4 ms·

Seeing articles like this gives me hope that there is momentum in an eventual trend that will cure mental illness, or treat it with a method that isn't antipsyc

Seeing articles like this gives me hope that there is momentum in an eventual trend that will cure mental illness, or treat it with a method that isn't antipsychotics. I personally believe that in the US, our society is quick to demand people seek treatment, even forcibly. Yet the treatment available is insufficient, incredibly destructive and often ineffective.

xena 1y ago
If you ever want to experience pure hell, go on antipsychotics for a month. They totally eviscerate your ability to be creative. I was given them during a misdiagnosis of mental health issues and I think I'd rather choose to be homeless instead of going back on them for any reason. Also don't make the mistake I did and quit them cold turkey. If you don't taper them off, you can have seizures. Not fun.
- dns_snek 1y ago
  Not to take away from your own experience at all, but you can't make sweeping statements about psychiatric medication like that. As far as I know most of them are very personal, and it's quite common for any given medication to be a terrible experience for some while it's a life saver for others.
- fragmede 1y ago
  I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them, but that wasn't my experience. The antipsychotic I am on helps me immensely in not being sucidal and being able to live some semblance of approximating a normal human life.
- Kittensmittens3 1y ago
  This is noted as a common and serious side effect that many people experience. Unfortunately it's also noted as a symptom of the common diseases these medications treat. It's seemingly a mess of figuring out what parts of suffering are medication related or disease related. This is why this discovery in the article is so fascinating - science doesn't even know what causes this in the first place, thus it's impossible to decipher which is which. We just know it can address some symptoms in some people and in general some feel the tradeoff is better.
- tw600040 1y ago
  Should be obvious, but ability to function triumphs ability to be 'creative'. Hell with creativity in fact. It comes last in the list of priorities..
  - Rodeoclash 1y ago
    I can tell you're not an artist
  - xena 1y ago
    Not if your ability to make money is predicated on your ability to be creative.
- david38 1y ago
  Your ability to be creative is a distant second to being able to take care of yourself. You are not the only consideration, there is also the rest of the population. It’s not like we have some endless “West” you can go to and be by yourself. When problematic people get put away, historically, it’s jail. Psychiatric institutions were considered an alternative that was better. Yes, way back in the day they quickly became really bad places, but if done better, are a far better alternative than what we do today. I used to live near one. I remember they had extensive gardens because gardening was therapeutic for some of the patients, low cost, time consuming, had a reward, etc.
shuckles 1y ago
> I personally believe that in the US, our society is quick to demand people seek treatment, even forcibly. As far as I can tell, the US is unusually permissive of people with mental health issues. Entire cities have thousands of people who are visibly unwell and free to do whatever they want.
- KittenInABox 1y ago
  Where do you live and what happens to mentally unwell people in your society? [Just curious]
  - shuckles 1y ago
    I live in San Francisco but am familiar with Denmark where it's relatively straightforward for a physician to involuntarily commit someone for ~a month at a time and the state to extend it in six month increments. To contrast, LPS in California limits involuntary holds to 72 hours and makes it very hard to hold anyone longer than that even despite recent reforms.
    - KittenInABox 1y ago
      Who pays to keep a mentally unwell person at a hospital for six months at a time in Denmark?
      - xboxnolifes 1y ago
        You already know the answer to that. It's the same for all social services.
      - shuckles 1y ago
        The same people who pay to keep mentally unwell people housed in residential hotels with inconsistent (but expensive) social worker based health treatments, their ER visits, Medicaid, etc. in the United States. Big cities spend huge amounts per capita on public health. The difference in results isn't explained by the purse.
michaelcampbell 1y ago
There is a lot of hope; I've had a pet "notion" for years that about every decade we look back at the previous one and wonder how we lived in such barbaric times, at least in terms of medicine.

xena 1y ago

If you ever want to experience pure hell, go on antipsychotics for a month. They totally eviscerate your ability to be creative. I was given them during a misdiagnosis of mental health issues and I think I'd rather choose to be homeless instead of going back on them for any reason. Also don't make the mistake I did and quit them cold turkey. If you don't taper them off, you can have seizures. Not fun.

dns_snek 1y ago
Not to take away from your own experience at all, but you can't make sweeping statements about psychiatric medication like that. As far as I know most of them are very personal, and it's quite common for any given medication to be a terrible experience for some while it's a life saver for others.
fragmede 1y ago
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them, but that wasn't my experience. The antipsychotic I am on helps me immensely in not being sucidal and being able to live some semblance of approximating a normal human life.
Kittensmittens3 1y ago
This is noted as a common and serious side effect that many people experience. Unfortunately it's also noted as a symptom of the common diseases these medications treat. It's seemingly a mess of figuring out what parts of suffering are medication related or disease related. This is why this discovery in the article is so fascinating - science doesn't even know what causes this in the first place, thus it's impossible to decipher which is which. We just know it can address some symptoms in some people and in general some feel the tradeoff is better.
tw600040 1y ago
Should be obvious, but ability to function triumphs ability to be 'creative'. Hell with creativity in fact. It comes last in the list of priorities..
- Rodeoclash 1y ago
  I can tell you're not an artist
- xena 1y ago
  Not if your ability to make money is predicated on your ability to be creative.
david38 1y ago
Your ability to be creative is a distant second to being able to take care of yourself. You are not the only consideration, there is also the rest of the population. It’s not like we have some endless “West” you can go to and be by yourself. When problematic people get put away, historically, it’s jail. Psychiatric institutions were considered an alternative that was better. Yes, way back in the day they quickly became really bad places, but if done better, are a far better alternative than what we do today. I used to live near one. I remember they had extensive gardens because gardening was therapeutic for some of the patients, low cost, time consuming, had a reward, etc.

shuckles 1y ago

> I personally believe that in the US, our society is quick to demand people seek treatment, even forcibly. As far as I can tell, the US is unusually permissive of people with mental health issues. Entire cities have thousands of people who are visibly unwell and free to do whatever they want.

KittenInABox 1y ago
Where do you live and what happens to mentally unwell people in your society? [Just curious]
- shuckles 1y ago
  I live in San Francisco but am familiar with Denmark where it's relatively straightforward for a physician to involuntarily commit someone for ~a month at a time and the state to extend it in six month increments. To contrast, LPS in California limits involuntary holds to 72 hours and makes it very hard to hold anyone longer than that even despite recent reforms.
  - KittenInABox 1y ago
    Who pays to keep a mentally unwell person at a hospital for six months at a time in Denmark?
    - xboxnolifes 1y ago
      You already know the answer to that. It's the same for all social services.
    - shuckles 1y ago
      The same people who pay to keep mentally unwell people housed in residential hotels with inconsistent (but expensive) social worker based health treatments, their ER visits, Medicaid, etc. in the United States. Big cities spend huge amounts per capita on public health. The difference in results isn't explained by the purse.

michaelcampbell 1y ago

There is a lot of hope; I've had a pet "notion" for years that about every decade we look back at the previous one and wonder how we lived in such barbaric times, at least in terms of medicine.