h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

See comments on placebo thread.

Yeah - there's a lot of myths about psychopharmacology that need to be put right. Some people mean well, but they're scared of nasty drugs. This is a *major* barrier to people getting treatment. I've had a counsellor say to me,
'Presumably your aim would be to get off antidepressants.'
I put her right. I also take eye drops for glaucoma. I should want to come off that?
Plus I have a hippy-dippy space cadette friend who keeps telling me I shoiuld throw away the drugs and do yoga. She's currently MIA having abandoned her kids.

Girl, you have no faith in medicine.

btw - JEllen, who also has b-p, wanted me to say Hi and put you in touch.

Yeah I still can't bring myself to read that thread at present. The breath taking stupidity of the earlier post about sugar pills and suggestibility had already done me in.

I'm so sick to the back teeth of idiots being so uninformed about such a nightmarish illness.

I'll post again to you when I'm calmer.

I'm still too angry about this topic.

Things have been quite difficult generally lately. I'm still having massive problems with sleep and eating.

I just can't be calm and rational about this specific topic at present.

Best to keep away, then. Take care of yourself. 1st, 2nd and 3rd priorities.

Plus - obviously feel free to e-mail, if there's anything I can help with.

Have just posted there again.

Cheers for your offer.

Walk away, Renee. Please. People may do you harm without meaning to. Whether out of stupitity or sheer accident - doesn't matter. Look after yourself!

Will do.

I'm finding it nearly impossible to walk away because of the utter ignorance about mental illness. Will try again though.

Please do.

Sorry Ed. I'm going to carry on posting on that thread.

The irresponsible rubbish that non medically trained people are coming out with should be challenged.

It's fine to discuss it theoretically, but when someone suggests a sugar pill for someone with real life illness because they think they are 'suggestible' is utterly outrageous.

And you surely now how little seriously mental illness is taken by the majority. That's why I was so angry about the idea that psychiatrists know no more than we do. They are viewed as 'Aunt Sallys' beacuse no-one takes mental illness seriously.

I'm going to keep posting there now.

Maybe it was poorly phrased? Said person later on showed considerable sympathy towards people with mental illness, which she too has experienced second-hand.

Who wants sympathy?

Normal intelligent understanding that any sort of illness should be taken seriously is what's acceptable. This idea that quack medicine or placebo can be used, is no different to woo woo god belief rubbish. At least it doesn't matter about woo woo in every day situations, but when someone is actually ill, and the equivalent of praying or laying of hands is seen as equal to proper medication, that's outrageous.

There's all these boring god threads where this is discussed theoretically, but its a bit more REAL if someone's sick and woo woo is suggested as a treatment.

True.

But NPF's enough to cheer anyone up. He's more therapeutic than Laurel and Hardy.

Bedwards Edward. Which is where you should be headed, young lady!

NPF is almost driving me to suicide..

*I'm* allowed to make bad taste jokes like that.

In really am finding hilarious! ...if challenging. One simply doesn't know where to begin with undoing his depth of misunderstanding.

Ed could you apologise to people on my behalf on the Placebo thread, for taking things so personally and getting in a strop.

I don't feel able to even go there at all, to do that even. Irrational maybe, but sensible I think so I won't get tempted to read stuff.

Will do. Try not to worry. I've been there and know how it feels the morning after, but memories are short.

Take care of yourself. My *serious* advice is that you try to be firm with yourself. Try to keep away from late night computer and TV. It's hard, I know - but it can turn into a spiral.