Nov 15, 2013 | Kelly Brogan, M.D. / Huffington Post
I felt this sensation in the pit of my stomach -- it was a combination of sympathy and anger -- listening to Annie tell me, through tears, about her postpartum journey into the world of psychiatry.
Annie was ushered into the promise-filled halls of psychiatry three months after the birth of her first baby when she began to experience racing heart, insomnia, vigilance, irritability, and a host of physical complaints including joint pain and hair loss. No one did blood work, asked about her diet, or cared about any of the myriad observations about her body and its changes in functioning. This was a "head-up" intervention. I believe women deserve better. People deserve better.Three separate psychiatrists dismissed me when I expressed concerns about taking an addictive medication like Klonopin. It's been two years, I can't get off it, I'm on four psych meds and I feel worse than I ever did before I started this treatment.
Most patients who come to me for treatment of depression and anxiety do so because they want answers. They want to know WHY they are struggling. The closest they will be offered by their prescribing psychiatrist or primary care doc is some reductionist hand waving about serotonin imbalances. I think it is time to speak to these patients with respect, truthfulness, and to offer them more than a life-long relationship with a pill (or pills, as it will inevitably become over the years). First, let's review some basics:
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