Narcotic Pain Medications

Doctors very commonly prescribe narcotic pain medications when a patient presents with chronic pain or has suffered an injury. Another time that they commonly reach for their prescription pad is when a patient is about to have surgery.

Although for some people, prescription pain medications are necessary, sometimes they are potentially dangerous for certain "types" of people.

Patients who have been treated for a mental illness and may have had issues with substance abuse in the past are the "type" of people I am referring to.

The problem with prescription pain medications are their addictive properties. It can be very easy to become dependent on these medications. If you are taking them regularly, you will find that you need to increase your dosage in order to get the same relief from when you first started taking them.

The side effects are another concern for many who suffer from chronic pain conditions. It is hard to function with chronic pain. There are days where it can be more bearable. Trying alternative methods for pain management such as ice, heat, massage and pain relief gels can help but when you are suffering from debillitating pain that keeps you from functioning in your daily life, it is easy to allow pain medications to be your method of escape.

That is where the danger lies in narcotic pain medications. You no longer cope with the pain, you teach your body to cope with the side effects of the drugs and soon you find yourself on a cycle of taking pain medications.

Living with chronic pain can cause symptoms of depression. The side effects of narcotic pain medications can leave you detached from your life. It is hard to function when pain medications distort your functioning by keeping you in a state that borders between drowsiness and "la la land".

Many people do function at their jobs while taking medications like Vicodin, Endocet and other prescription pain meds. Personally, I don't know how. They do affect your reflexes and alter your thinking. Maybe in time you do "get used to it".

If more doctors considered pain management to be more than writing a prescription and therapies like physical therapy, massage, accupuncture and biofeedback were more actively used, patients may actually avoid becoming addicted to these medications.

Addiction is a serious side effect to being prescribed prescription pain medications. It can happen easily without the patient even realizing it. One day, usually when your prescription begins to run low, you may sense a feeling of panic. Thinking about getting through the day without taking a pain pill may cause you to psychologically feel that you may have a dependance.

It is possible. You may begin to experience withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, headaches and stomach upset. You should never abruptly stop taking pain medications. Speak to your doctor about how to slowly wean yourself off of pain medications so that you will experience less side effects.

The best advice for managing pain is to stay aware of what you can do to manage your pain. Relying on pain medications alone is not the only way to cope. Physical therapy is a way to help your body heal and build strength. It isn't easy but like they say "use it or lose it".

You can avoid dependance on narcotic pain medications by talking to your doctor about your pain and alerting him/her to how well you are progressing or not progressing. Pain medication is meant to distract you from the pain so that you can heal.

If you are having trouble coping, speak to your doctor about alternative and more natural remedies for dealing with your pain. Overcoming addiction to prescription pain medications is painful and often a long, hard road.

Schizophrenics and the Law

I watched a very old episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" the other day. They were looking for a young New Jersey woman who had murdered her boyfriend in Arizona.

"June" was diagnosed schizophrenic in her late teens. She had been hospitalized in New Jersey and once she turned 18, she was free to do what she wanted. Her boyfriend had moved back to Arizona and he (believing all she needed was a "fresh" start) encouraged her to come live with him.

For a short time, things were good. She was seeing a doctor, therapist and taking her meds. Then, she began using illegal drugs. Her boyfriend was not there are nights to "watch" her because he was doing shift work. Her behavior became out of control and she was increasingly paranoid of everything. She accused her boyfriend of being against her and his family grew concerned when she would lash out violently towards him.

He was insistent that he could help her. He was wrong. Love isn't enough when you are dealing with a schizophrenic.

June killed him. She stole his truck and drove about 40 miles away and entered a small town where she acted suspiciously. She told people she was hiding from an abusive boyfriend but people sensed that it wasn't the truth.

Eventually, a concerned citizen called the police when she abandoned the stolen truck and disappeared.

The truck led them back to the boyfriend who they found dead on his couch from multiple stab wounds.

June was on the run but eventually she was found. This is where this story gets horribly disturbing.

She was sentenced to jail for the murder of her boyfriend (which she did not dispute). She served 15 years and was released. End of story.

She murdered someone and got 15 years. That in itself is disturbing that taking his life only got 15 years of punishment. The fact that she did not receive psychiatric counseling is very wrong. She has already been diagnosed schizophrenic.

So she gets out of jail, she is barely 40 years old and she is free to go on with her life without having to address her mental disorder? She killed once. She is a danger to society.

Thanks to laws that were changed to "protect" the rights of the mentally ill, a dangerous schizophrenic walks amongst us.

That is just wrong. June's boyfriend tried to help her. His love was not enough. For his good intentions, he wound up dead.

Mental illness sucks. It isn't fair but don't we have the right as citizens to know that people who have a disease that can make them a risk to our safety  are being "taken care of"? We need to take another look at the ACLU and determine if protecting the rights of someone doesn't put the risk of the general public at risk as well.

This story about June was upsetting to me. I know someone who is schizophrenic. She denies that she is. She uses illegal drugs and seems content in her life. She has been "classified" mentally disabled by the state and does not hold a job. She spends her days partying, occasionally seeing a therapist and doctor to manage her meds. What many do not realize is that when you use drugs like marijuana, cocaine and others with your psychiatric medications, you are messing up the chemical balance in your body.

Not to mention the effects of illegal drugs on your mood and behavior.

How do we help schizophrenics? I don't know. Most schizophrenics deny they have a problem. Once they are over 18, they do not have to have help.

Not all schizophrenics are dangerous to others. The risk is there though and that needs to be better addressed.

Teens and Depression

As many writers do, I often am inspired to write about real-life experiences in the hopes of educating others. The following story is based on a real-life experience. This is a story that many people can identify with and for those who can't, let it serve as a lesson. If anything, it will make you think about the seriousness of teenage depression.

A single mom who happens to be a nurse in a hospital is approached by the youngest of her two daughters. The girl, who is 13 years old, complains that she is depressed. It takes a lot for a teen to confide in her mother. At this age, many are rebellious and if they even recognize symptoms of depression in themselves, often they do not ask for help.

Even with her experience as a nurse and the training and knowledge she received during her schooling to become an R.N., the mom brushes her daughter off and does nothing to get her help.

Life goes on. They move to a new town and the daughter begins school in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar students. The mother's new boyfriend is a constant fixture in their new apartment.

The daughter begins to feel even more isolated and her depression does not go away.

Being vulnerable, the new friends that she makes are other troubled teens. In response to their feelings of low self-worth and lack of self-respect, they do typical rebellious teenage things like smoke pot and drink alcohol.

Self-medicating is typical behavior for someone who is suffering from a mental illness. When they are not seeking treatment, they often turn to something to ease their pain.

A teenager who has asked for help and either not taken seriously or ignored, may just feel as if she/he doesn't matter or is not believed.

Eventually, if left untreated, depression will get worse.

The girl becomes more "hooked" on drinking and drugging and it does start to catch up to her. She begins to get into trouble in school and gets caught with alcohol on her.

Now the mom has to take notice. In addition to her depression, her daughter also has a problem with alcohol and drugs. She is now barely 15 years old.

Regular AA meetings have become a way of life for this family and the sad part is that all this might have been avoided if only she had been taken seriously. She could have been evaluated, gone for therapy and perhaps been prescribed an anti-depressant to help her with her symptoms of depression.

Dealing with a dual diagnosis (in this case Depression and substance abuse) is difficult for mature adults. For someone with their whole life ahead of them, it makes life more of a challenge.

This is an example of why parents need to be aware of the symptoms of depression. They also need to put aside any misconceptions about mental illness and seek out help for their child. No one says that it is easy to deal with. The journey to recovery can be long but it is a journey that must be taken.

This girl's story could have had a much more tragic result. Her story is not over. She is in treatment and hopefully, her family is taking this issue seriously. I hope she gets well. I hope she gets the support that she is deserving of, like anyone else who has a mental illness.

I hope my sharing this story makes someone think twice about the seriousness of teenage depression. It is real. It needs to be taken seriously.

Arizona Shooting Brings Awareness to Mental Illness

Although the facts surrounding the alleged 22 year old shooter who opened fire with an automatic weapon and wounded several people and killed six are still being sorted out, the tragedy in Arizona is bringing awareness to the importance of screening for mental illness.

Not every mentally ill person is a danger to others. In fact, according to NAMI, the amount of people who are mentally ill who commit acts of violence is very low.

Knowing the signs of mental illness is something that every educator should be trained to recognize. The question is, when do we as a society step in and try and help someone who may be in need?

There are people who just have a "different" kind of personality. They may appear to fit into some kind of "personality disorder" but do they really need help?

Almost fifteen years ago when I first heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I felt it was an excuse for bad parenting. I feel badly for judging anyone by criticizing their parenting skills but hearing the "symptoms" of ADHD and other similar disorders I (and others) may be inclined to think that all the kid needs is a swat on the butt and told "no" every once in a while. I am a product of the generation that I was brought up in.

You know, you absolutely NEVER back-talked your parent. Oh, maybe you did once but you never did again. The generation where you had respect for your elders. If you were out playing and an adult yelled at you, your parent knew that you probably were deserving of it or they were just the "cranky" old woman who didn't like kids.

No one sued, parents taught that there were consequences to your actions.

Somehow, things changed. The world became tougher to deal with. Did we baby our children so much that they just couldn't cope? I don't know.

Is there such a thing a mental illnesses? Yes, I believe that there is. But, and this is a huge but, they are overly diagnosed.

Too many doctors are quick with the prescription pad and not adept at listening. Often the pressure to see as many patients as they can in order to make a living due to insurance not paying enough for their services causes doctors to not listen well. Finding quality mental health care that is affordable is harder to do than ever.

With so many state agencies losing funds and making cut-backs, those without health insurance and in need of mental health evaluations are slipping through the cracks. Many people choose to self-medicate rather than go through the lengthy process of treatment.

For other people, denial that it is mental illness causes them to self-medicate.

Who knows why the young man in Arizona chose the horrible path that he did. It is tragic and sad. If he truly is ill (how can a "sane" person do what he did) and no one noticed, whose "fault" is that?

We really need to re-evaluate laws that were meant to protect the abuse of mentally ill by giving them the right to not accept treatment. It may be a fine line in protecting one from themselves but it is also protecting a potentially dangerous person from the rest of us.

Self-Help for Anxiety Disorders

There is no better cure for anxiety than therapy. No anti-anxiety pharmaceutical medication can "fix" your anxiety. It can help you gain strength in facing your anxiety head on and allow you to do something about it but without therapy, your anxiety will worsen.

I was introduced to this invaluable self-help program that many psychologists and mental health professionals recommend to their patients. "Mind Over Mood" (see link to it on the sidebar) is an easy to follow book that teaches methods that have been shown to help not just anxiety disorders but depression also.

This book can also help you to overcome relationship problems, handle the stress in your life better, improve your self-esteem and become more confident.

Written by two psychologists, this book truly is clear and easy to follow. It will help you to change your life.

Although cognitive behavioral therapy with the guidance of a trained professional is best, many people just cannot afford to go to therapy. With so many people who do not have adequate health insurance, the costs of therapy may be out of reach. This book is a great alternative for someone who knows thaat they need help but feels they have to live with their fears.

You do not need to. There are hundreds of self-help books on the market. Finding a good one that works for you can be time-consuming. The lessons in this book will better anyone who tries them. Anxiety sufferer or not, one can always grow as a person.

Changing Your Attitude

The sun rises every day whether or not we are awake to see it. With the beauty of the sunrise comes the gift of a new day.

A new day in which we hold the power within us to decide how we are going to deal with the challenges we face.

As anyone who lives with mental illness knows, there are days when it is hard to hold on to hope.

The best advice is to learn how to appreciate what is good. There is always something good to be found.

Do not let mental illness define you. You are not your illness. It may cause you to alter your lifestyle but ultimately who you are is a unique individual with more strength than you realize.

Be your own advocate. Do not just sit back and faithfully take your medication according to your doctor's instructions and do nothing else to help yourself. Research your disorder. Fight to hold on to who you are and do whatever possible to live your best life.

There is always hope. Life is not black and white. Believe in yourself. Believe and it can help you get through those dark days.

If it is too difficult to envision the future, take it a day at a time until you are strong enough to set goals for the future. You will get there. It takes baby steps before you can run.

Winter Blues

Snowed and plowed in cars.

Where to even put all the snow?

Frozen, blustery and bitter cold.


Yes, these are images of winter. With it comes shorter periods of daylight which for many people causes depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is the result of these longer periods of darkness during winter, can cause sufferers to experience symptoms of depression.

Winter blues can happen to many of us. After the holidays are over, there seems to be nothing to look forward to but the Spring thaw. You can get stuck in a rut and feel isolated just trying to stay warm.
There seems to be less opportunities for social activities when it is winter but it doesn't have to be that way.

Fighting the winter blues doesn't mean that all of a sudden you become a cold weather lover, you just need to learn how to find ways of dealing with the cold. Winter doesn't last forever although it may seem like it does.
You always have the power to fight back against the feelings of depression. Sometimes it may take getting professional help and other times it can be as simple as creating things for yourself to do.

Your home is a place where you can start to fight back against the winter blues. Make your home into your own sanctuary by decorating it in a way that makes you feel happy to be in it. Surround yourself with your favorite things. If you are uplifted by scents, use your favorites to help boost your spirits. If you feel better surrounded by nature, use plants to boost your mood. Play your favorite music or even nature sounds. Don't forget about how accessories like cozy blankets, pillows and art can transform your space into a more welcoming environment. Just the process of creating a place where you feel energized, relaxed and alive can help with your mood.

Dealing with clinical depression or just the winter blues is about more than going to see your doctor and taking a prescription pill. No pill is going to "fix" it all. You have the power to change your environment and change how you cope with the winter blues.

Ocean Sky Prints and Products

All these images and more are available for sale on my Zazzle store.

My Zazzle Store featuring the photography of Anthony Mann

What Real Patients Deal With

If someone who isn't experiencing life with a mental illness only believes what they hear on television, they would think that there are several medications available by prescription that can help you get out of the dark hole of depression.

These advertisements are paid for by pharmaceutical companies who are nothing more than legal drug manufacturers and really are just the makers of modern snake oil. They hire college educated representatives to go out and solicit their drugs to doctors who in return for pushing the pharmaceutical reps drugs on their patients are treated to expensive dinners and even vacations.

Meanwhile, the unsuspecting public, who are often desperate for help, fall prey to the endless cycle of trying one drug after another in order to make their "pain" go away. Dosages are increased until the patient achieves a zombie-like existance where they feel nothing. They are then able to "deal" more effectively with their depression.

Is this really how mental illness is supposed to be treated? Depression is not something that a person can just snap out of by taking a bubble bath or participating in a favorite self-indulgent activity. Treatment should be more than just experimentation with different anti-depressants until one is found that does the job.

True clinical depression when left untreated makes the sufferer cry for no apparent reason, lose interest in life itself and feel hopeless and often have thoughts of ending the pain and suffering by their own hand (suicide).

Anti-depressants aren't magic pills that wipe depressive symptoms away. Many make you feel like you have the flu with side effects like headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea and sleepiness. Other side effects can cause you to feel "seperate" from your body and make you lose concentration.

Sometimes these symptoms will begin to fade as the medication and the chemicals in your brain begin to "mesh" together. You may even start to feel better. Your depression may lift and you might experience a general feeling of well-being for several months. You feel as if a miracle has occurred. Six months to a year later, the bottom may begin to start falling out from under you. Your former miracle drug is not performing as well as it was.

Your doctor will increase the dosage and the game will begin. After several days of "adjustment" your body may or may not "take" to this new dosage. Maybe your doctor will add an additional medication to help boost the effects of the first. Again, more side effects as your body adjusts.

In the meantime while all this tweaking of medication is going on, you are supposed to be able to be a responsible adult and deal with work, relationships and keeping yourself afloat financially.

Depression is a serious illness. The problem is that no definitive medical reasons for depression exist. Yes, there are theories and if you listen carefully to the commericals they state "Scientists BELIEVE depression is caused by not enough chemicals being produced in the brain" Research is constantly being done on treatment such as pharmaceutical "fixes" but maybe if we knew the why and how of it all, people who suffer from depression would not feel like a guinea pig when it comes to medicinal treatment.

Often people get so frustrated by the endless cycle of medications that they give up and begin self-medicating. Alcohol and illegal drugs are certainly not fixes for chronic depression. In fact, these substances make chronic depression worsen and create more problems for the patient.

There is not an easy fix to treating depression. Yes, a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine along with a good therapist and support system can help a patient cope with depression. Relying on medication alone is the mistake that far too many people make. Many of us allow these egotistical doctors to turn us into former shells of ourselves by creating "Stepford-like" patients who take their medications as prescribed even as we notice (or not) ourselves become numb to it all.

The person who is prescribing your depression medication SHOULD be encouraging you to attend regular therapy sessions. They should be in contact with your therapist in order to make sure that they have made the proper diagnosis of your condition. In the real world, many psychiatrists do not work with their patients therapist. Sometimes there is no communication between the two mental health professionals. This is the real world.

Going out and "finding" a better doctor is not so simple. With limits because of medical insurance, locations and areas of specialty, a patient cannot always "shop around" for a psychiatrist. If you are not fortunate enough to have medical insurance that covers mental health issues, a clinic may be suggested. In my experience, I have not yet come across a clinic that employs competant doctors. Many are still students and lack the experience to be effective listeners.

The thing that a depressed patient wants more than anything else is to be well again. Depression swallows you and binds you in chains that feel impossible to free yourself from. When you get sucked in too deeply, you almost do not care to break free.

The average depression patient looks to the medical professional for help but when that "professional" is blinded by their own self-righteousness, how can they really have compassion and understanding of their patients suffering?

Mental illness is a field of medicine that needs better regulation. The monetary connection between the psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical companies dirties the integrity of the mission.

October 7 is National Depression Screening Day

This being National Mental Health Awareness week, today's focus is on depression. If you have concerns about depression and think you or someone you know may be suffering from depression there is help out there. There are Many kinds of depression and all are treatable. The screening process is easy and will help you determine whether you need to seek out further treatment.

I cannot stress enough that depression does not go away without treatment. It may seem to subside sometimes but it will come back. It can get worse without treatment. Facing the fact that you have depression should be a relief because it can be treated. Unfortunately, too many people cannot deal with the idea that they have a mental illness. That is ridiculous. No one causes themselves to get depressed. No one can just be expected to "snap" out of it.

The face of depression can be anyone's. There are many different scenerios that can cause a person to become depressed. You may be at a higher risk if you have family members who have a mental illness or who suffer from substance abuse. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a few glasses of wine will help you to deal with the feelings of sadness. Self-medicating with alcohol (which is a depressant,by the way) will not help you if you have a depressive disorder.

Facing your demons is never easy but is necessary in order to have a healthy mind. If you were bleeding you would go get stitches or a bandage in order to treat your wound. If you have symptoms of depression you need to accept it and then get help.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel of depression. You can reach it, but first, you need to acknowledge it.

Children and Therapy

Children can suffer from conditions like anxiety and depression. An observant parent will notice when their child is not "right" and going to a therapist can help to determine how to best help the child.

Bringing a child to see a therapist is an important step in helping your child get well. Children can be affected by divorce, illness in the family, financial setbacks and many other life situations. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

It takes strength to accept that you may need to face some trying times but to get your child back to their normal healthy self, sometimes therapy is necessary.

Parents take their children to be vaccinated and for yearly health exams. Your child's mental health is important also. Often therapy can "solve" what is wrong and there should never be any shame involved. Mental illness does happen in children. Acceptance of what you cannot change and learning how to cope with it is the best thing that you can do for your child.