Posted by Larry Hoover on November 17, 2003, at 6:04:31
In reply to Very Interesting, Larry, posted by Destroyo on November 16, 2003, at 19:01:22
> Personally, I carefully abstained from alcohol when I was trying new medication. Medication, as presently available, doesn't work for everyone, including me, I've tried SCADS of meds and med combos. It would be irresponsible for doctors to sanction drinking alcohol "for effect", and if you love someone, you don't want to see them drink too much. But it can be a little presumptuous and patronizing to tell someone they shouldn't drink, as though that were obvious. For many people, it is not.
When one is depressed, use of a depressant is ill-advised. The issue is one of informed consent, IMHO. The informed part is key. While you cannot apply general rules such that they apply to all people, determining those who would be reasonable exceptions to the rule ought not to be a decision made by preconception. I'm sorry you haven't found the med or combo that helps.....but an informed drinker would know of the various effects on nutrient status imposed by drinking, and in particular, episodes of drinking to excess. There is a very specific form of malnutrition caused by drinking, and it is seldom considered, even by doctors. Everything has a yin and a yang, and you ought not to cherry pick those aspects you wish to consider, and those you wish to ignore.
> RE: Dad's O.C.D. vs. psychosis, well, maybe; he is what he is, and we've all had to deal with him in my family, so putting a name to it really isn't crucial.
It's important if you wish to discuss it with others who have a more concise application of the relevant language. Not meaning to be pedantic, but....if you go to http://www.mentalhealth.com
expand the list on the left by clicking on "disorders"
then right click on the selected disorder, and select "open in a new window" (trust me on that),
you'll find the American (DSM) and European (ICD-10) definitions for each disorder, diagnostic assistance (usually), research, and treatment options. The treatment options can be very revealing, as they can include cognitive-behavioural approaches to coping with the disorder. What it's like to live it, in other words.> But he's also very helpful, generous and kind, except when he's having one of these (psychotic?) episodes. I simply looked up "psychosis" in the dictionary, I don't have a DSM-IV handy, I may be wrong. The dictionary definition indicated misbehaviour in which the perpetrator was oblivious to the fact that his behavior was inappropriate. Sounds about right.
There's much more to psychosis than that.
What I heard you say was that your father was fixated on a number of pants, a limiting number. He seemed to know just what pants are for, and those pants did not have qualities that pants do not normally have. He seemed to attach no inordinate character to those pants. The issue you focussed on was the number thereof. The unreasonableness of the rule, the eight pant limit, suggests that he had an emotional and cognitive need to find peace within himself by accepting the need to apply the rule in all cases.... That's not psychotic. That's obsessive. His obsession compelled him to try and change his perceived interaction with your pants (and with you, by necessity)....by reducing the number of pants you retained. That's compulsion. In my perhaps not so humble opinion, the disorder lies in the spectrum of depressive mood disorders; those who are first and second degree relatives (like yourself) may express the same genetic influences with different symptoms, e.g. frank depression.
Sorry, I didn't mean to lecture, but you're obviously a bright and well-read chap. I hope you take seriously the issue of "informed" as I raised it; there is much an informed patient can do to influence the success of treatment. It's not only the doctors' responsibility.
How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but the light bulb must sincerely want to change.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:280125
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031113/msgs/280457.html