Are we now a nation of quick fixes? With prescription drugs being handed out like there is no tomorrow. God forbid if anyone actually deals with their problems! That is far too hard when you can just duck down to your local GP and they can give you a pill for your problems!
According to new figures, Doctors in Australia are handing out dangerous amounts of prescription medication.
1 in 10 GP visits are people seeking help for a mental health problem and 1 in 2 Australians seeking help each year.
Doctors prescribed 12.3 million treatments with antidepressants in 2005-06, compared with 9.8 million prescriptions in 2000-01.
Now Xanax is used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety caused by depression has risen by a whopping 40% in the last 10 years.
That is not even taking into account the 60,000 times Valium has been prescribed in 1 YEAR in NSW alone! Or
Zoloft (an antidepressant) has been issued more than 230,000 times in the past 12 months in Australia.
Who do you think we are really helping, the one in two Australians who are genuinely seeking help or Doctors and the Pharmaceutical companies?
Seriously people CAN NOT be on this medication forever. It is a quick fix, a smoke screen for the real issues. We HAVE to start being accountable and start teaching society how to deal with depression and anxiety.
More talking and less pill popping! We need to work through our issues. So with every prescription of Zoloft, Xanax or Valium there needs to be a plan to get you back on track.
Once you know the secrets and discover how you can tackle your problems you will quickly become a happier you.
Here are some quick ways you can deal with Anxiety:
Slow your breathing down- You need to stop and breathe. Sounds easy? It is and it works.
Be honest yourself- You have to ask yourself what are you feeling and what bought it on? Sometimes you can get upset by something but it’s just the icing on the cake it’s not the real problem.
Think good things- Easier said then done. With every thought or anything that happens in life you can choose how you view. This takes practice and work but stick with it you will feel much better.
Your life will not change if YOU don’t change!
Depression is nothing to be ashamed of and once you tell someone you’ll be surprised with how many people feel or have felt the same way.
Are you ready to feel better? Dig deep there are some serious skeletons in that closest and it ALL needs to come out.
Every feeling you have relates back from somewhere, sometime. What do you do?
•Write it down; keep a diary of your thoughts, your feelings and whatever pops in your head.
•Talk to someone- A friend, a family member or if you what someone who will not judge you talk a Counselor or now you can see a Personal Development Mentor who is a proactive source to help you.
Now with the likes of the web you can get help at the touch of a button. Read other people’s stories such as the myself and UrbanSmiler.wordpress.com we openly share stories and our life experiences with you reassuring us that we are not alone.
Beyond Blue do great work and have all the information you need to get you back on track.
6 comments:
Great post, Renee. And certainly a topic worth speaking about.
Soooo many aspects to comment on though ... the lack of time and resources for our GPs, and,sadly, the lack of understanding of issues like depression for many of them.
(This is NOT a go at GPs, its an aknowledgement of the reality of their workloads!)
I also strongly believe issues such as mental illness are social issues, there is so much LACKING in terms of support and understanding from those around us.
I speak from the angle of PND - the lack of the village it takes to raise a child. The competition, the busy work schedules, the pressure, advice, conflicting information ... I could go on.
Socieyt and communinity need to get behind these issues too. Some great tips on looking after yourself, but at times, when you're in the midste of the deep,dark, black hole, you need those around you to help dig you out.
Good on you for bringing the topic up.
Oh know Amanda, my heart just goes out to these people. You're right so many facets and angles to this. I think someone needs to do something about this it's not like it's going anywhere and our lives are certainly NOT getting any less busy!
This is the bit where I heavily disagree. I have an anxiety disorder and I'm on meds, and I expect to be on them for the rest of my life.
I think for some, the medication can be a quick fix. For me, I'd tried treating it without medication for two years and the physical symptoms got worse. One meds, I have a quality of life I didn't think was possible.
I posted this not to criticize, but to say that there are many people who have something physically wrong with them, that causes anxiety.
I do agree that there needs to be a better plan to get people healthy. I struggled so hard because there was no proper plan for my treatment. Now, i do counselling; am in a support program to get well enough to train for work and previously did a program to relearn social skills.
if your at the next twums, id be happy to talk about it. ;) I tend to get worked up about anxiety meds, because I used to be VERY anti prescription medication and now, theres little choice.
Hi Jade, Thank you so much for your feedback! I know and I totally agree with you. That they both have a place and that with every prescription needs to be a plan like counselling and support because I think the current system just isn't getting the attention it needs and deserves! See look at you now you are amazing and you are doing amazing work because you are proactive about your treatment and you have the right balance.
See you at the next twums xx
I was alittle upset about this particular post, as a person who suffer's from depression/self harm and anxiety it took me a very very long time to reach out to my GP and discuss my problems because of the exact same comments i had heard like mentioned in your blog.
I appreciate what you are trying to achieve, making people more open to the notion of mental illness is fantastic, keep up the great work.
I guess what im trying to say is with out medication i don't think i would be here today.
Anonymous- I know exactly what you are saying and to be honest I now totally agree with you. What's above is a classic case of the general public's perception and that's what I am trying to change.
Thank you for understanding my objective I REALLY appreciate it. xx
Post a Comment