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Post by Admin on Jun 27, 2012 23:33:04 GMT
altmentalities.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/old-hag/beyondmeds.com/2012/06/27/psychiatry-2/There is a famous optical illusion called the young lady and the old hag. The drawing illustrates how one’s perception of an object can suddenly flip, and in a sense, the duelling histories [of psychiatry]… have that same curious quality. There is the “young woman” picture of the psychopharmacology era that most of American society believes in, which tells of a revolutionary advance in the treatment of mental disorders, and then there is the “old hag” picture… which tells of a form of care that has lead to an epidemic of disabling mental illness. … If you think of the [psychotropic] drugs as “anti-disease” agents and focus on short-term outcomes, the young lady springs into sight. If you think of the drugs as “chemical imbalancers” and focus on long-term outcomes, the old hag appears. You can see either image, depending on where you direct your gaze. - Robert Whitaker, Anatomy of an Epidemic
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Post by Admin on Jun 27, 2012 23:36:38 GMT
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Post by Losing The Plot on Jun 28, 2012 1:41:29 GMT
"Your interpretation of this data seems to be that the timely diagnosis of bipolar disorder is an area that needs improvement amongst mental health professionals, who currently are misdiagnosing many bipolar individuals with depression."
I couldn't believe that... It made me want to bang my head against the screen!!!
"However, I would like to suggest to you another interpretation, one that the previously cited study puts forward. Its authors state that “It has long been known that antidepressant medications can precipitate mania in vulnerable individuals” and that “treatment with antidepressants is associated with … conversion hazards.” “Mania/hypomania” are also listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference as effects of both SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants. The PDR entry on imipramine (the very first tricyclic antidepressant) explicitly states “Manic or hypomanic episodes may occur; consider decrease until episode is relieved.”
That to me seems so much more credible.
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Post by Losing The Plot on Jun 28, 2012 1:55:16 GMT
How odd? I've seen that picture many many times before and have always been able to see both images but try as I might I can't see the old hag this time. Is that definitely the same picture? Can anyone else see both?
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Post by Chimera on Jun 28, 2012 10:57:55 GMT
How odd? I've seen that picture many many times before and have always been able to see both images but try as I might I can't see the old hag this time. The treatment is successful.
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Alice
New Member
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Post by Alice on Jul 2, 2012 16:06:58 GMT
That to me seems so much more credible. And to me too. My first mania/hypomania happened when I was on a really high dose of imipramine. It seems only the SSRIs get mentioned these days, it's helpful (!) to see that the old tricyclics are implicated too. I told my psychiatrist then that I thought the imipramine had made me high, he rubbished that idea, but 20 years later, I think I was probably right.
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