a medical illness and not a bad mood that can be cured by a stroll.
This type of reporting, even if by a student, is unacceptable. It spread lies and does so without scientific backing of any kind. This particular writer and editor should be ashamed of themselves and write a public apology for such nonsense.
It is not acceptable for a newspaper to spread mistruths and further stigma of depression and mental illness. Period.
I took a marital sabbatical and lived with a relative in a metropolitan city in the US. Barring all the advantages of an extended departure from family responsibility it hurt all concerned at one time or another. I had created a dependency while eliminating people who where my life.
Of course I felt good. I got qualified medical attention, counseling, and a compatible social environment. It was a selfish move on my part that only benefited me. But I must say I found out what it felt like to be happy. Returning to a previous life was difficult. Other adjustments that had to be endured were panic attacks, depression, countless unfounded rumors. The whole scenario seemed to bring out the best and worst in people. I am hear today to report living can be hell when you entertain your demons. It can also be one hell of a lot of fun – don’t do it!
I read an article on “how to beat the blues” from my EAP/Work-Life website and they listed “shopping therapy” as one of the activities to do when depressed, which I had to laugh about because at that time, I was in debt caused by a hypomanic spending spree, which in turn compounded my depressed mood when it inevitably came around. At least a footnote was included stating that the tips applied to the blues brought about by life events and not serious medical conditions. This paper you have written about should’ve made that distinction clear. But you would be amazed. Personal beliefs and philosophies seem to trump evidence no matter how educated you are.
Dear Natasha..great writing and explaining about separating fact from fantasy as was reported in some newspaper..Natasha some writers have no idea what the outcomes may be and do not care..accept the story and sell more papers. as you said Natasha….absolutely inexcusable..I`ll write this and hopefully get away with it and still have my job and get another paycheck…you know Natasha this sounds all to familiar with my life and many others…this sounds like my psychiatrist who shall remain hidden by me for now…give him m,edication that causes side effects but we are treating the main issue…..I think..thank you dr Isabel…..oops…..Natasha where are the morals,ethics, and all the remaining in taking the oath of office or in this case..the oath to obtain an MD
License? oh well Ms Tracy…thanks to you and all the wonderful guests you have come on your show and help the rest of the brethren here on earth..Just one more thing Tracy..when are we supposed to break the psychiatrists bubble because THEY THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL?..Do I sound upset ..you betchya…love and kisses and hugs…paul j
I actually had a friend’s boyfriend who tried to tell me something similar in person. He described situation where he found sun had been instrumental in clearing up his mild anxiety issues. While this may be true for some mild anxiety, I find sunlight does not put a dent my chronic depression and occassional psychosis. Frankly, if I wasn’t such a paciffist I probably would have punched him. That kind of thinking seriously infuriates me, it seems dangerous to be so glib about something as serious as mental illness.
Hi Maurya,
Ah, so many people have heard such nonsense in person. And yes, I’v been known to want to punch such people too, but luckily, I don’t do that sort of thing. No matter how idiotic some people can be.
“That kind of thinking seriously infuriates me, it seems dangerous to be so glib about something as serious as mental illness.”
My point exactly.
– Natasha Tracy
Please read about the paper’s shameful response to this criticism.
https://natashatracy.com/mental-illness-issues/publically-bipolar/disallowing-depression-misconceptions-newspaper-response/
– Natasha Tracy
Amen
Spotlight well positioned…
You make excellent points & us ‘mentals’ are better represented by truth warriors like yourself.
A poorly researched student article is perhaps understandable (not excusable) but any decent editor should have caught this before being published. (as mentioned and worth repeating).
Oh Natasha, you’re changing the world one blog post at a time. THANK YOU.
Leslie,
You are far too kind. I don’t know about changing the world but I would be happy to change a mind here and there.
– Natasha Tracy
Your comments are deeply appreciated and helpful. Keep sharing!!
Thanks Ma’ce’o. Glad I could help.
I wrote my “pissy” letter. The author has obviously never been vibrating with mania nor seeing sparks coming out of peoples eyes or wanted to live under a blanket in a box. I hate this frigging illness. There is no romance to it. It does not make me smart or sexy or superhuman. Those are the qualities I developed fighting it.
I absolutely dispute the bullshit links to creativity and intelligence. How many diabetic artists do you know? Herpes simplex sculptors or Cancer inspired musicians?
The link I find between Bipolar Disorder and me is that it makes me feel crappy depressed or manic and barely able to form a thought or read a sentence on a page.
I blame my productivity on stability, my creativity as a reflection of my comfort expressing myself and my intelligence or lack thereof on my genes.
This is an illness is manifest as a car crash in my brain.
I am still bothered by that writer and irritated by my skill crawling mood.
She did nothing to help.
Hi Jake,
I can see from your comment how hard things are for you right now and I’m sorry. I know there is no romance here, no matter what people say. And I’m sure you’re right, the author has no real experience with serious mental illness.
“This is an illness is manifest as a car crash in my brain.
I am still bothered by that writer and irritated by my skill crawling mood.
She did nothing to help.”
I know and I’m sorry. But try to write her off for what she was – ill-informed, and quite frankly, a really bad writer.
And remember, there are lots of us with car-crashing brains out here. We survive in spite of what people may say or think. Just like you’re doing right now.
– Natasha Tracy
Thank you for your sentiments Natasha. I get a lot of comfort from friends I have met on the internet and in my local mental health community. I am not ashamed of this illness and I do think it has strengthened my compassion for those less fortunate than myself.
I have for the most part a pretty spectacular life. No job, but a wonderful wife and a multitude of beautiful children.
I am not cursed with this illness although it may sometimes feel so, it is just a reality of life many of us have to face.
The medications are not as effective as I would like them to be but I am optimistic for the future. Today is a good day.
I handled an absolute bigot(ex-wives hubby) without losing it. He emailed me today, I should print what he said. He says he “understands” my struggle and thinks it would be best if I gave up custody of my daughter and let him adopt her. Seriously.
There are a lot of assholes in this world, I am thick skinned and refuse to stigmatize myself.
Hi Jake,
“I am thick skinned and refuse to stigmatize myself.”
Not a bad piece of advice. Stigma only has power if it we let it. Good for you for standing up (without losing it) :)
– Natasha Tracy
Being stable with a mental illness is difficult, it does take medication and lifestyle changes. If we do the same thing we get the same result. If we always do what we’ve always done then we will always get what we always got. I have stated this many times on your website that I meet weekly with Christian women for a bible study, attend Church, take my medication daily, see my doctor as scheduled, exercise at the Y, spend time with family and friends, work in my yard, do genealogy, set boundaries with family and friends and for once in my life I am truly learning what self-care is all about all while continuing to understand bipolar mental illness…it sucks and I hate it, but it is not going to beat me….
Hi Pam,
I would never argue against lifestyle changes. They are critically important. They simply are not a substitute for other forms of treatment for people with severe mental illness.
– Natasha Tracy
The article you’re responding to sounds awfully stupid and I’m not writing to defend it.
The picture on long term outcomes of anti-depressant use isn’t as clear cut as you make it out, though. Results from a meta-analysis of discontinuation outcomes here:
http://www.frontiersin.org/evolutionary_psychology/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00159/abstract
Daniel,
You’re right, it’s not simple. Long-term anything use isn’t clear-cut.
However, the meta-analysis you pointed to doesn’t offer a whole lot to the discussion, I don’t think.
They say that those who take medications that alter monoamines the most are the most likely to relapse.
Well. OK.
But there’s an easy explanation for that. Those who take those drugs simply may be sicker than those who don’t and thus are more likely to relapse when the drugs are discontinued.
It’s not clear-cut at all, but if you read the piece I linked to above, I think the study means more and takes into account more variables.
– Natasha
I think at this point you’re cherry picking studies, hanging your entire argument on single studies, and dismissing studies because they don’t fit your viewpoint, and that’s not compatible with evidence based practice. Keep in mind I don’t even disagree with you, I’m just arguing the situation is more complex than you’re representing it to be.
Daniel,
Well, to be fair, I’m not a researcher and no one pays me to spend all day looking up studies. If they did, I wouldn’t mind comparing and contrasting various ones, but as it stands it’s a lot of work just doing a thorough analysis of one of them.
And also to be fair, I’m happy to look at any scientific study that people are willing to bring forward and generally, no one does. I (briefly) addressed yours, just like I would address any. And I’m always clear that no one study is “the answer” but some do show clear pictures of large numbers of people, which is what the one on antidepressants shows. It’s over 10 years, if memory serves, and that’s the longest term study of it’s kind I’m aware of. Are there limitations. Yes. Many. There always are. There’s a whole section of their paper devoted to them.
And I can’t couch every sentence in “current scientific evidence from some studies suggest that….” because, quite frankly, it’s just waffling. I do say things like that at times, and sometimes I just cut to the chase.
Is it more complicated than any one post on this site? Indubitably. But that’s why I have an entire site.
– Natasha Tracy
“A walk in the park may be all it takes for someone with depression to get out of their funk.”
That statement is incredibly condescending, I will have to read the article and write a pissy letter.
I was talking to a friend yesterday and she said how are you doing, “I said I am happy, my life is good, but I am not enjoying things because I have been depressed”.
I am happy, but my body and my mind function is depressed. People have a hard time wrapping their little heads around that. There is a distinction.
Depression is not sadness, it is a pathological mood. Sadness affirms life, as does happiness. I wish people would get that.
cheer Natasha.
Great comment Jake and great comment on the piece in question. You are absolutely right about depression being pathological and sadness being completely different, and perhaps even life-affirming. And yes, people who have not experienced it _do_ have a hard time grasping it. It takes a lot of effort on our part to educate on that sort of thing.
– Natasha Tracy
The final statement about a walk in the park really got to me too, no one with clinical depression could be cured by a walk. To trivialise such a difficult mental illness is disgusting and i have no idea how this student got into college, i just hope to god she’s not studying medicine.
Great write up. There are a number of Organizations here in Australia setup to look out for exactly this sort of thing. A charity called SANE (http://www.sane.org/stigmawatch) and also the Australian Government plays a part (http://bit.ly/sOR1tm)
Cheers
Ben
Twitter: bj_74
Thanks for sharing that Ben. I have a number of Australian followers (it seems Aussies like me) and I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.
– Natasha Tracy