I find it so frustrating that people cannot keep more than 1 idea in their head at the same time. It's obvious from data, clinical experience and anecdote that the same drug can be a poison, a panacea or a placebo, depending on who takes it and in what circumstances. People are hugely varied, brains are hugely varied, societies are hugely varied: why would everyone be affected by a drug in the same way, leaving out for a minute facts like tolerance and dosages. If we just understood this, we would stop having the hype cycles of "prozac makes you better than well" "prozac makes you suicidal" and "prozac is placebo." It can be any of those depending on as the psychedelic folks say, set and setting.
I read as a patient whose life was probably saved by an SSRI , a (often reluctant) prescriber, and someone who had an awful time tapering off the same SSRI and was never warned this could be a possibility. It’s hard to hold all these varying truths at the same time, but, I try. So. Very nicely said!
I echo the exhaustion. It's not easy. For what it's worth your writing has helped me a lot in working through some of this mess whilst working as a psychiatrist: thank you, it's appreciated
I find it so frustrating that people cannot keep more than 1 idea in their head at the same time. It's obvious from data, clinical experience and anecdote that the same drug can be a poison, a panacea or a placebo, depending on who takes it and in what circumstances. People are hugely varied, brains are hugely varied, societies are hugely varied: why would everyone be affected by a drug in the same way, leaving out for a minute facts like tolerance and dosages. If we just understood this, we would stop having the hype cycles of "prozac makes you better than well" "prozac makes you suicidal" and "prozac is placebo." It can be any of those depending on as the psychedelic folks say, set and setting.
I read as a patient whose life was probably saved by an SSRI , a (often reluctant) prescriber, and someone who had an awful time tapering off the same SSRI and was never warned this could be a possibility. It’s hard to hold all these varying truths at the same time, but, I try. So. Very nicely said!
Thank you for your honesty - and have a break!
I second both these sentiments.
I echo the exhaustion. It's not easy. For what it's worth your writing has helped me a lot in working through some of this mess whilst working as a psychiatrist: thank you, it's appreciated
Sounds like you need a vacation and summer is over!
BTW, Citalopram has helped me avoid panic attacks for 15 years.