Does anyone have experience with Anxiety Disorders?

[luchog]

- Among subjects who had ever used...our (hard to find among depressive patients).

 

[Canadian Malcontent]

Does that include your internet advice?

I wasn't so much meaning "what can I do to treat them". Absolutely, as many have pointed out here, the experts are the one to do that.

It was more what I can do in a GENERAL sense, as a person with a relationship with them, to support and help them.

There seems to be a lot of great advice here, and it's along the lines of what I was thinking.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Actually just in the last couple of weeks we have been more "active" - going out places for walks and going out socially to visit other people. I think this is a promising sign.

-Gumboot

Hey Gumboot,
I dont have much but here itis.
Nails, spoke of triggers and that made me think of addiction 'recovery'.
To my knowledge addiction recovery once one is clean and functional is a constant policing of one's thoughts and behaviours. As well as actively making lifestyle changes and counseling is very important partly just to have the increase in perspective one gets from bouncing things off another person Panic, anxiety and paranoia are common in addicts. Anyway I think that helping the person avoid 'triggers' as well as change do different stuff exercise was mentioned. Also being a good listener. And I go along with Skeptidoc, trust the doc. If you really dont like the doc get a different Doctor ( an I dont mean witchdoctor or tree-doctor)
Like i said, not much.
Here is hoping for the best

 

[Dancing David]

I'm not sure of the accuracy, but the way I had several therapists explain the increase in suicide rate was that it was concentrated in the first couple months of treatment, and it tapered of too normal very quickly after that. They also tended to claim that it wasn't so much a direct effect of the drug itself, but part of the "recovery process"; that is, existing suicidal ideation was often not physically manifested due to the lethargy and lack of motivation common to endogenous depression. The loss of that lethargy and an increase in physical energy and motivation early in treatment combined with the still-present suicidal ideation led to an increase in attempts; but were commonly, as you noted, less likely to be attempted at a lethal level.

I haven't really done any further research, so I'm not sure if this is accurate, or simply evading the clear evidence of SSRI side effects. I guess the key factor would be the effect on subjects who had no history of suicide attempts, ideation, or other self-injurious behaviour (hard to find among depressive patients).

(I kinda discussed that already )

The side effects of SSRIs are no secret and that is why they need to be monitored for the first three months, the first followup should be within two weeks and then monthly, but realisticly that is usualy done only by the most cautious psychiatrist.

Usualy gastro-intestinal, headache and paradoxical anxiety and agitation are the greatest problem. The study does have a large sample size, but it does not mention the 'repeaters' or the means used to control for the of suicidal risk, it is an abstract.

And there are huge numbers of depressed people who don't have suicidal ideation, there is a misconception that depressed people think about suicide a lot, that is just a fraction of the number of people who are depressed. It is why it is important to never ask "Are you suicidal?", instead a good assesment should ask, "Do you ever think of harming yourself?", and then careful follow up that is still very concrete, "What are those thoughts?", the vast majority of people I saw in the ED for 'psych eval', would say "Sometimes I wish I was dead.", or "Sometimes i wish it was all over." , this also requires careful concrete questions in follow up to determine if they actual have had thoughts of harming themselves or plans to harm themselves.