Monday, March 4, 2013

Mental Illness and Stigmas

Sherwin Nuland - How Electroshock Changed Me

I'm writing this from my iPad and can't quite figure out how to embed. The above link will open in a new window so we don't have to worry about redirection from the blog.  I would like to discuss some issues regarding mental health, both in treatment and in social stigma. I think that Dr. Nuland is a great place to start with this type of discussion.  Dr. Nuland was a well known surgeon in New Haven who struggled with crippling depression.  Because of his ECT he was able to overcome his illness, regain his position as a renowned surgeon, all while keeping his troubled relatively secret.  He is now a successful author and public speaker.

We've discussed in my physiology class how antidepressants can alter memory formation and may have long term complications when used in developing teens. Of course, ECT can also result in awful complications for those that does not help.  A question with mental health treatment that often is asked would be is it the right time to being treatment? Should we allow the patient to struggle in hopes that they will simply work through it?  I just wanted to introduce some of these discussions to begin thinking of discussion routes for my presentation.

Some other discussions of mental illness, including ECT discussions -

Battling Bipolar Disorder - NPR interview

Risks and Benefits of ECT - Talk of the Nation

1 comment:

  1. I've read Nuland on "How We Die" but didn't know of his personal struggles. Looking forward to your report!

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