Luckyforward

Chucktshoes - with this discussion about meds, exactly what kind of black pills are you munching?

It is showing great promise in terms of research. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows

I humbly thank you.

I totally agree. In our practice you only make it to the med provider only after it becomes clear that CBT is not able to address the condition. Folks that come to us wanting meds only are disappointed.

Good research out there that shows people who receive therapy and go on meds get better 50% faster.

So everyone throw out your best guidance for all. What is the safest way to buy a firearm from someone you don't know? I will certainly benefit from all the knowledge that will be shared here.

Geeze that is scary . . . Hope he is okay

I've been doing this work for 40 years; the longer I do it the less it seems I know. Here is a fair "10,000 foot overview": https://www.health.com/condition/depression/8-million-americans-psychological-distress I have never seen anything affect our collective mental health like COVID. People who were minimally functioning and got through the day by going to work, coming home, and going out in public went into two years of isolation. The levels of anxiety and depression skyrocketed. Two years of massive life changes challenged everyone's perception of life, normalcy, and safety. Add political unrest , family strife, etc. and we have a greater level of triggering events with fewer and safe places to express oneself For many people "family" is not safe anymore.. People who were not functioning well got worse, many who thought they were "well" were found to be "unwell." Substance abuse has also reached new and scary levels during the pandemic. And we are all trying to figure out what "normal" is again. The one good thing that happened during COVID was that insurance started paying for telehealth which it never did before. Allowing people to do therapy from home has been a help to all. At this point I still do more therapy online than FTF. On the other hand, there is not enough mental health available. In the Nashville area therapist wait time is 2 - 4 months; 6 - 8 for a psychiatrist for medications. As a culture we still do not make it easy for others to seek help; many are stigmatized by friends or family to seek help. While some will take a blood pressure medication when their PCP tells them, if a PCP suggests a medication for depression others will respond by saying "I'm not crazy." Please do not misunderstand my thoughts: I am not saying I am "right" or have all the answers. I'm just trying to do the best I can with every client, and most every client is more challenging now than they were in 2019. And at the end of the day, it's a matter of personal will. How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb really has to want to change . . .

As a licensed mental health therapist the severity of what my clients bring in as issues now compared to 10 years ago is startling. As a culture we tend to have this "just get over it" attitude that does not always understand and appreciate the experiences of others.

Weirdest thing that ever happened was getting a call from Am Ex years ago saying my card had been used in Kuala Lumpur. They called to see if I was there because it was an $8000 charge. Nope, wasn't me! It was a corporate card; never figured how they got the number.