I have a great deal of respect and awe for the brain. I have seen it at its very best and I have seen it at its very worst. One thing that amazes me, though, is how few doctors look at the brain as an organ that not only keeps our bodies in running order but also is capable of going awry in so many ways.
Since I am dealing with a husband who has been depressed for over 50 years, who just over a year ago suffered a concussion and who is now exhibiting some interesting behavior, I am having trouble understanding why all his symptoms are not being looked at as a whole. Instead the psychiatrist treats the depression, the neurologist treats and concussion, the behavior therapist treats the unusual behavior and very rarely do they look at the situation as a whole.
Too often we overlook the brain. We don’t check for connections. We don’t look for the entire picture. And doctors are the guiltiest of all. The family members might be seeing the whole picture and might be making the connections but once again the doctor will only see one part unless family members are taken seriously and doctors look beyond their specialties to see the total picture.
Concussions have been shown to open the door to depression but do we consider what happens to the brain that has already been dealing with depression and is given a concussion? Do we consider the effects of medication that worked during the depression faze and how that might change with a concussion added to the mix? Was compulsion always in the mix or did that series of lithium medication cause it?
Amy and I have always pointed out to the people in our gatherings that we know so very little about the brain when we know so much about the rest of the body. It is high time that we start giving this amazing and frustrating brain its due. And we can only do that if we look at the body as a whole, all the organs – most especially the brain – working or suffering together. As long as we continue to isolate the brain, we will continue to not really know our bodies.
– Bernadette
Filed under: antidepressants, anxiety disorder, Clinical depression, health, Mental health, mental illness, panic disorder, stigma | Tagged: brain illness, connections, neurologists, psychiatrists, therapists | 2 Comments »
Depression's Collateral Damage 