Mental Health in America

[ROCSteady]

What can we do to combat this problem?

Seems like media talking heads are always yapping about it but once the shooting/ tragedy outrage wears off things stay status quo.


Any policies we should implement to improve the quality of life in America and curb the despair and imbalance of many people who are mentally ill?


Who love to hear y'all thoughts

[knickballer]

I think alot of it lies with the pharmaceutical industry. Kids are being prescribed with BS conditions/disorders from a young age, parents buy the prescribed pills to treat the kids and the kids become unbalanced mentally. Lets just give some kids all these drugs because he has trouble concentrating.. Give me a break.

It's like this for everything. Can't sleep? Take some xanax. Feeling depressed? Take some drugs to feel numb.. Headaches? Take some advill

I'm sure there's many conditions that require serious attention and need to be treated but doctors/physicians/psychiatrists push this shit and it's shoved down our throats to support this giant of an industry. More pills, more conditions, more disorders= more $$


The cure? Go on a healthy balanced diet. Exercise. Stop reading the click bait shit the media is forcing down your throats for views(Blacks vs whites, cops vs civilians, terrorism, ISIS, Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner, etc) that alienate the population.


As the other question about shootings I find it a bit odd how people just think gun control is gonna stop shootings. That's just trying to put a band-aid over a gashing wound..

[TripleA]

What can we do to combat this problem?

Seems like media talking heads are always yapping about it but once the shooting/ tragedy outrage wears off things stay status quo.


Any policies we should implement to improve the quality of life in America and curb the despair and imbalance of many people who are mentally ill?


Who love to hear y'all thoughts

What we usually do is give pills that sometimes don't work or produce more harm than good. We should look into a more counseling focused approach. There a lot of homeless in the u.s and most are mentally ill veterans or people. We should focus our welfare more on them than the baby momma and system exploiters.

[Lensanity]

15-20 years from now Cannabis will probably take over as the dominant medicine in this country. Instead of diagnosing dangerous bullshit from Big Pharma people will start using natural medicine which will make a significant difference in people's brains. The main problem is kids growing up with their brains full of shiy like zoloft and ritalin.

[Dbrog]

What we usually do is give pills that sometimes don't work or produce more harm than good. We should look into a more counseling focused approach. There a lot of homeless in the u.s and most are mentally ill veterans or people. We should focus our welfare more on them than the baby momma and system exploiters.

Certainly many of the problems do stem from this "magic pill" idea. It's unfortunate because there is a lack of education about what counseling/psychotherapy really is (mental health professionals who help you achieve your goals but don't do the work for you). People need to realize you have to put in the work if you want to get better. What makes you think you are going to solve a problem or change a habit that has taken YEARS to develop in a couple of weeks? It's simply impossible. True change occurs after months of trying very hard every day. It helps to have a professional to keep you on track and sometimes to have a pill to give you the energy you need to accomplish your goals. People really need to see medication as a ladder...but you still have to climb that ladder.

It also doesn't help that the media never focuses on helping the field. They majorly show the dark side rather than the successes. Also, did you know a mental health counselor with a masters degree oftentimes makes less than a teacher? That's also after they do a residency type thing which comes out to about 10 years of schooling. America needs to get their priorities straight and start paying people in charge of some of the most important jobs in the country. Who wants to go through 10 years of education for 40k/year or a bit more?

Edit: Lensanity, marijuana makes things worse dumb ass. It's not uncommon for people to seek counseling BECAUSE of their issues with marijuana. Using a substance instead of dealing with your problems never turns out well.

[Lensanity]

Edit: Lensanity, marijuana makes things worse dumb ass. It's not uncommon for people to seek counseling BECAUSE of their issues with marijuana. Using a substance instead of dealing with your problems never turns out well.

First of all, it is called Cannabis, not marijuana which is a racist propoganda word. What does it make worse? Name 1 thing it makes worse. There is not a single thing. Second, nobody goes to counseling for issues with Cannabis. That's just ridiculous. As for your last sentence, according to that logic ALL drugs should be banned. No Big Pharma, no cannabis, no alcohol, nothing. If you think a Xanax for your problems is OK but a joint isn't then you are a complete and total dumbass.

[Dbrog]

First of all, it is called Cannabis, not marijuana which is a racist propoganda word. What does it make worse? Name 1 thing it makes worse. There is not a single thing. Second, nobody goes to counseling for issues with Cannabis. That's just ridiculous. As for your last sentence, according to that logic ALL drugs should be banned. No Big Pharma, no cannabis, no alcohol, nothing. If you think a Xanax for your problems is OK but a joint isn't then you are a complete and total dumbass.

I already posted what it makes worse in your other thread and other people had personal experiences to confirm some of these statements. Your bolded statement is idiotic. I'm in the counseling field and have worked with many people on the cannabis issue. Stop posting false information please and educate yourself. Xanax is awful btw, horribly addicting.

As for other drugs, mood stabilizers are absolutely necessary for many people with bipolar disorder to manage their manic episodes. Medication is also almost always necessary for people with schizophrenia. I've personally seen many people beat their depression with a combination of medication and counseling....I've also seen them get worse on it. Depends on the person.

Fun fact for you btw, you seem to be in the precontemplation stage of the abuse cycle :D

[Lensanity]

I already posted what it makes worse in your other thread and other people had personal experiences to confirm some of these statements. Your bolded statement is idiotic. I'm in the counseling field and have worked with many people on the cannabis issue. Stop posting false information please and educate yourself. Xanax is awful btw, horribly addicting.

As for other drugs, mood stabilizers are absolutely necessary for many people with bipolar disorder to manage their manic episodes. Medication is also almost always necessary for people with schizophrenia. I've personally seen many people beat their depression with a combination of medication and counseling....I've also seen them get worse on it. Depends on the person.

Fun fact for you btw, you seem to be in the precontemplation stage of the abuse cycle :D


What do you think is a better and safer treatment for anxiety, Cannabis or Xanax? To me it's a no brainer. There are a TON of pharmaceutical drugs that are dangerous and addicting, many are even worse than Xanax.

I agree with mood stabilizers. There are ways phaaceutical drugs can help people, we just aren't using them correctly. As for depression, Cannabis >>>> Zoloft and I absolutely do not care what you have to say about this. Zoloft is ****ing terrible. Shit makes kids shoot up schools. Whether you are 12 or 50, if you have depression you should either take Cannabis or take nothing at all. I zoloft by my own choice as a teenager and it is one of the greatest decisions I have ever made in my life.

[Dbrog]

What do you think is a better and safer treatment for anxiety, Cannabis or Xanax? To me it's a no brainer. There are a TON of pharmaceutical drugs that are dangerous and addicting, many are even worse than Xanax.

I agree with mood stabilizers. There are ways phaaceutical drugs can help people, we just aren't using them correctly. As for depression, Cannabis >>>> Zoloft and I absolutely do not care what you have to say about this. Zoloft is ****ing terrible. Shit makes kids shoot up schools. Whether you are 12 or 50, if you have depression you should either take Cannabis or take nothing at all. I zoloft by my own choice as a teenager and it is one of the greatest decisions I have ever made in my life.

First of all, medications don't make kids shoot up schools. Second, Zoloft works for many people if they are ALSO making lifestyle changes to go along with it. It also doesn't work for many people. Same could be said for Cannabis, again paying attention that they are ALSO making lifestyle changes to build more positive habits/thinking patterns. Is Cannabis better than Xanax? IMO of course it is. Also realize Xanax is much stronger though. I've known many people who tried to manage their anxiety with cannabis and it wasn't enough for them. These people need to put in work though and unfortunately are oftentimes the people who seek the "magic pill or drug." Moral of the story is no pill or drug (Cannabis included) is going to produce ANY positive long-lasting change if the person isn't actively addressing the real issue.


Edit: Getting back on topic, OP mentioned something about curbing the tragedies that are often associated with Mental Health issues. We need laws in ALL the states to lower the frequency of these issues. For instance, I practice in Texas and we aren't a duty to warn state. What does that mean? It means if you walk into my office and say, "I'm planning on killing my wife tonight or tomorrow," there's nothing I can say to warn her of this scenario because the law looks at it as "breaking confidentiality." I could only take action if my client was planning on hurting themselves, or if I heard about child or elderly abuse or neglect. The most I could do in the above scenario would be to call the wife and say, "I have reason to believe you might not be safe at home tonight," but couldn't tell her from who or what. It's literally the dumbest thing. I also can't even report if the same client came in and told me that he killed her. Scary stuff, but at least you can rest knowing that your shit is safe if you go seek help.

[Lensanity]

First of all, medications don't make kids shoot up schools. Second, Zoloft works for many people if they are ALSO making lifestyle changes to go along with it. It also doesn't work for many people. Same could be said for Cannabis, again paying attention that they are ALSO making lifestyle changes to build more positive habits/thinking patterns. Is Cannabis better than Xanax? IMO of course it is. Also realize Xanax is much stronger though. I've known many people who tried to manage their anxiety with cannabis and it wasn't enough for them. These people need to put in work though and unfortunately are oftentimes the people who seek the "magic pill or drug." Moral of the story is no pill or drug (Cannabis included) is going to produce ANY positive long-lasting change if the person isn't actively addressing the real issue.

Well of course people need lifestyle changes. No argument from me about that. Also, a big problem is that if people say that have anxiety they get prescribed Xanax which, as you mentioned, is very strong. I don't have a problem with giving people Xanax if they try Cannabis and think they need something stronger, but nobody should try Xanax first. Cannabis is a magic pill for many medical conditions though. Not anxiety or depression, but most of the things it is used for medicinally.

[ROCSteady]

Yea you guys have some good ideas.

I like the approach to more talk therapy and less medication reliance.


If Satan and Evil truly does exist, they def manifest themselves within the pharmaceutical industry.

Those ppl blow dogs for quarters

[Akrazotile]

Two words:

Guillotine

[KNOW1EDGE]

I've worked in the mental health field with both children and adults they definitely need their medications, which can't be replaced with therapy, weed or a healthy diet.

But, medicine can only do so much, and the kids who have solid family foundations or attend therapy regularly do much better than those who dont. Your support system is extremely important, whether they enable you or truly help them manage their illness

[TripleA]

Two words:

Guillotine


:mad: You disgusting piece of garbage.

[ROCSteady]

I think alot of it lies with the pharmaceutical industry. Kids are being prescribed with BS conditions/disorders from a young age, parents buy the prescribed pills to treat the kids and the kids become unbalanced mentally. Lets just give some kids all these drugs because he has trouble concentrating.. Give me a break.

It's like this for everything. Can't sleep? Take some xanax. Feeling depressed? Take some drugs to feel numb.. Headaches? Take some advill

I'm sure there's many conditions that require serious attention and need to be treated but doctors/physicians/psychiatrists push this shit and it's shoved down our throats to support this giant of an industry. More pills, more conditions, more disorders= more $$


The cure? Go on a healthy balanced diet. Exercise. Stop reading the click bait shit the media is forcing down your throats for views(Blacks vs whites, cops vs civilians, terrorism, ISIS, Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner, etc) that alienate the population.


As the other question about shootings I find it a bit odd how people just think gun control is gonna stop shootings. That's just trying to put a band-aid over a gashing wound..


I think this is a very important statement. Some of the cures are pretty practical but the complexities of the human brain and modern society urge just to stray from the simplicity of say Occam's Razor or something very fundamental or sensible.

Maybe it's why those of lesser IQ seem to be happier more than those who are very smart or analytic :confusedshrug: