Update: Bad News and Good News

My reluctance to go back on Celexa or other SSRI-class med is that I've been reading that the changes in brain chemistry they make may have long-term drawbacks, e.g. increased and more severe depressive episodes. The information comes from "Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America," by Robert Whitaker.

His premise is that because psychiatric researchers do not yet know the root causes of mental illness, they also do not know precisely how the newer drugs work to help treat depression (in my case), bipolar disorder, or psychosis. He cites many studies that show that mental illnesses of all kinds are on the rise and that the meds used to control them may, in fact, set up patients for more severe illness.

The author is an investigative reporter, not an M.D. or Ph.D. researcher, so I'm taking the information with a grain of salt. His case appears compelling, however, and has had the effect of making me reluctant to go back on Celexa unless I feel that continued depression is worse that the risks of taking the med.

psychoticparrot

I have a strong-willed picky eater grandson.  My other grandson will try anything.  My son (their uncle) pitches a fit if my picky grandson refuses to eat what is made for dinner.  He says they never got away with that and neither will he.  He is right. 

This past weekend, after watching my son cook ground turkey for tacos, he agreed to try it. He loved it!  He said he loves it more than pizza.  My son told him it was ground turkey and he shrugged and said he guesses he likes ground turkey. 

Unfortunately, my son is the only one who can convince him to try new things.