Polyamory on Purpose Archive

Tag: course of treatment

  • Course of Treatment: The Treatment Roller Coaster

    Here’s the way psych treatment goes in the movies. You’re suffering through some serious shit when you get taken in hand by a quirky doctor with a love of life and some magic pills. Under the doctor’s tutelage you embrace life again, and the magic pills restore you to healthy mental state, where you live…

  • Mental Illness Treatment Intensity and the Impact on Polyamory

    FYI, depression is once again trying to kick my ass. Posts may be delayed while I’m getting it back under control. Thankfully, so far I seem to be winning. Last week I talked about the range of treatment from hospitalization to home care–ie the different levels of intensity of care that is available to people…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options–Treatment Intensity

    In Western medicine, there are varying levels of treatment for mental illness. In theory, the more you are able to take care of and manage your own mental health care, the lower the level of treatment you receive. Hospitalization Hospitalization for mental illness has a bad reputation. A reputation that is historically valid but far…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Home Care

    Let me get this out of the way first. Being able to take care of your mental health at home is pretty awesome, but it isn’t for everyone. As a primary treatment, home care works best for people who have experience dealing with their mental illness. You need to be able to recognize a downturn…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Alternative Medicine

    Last week, we look at alternative therapies. This week we’ll be looking a bit further afield, at alternative medicine. What’s the difference? Alternative therapies all try to fit within the framework of psychology. Even the alternative therapies you should run like hell from (like rebirthing) use psychology to explain why they are supposed to work.…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Alternative Therapies

    Sorry for the late post. Next post should be on time tomorrow. Understanding Alternative Therapies For purposes of this discussion, I am using “Alternative therapies” to refer to mental health therapies which are not commonly available and/or are often not covered by insurance. Alternative therapies cover a lot of ground, and I can only begin to introduce…

  • The Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Talk Therapy

    Understanding Talk Therapy Talk therapy is one of the most popular treatments for mental illness. Usually you will hear talk therapy referred to as counseling or simply “therapy,” but I use the (unpopular) talk therapy to distinguish between talk therapy and other forms of therapy such as music therapy or art therapy. There are many…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options – Medication

    Gah! Late again! Sorry folks, what was supposed to be a 2-hour out-patient deal yesterday turned into a full day at the hospital thanks to a mild reaction to anesthesia.    Disclaimer: I have some very strong feelings about the use of psychiatric medication. I’m going to be as even handed as I can here,…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options

    There are a number of treatment options for mental illness, both in terms of types of treatment (medication, therapy, etc) and manner of treatment (hospitalization, weekly sessions, rehab). As part of looking at the course of treatment for mental illness, we’re going to take a close look at different kinds of treatment, their pros and…

  • Course of Treatment: Getting a Diagnosis

    Once you’ve made the decision to get help, the first step is usually setting up an appointment with a doctor or counselor. Some people will go to a family doctor or general practitioner first, others will go straight to a psychiatrist. Some set up counselling through their employer, school, or religious organization. In the US,…