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[AlohaDawg]

I wonder sometimes about what would have happened to people like Poe or Van Gogh or God knows who else if there was treatment and therapy and stuff for them.

Not that I don't think you should get whatever help you need to be able to live your life at the highest level of functioning you can - I guess I hope and pray that you will always have that gift of arranging letters into words and words into sentences and sentences into lives and worlds in a way that not too many people can. I hope it all works out the best for you.

PS as the man said, you can have Hella depression but that don't stop the (Side)show.

[Nabubrush]

I wonder sometimes about what would have happened to people like Poe or Van Gogh or God knows who else if there was treatment and therapy and stuff for them.

I've been thinking a lot about that balance lately.

[wombat]

Maybe they'd have lived longer and left us more great work. Suicide is not good for anyone's creative productivity.

[Nabubrush]

I have a relative who is, in my humble opinion, a very gifted artist. That opinion is shared by lots of folks who would know. She's very troubled, and dealing with her has caused a lot of friction and strife in my family. I'm certain that she could be helped with medication (though obviously I'm not a doctor). I'm just as certain that the reason she doesn't pursue treatment is that she feels her artistic vision and abilities would be compromised. That must be a very difficult balance to deal with.

[littlefallsmets]

I have fought with this idea, too, that in my worst anxiety-attack breakdowns, I do some of my best writing...

But you know what?

If my anxiety took over and I was doing all this great work, I would have pushed away my girlfriend, all my friends, all my family except the closest relations who couldn't abandon me out of sheer guilt... I wouldn't be living in Los Angeles...

I'd be living in my parents' attic, unable to share any of that work with anyone, erasing it when I found one mistake and... eating a gun before the age of thirty-five.

Y'know.

"Success".

I'd rather be a breathing failure, I suppose, than famous ten years after dying young.

[theinevitable]

my favorite comment on this is that this one lady, Kaye Redfield Jamison, wrote two books.

One is called Touched With Fire (I think) and is about how lots of geniuses throughout history had severe mental issues.

the other one is called The Unquiet Mind, and is about how if she hadn't "given in" and put herself on meds, she would have been dead before she hit 25.

[linnea]

PS as the man said, you can have Hella depression but that don't stop the (Side)show.

Fuck yes, dude. Tiny can.

Maybe they'd have lived longer and left us more great work. Suicide is not good for anyone's creative productivity.

Damn. Truer words were never spoken. Look at Kaye Redfield Jamison. CAN'D.

my favorite comment on this is that this one lady, Kaye Redfield Jamison, wrote two books.

One is called Touched With Fire (I think) and is about how lots of geniuses throughout history had severe mental issues.

the other one is called The Unquiet Mind, and is about how if she hadn't "given in" and put herself on meds, she would have been dead before she hit 25.

Jesus, theinev, I love you. All doin' the ninja post and taking the words right outta my mouth. Tiny can.

[side_show]

I had an unbelievably shitty call from the psychiatric nurse I saw at the hospital last Friday.  The psychiatrist responded to the hospital's referal saying she is not taking new patients.  The nurse then went on to tell me that no psychiatrists in the city are taking new patients.  I can't believe how difficult this is turning out to be.  If I had a broken arm, I'd be in a cast within a few hours...

[wombat]

Wow. I used to be jealous of the Canadian health system, but not anymore.

So what's next?  Please tell me that someone whose job is being a psychiatric nurse didn't just leave it at that?

[Arachno-capitalist]

I'm glad wombat took the first crack on this one. My opinions and overwhelming fear of socialized medicine are probably already known, so I won't overstate the obvious.

[theinevitable]

"whenever I dream, I dream that I have broken a toe... in Canada. And I can hear them. I can hear them... coming for me. The doctors. They want... *sob*... they want to help me."

[wombat]

I'm glad wombat took the first crack on this one. My opinions and overwhelming fear of socialized medicine are probably already known, so I won't overstate the obvious.

Well, it's only fair to note that our system is hardly perfect in this regard - I have often had the same problem in this country of having to call a number of specialists before finding one that would take new patients or accept my insurance.  But, at least I can make the phone calls myself instead of being at the mercy of the bureaucracy before I've even got an appointment. It's bad enough to be sick - it's much worse to feel on top of it that all you can do is sit and wait and can't do anything about it.

[theinevitable]

or you know, it also sucks to be one of the many americans who can't take advantage of our wonderful healthcare system because it costs money.

Hey, they can go to the emergency room!

[Ben-San]

Yeah, I would sort of rather be sitting and waiting with my injury/illness in reasonable assumption that at some point in the future I will be seeing a doctor about it without having to sell personal possessions to do so than.. well, sitting and waiting with my injury/illness without that being a reasonable assumption.

[linnea]

Mel,
When I started out I could not find anyone who would take me. I did the shitty family practitioner. I called a psychiatrist who was within my network and was told that he did not accept new patients. Then I saw a shitty psychiatric nurse who threw more pills at me and made the problem worse. Then I finally got a new psychologist, who was this catty bitch who mostly dealt with wealthy suburban moms who had problems with their marriages, and did not want the liability of having someone who was a suicidal mess. After my SO took me to the hospital one night, she finally referred me to the same psychiatrist who claimed he had no room for new patients. Then we got shit ironed out.

Can you go see someone else? There has to be a psychologist or therapist out there who will give you a referral.

This is SO SHITTY AND UNFAIR. You're sick and you're tired of fighting, and now the stupid assholes in the system are trying to put up barriers to your care. Their behavior is unacceptable. You've got to find a way...it's not fair and it sucks, mel.

Please keep trying.