Frederick Goodwin - Conclusion

Thanks, m.

Ironically, bad psychiatry probably saved my life. I was suicidality depressed and misdiagnosed with clinical depression and given an antidepressant. But the antidepressant worked almost immediately. Soon, I was feeling great. Then, I was bouncing off walls and seeing things.

Dr Goodwin has been a leading voice in cautioning against prescribing antidepressants to bipolars, precisely because there is a high risk of flipping patients into mania. He has also been a leading voice in urging psychiatrists to take more care in getting the diagnosis right before prescribing antidepressants.

But flipping into mania did bring me out of my depression very fast. I stabilized once taking myself off the antidepressant and getting started on a mood stabilizer.

Unfortunately, there is no safe fast acting prescription medication for bringing a person out of a depression. This should be a high priority in psychiatric research, but I am not sure that anyone is treating the problem seriously.

Suicidal depression is the equivalent of a heart attack. We definitely need something that is safe and doesn't take 4 to 6 weeks to kick in.

So we have to be smart about working with what we've got. Thanks, as always, for adding to the conversation.

YUP, you're right. I'm so Thankful I had/have such a good PDoc. My first antidepressant had a major tranqulizer in it....so I went up, but it had a lid on it.

The greatest Anti-Depressant known to man is a good woman .. and vice versa.

If we are isolated we can very easily get depressed.  We can be isolated when we have people around.

A bad controlling woman for a man is a huge depressing factor.

See: Finding Your North Star .. a book about mixing with the right people.