Tags
acitivist, advocacy, Advocate, fish oil, holistic health, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, psychiatry, psychosis, schizophrenia, Treatment
This article claims that fish oil can delay and reduce the onset and symptoms of schizophrenia.
I think this sort of information is bogus at best, and damaging at the worst. Why do I believe it is damaging? Because studies like this (who paid for the study anyway? The fish oil industry? Just a question). make people question the role of psychiatry in the life of people with a severe mental illness.
I have had people contact me online and tell me about holistic treatment options that “cure” schizophrenia. No offense people, but I am not going off my meds. The last time I did, I nearly died. No thanks to your “natural” treatments.
I’ll stick to big pharma which many people have claimed is only trying to kill me and get my money. ย The money part is hard to argue with, because I did, at one point, have to pay nearly $500 for my medications. ย Finally, they went generic, so now they are a few cents per pill.
I’m happy that some people recover and never need meds. again, but I know for certain I am not one of those people. We are all unique in how this illness presents itself in our lives – some people have one psychotic episode, some of us have had many for long periods of time, and some people struggle with them almost constantly.
I hate to see articles like this come out, because I feel like people think I am not doing enough to control my illness and if I just tried fish oil, I would never again be psychotic, have social anxiety, or suffer from another paranoid thought.
These articles are believed by so many people and then add to the misunderstandings and confusion about schizophrenia.
Don’t believe everything you read, not here on my blog, or on any other blog or website, check the facts and don’t experiment with your mental health. ย It can be deadly.
Sigh. Fish oil.
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I know. I know.
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Know how you feel! Everyone has a magic bullet for multiple sclerosis too! The magic bullets tend to be a lot cheaper than the Tysarbi my neurologist insists I stay on.
If that wasn’t enough, I suffer from depression and anxiety attacks. Throw in my asthma and scoliosis to sweeten the mix.
I take too many pills each day. One is a combination calcium / vitamin D pill. Since they used to use vitamin D for rat poison years ago, I tell people I take a calcium / rat poison pill daily! Got to have some humor in the mix.
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Yes, we must keep our sense of humor!!!! ๐
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Good comment. Everything I have ever tried to help with whatever it was at the time, has only had minimal success at best and never long term…the poisons still have it!
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I, my dear, have one question for you,,, Have you ever seen a fish with schizophrenia? I think not. ๐
I had to be a smart ass, Hahaha!! =D I told you I really look fwd to your posts & that you’re a such a great person ๐
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HA HA HA! No. I have not. You are right, it must work. ๐
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While we compliment our daughter’s medication with supplements (prescribed by her psychiatrist…simply can’t play around with supplements) in order to provide some additional relief, we would NEVER solely rely on supplements.
Someone recently tried to convince our daughter that she should use aromatherapy instead of medication…I was NOT a happy mom when I heard that. Fortunately our daughter knew better and stood her ground but it was upsetting for her to try to defend herself when the woman was persistent.
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I can totally understand adding something a doctor approves. I would like to believe people are well-meaning when they offer this advice, but if they only knew how it sounds to us. It is like they think there is some easy cure and we are stupid for not trying it. UGH! Good for your daughter – I hate that someone said that to her though.
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I think you said it best when you wrote, “I feel like people think I am not doing enough to control my illness…”. People have made me feel like I am not doing enough for our daughter if I reject their alternative advice…but we stay focused on our course…and try not to be concerned about their ego or their agenda.
I can’t tell you how many people have said, “I would never give my son/daughter those medications.” I know we are doing the right thing. I don’t bother to defend myself. I don’t bother to reply. But it still hurts.
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Oh my gosh! That is so insensitive and ignorant. What would they do, let their child suffer even more? That is awful. I’m so sorry you have to deal with stuff like that. That is truly painful.
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P.S. And in some cases, people who have pushed alternative products on us are making a living selling them…so shame on them.
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Terrible!
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I have a friend who went to school for that new age healing stuff, she loves to pounce whenever I complain about side effects for my meds, and I’m pretty certain she’s pretty judgmental about my insistence on maintaining my sanity by staying on medication. That said, I take flax oil because one of the compounds in it (I forget) has been proven to help with mood disorders. But I take it as a suppliment to help even out the edges that my medications can’t touch, that and it’s supposed to be good for you otherwise, so it can’t hurt. My favorite holistic healing reccomendation? Fresh juiced juice. I just need more juice and my mental health issues will just melt away.
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Yes, I have heard about the benefits of flax seed and I sometimes add it to my smoothies. If juicing could heal mental health issues – I’d be cured. I eat a vegetable and fruit smoothie most mornings for breakfast! I think it probably has many benefits, like helping me maintain my weight, lowering my blood pressure, etc. but I’m not giving up my psych meds. for it!!!! ๐
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Good post. My shrink actually has no problem with these alternative therapies…as long as you stay on your meds and let him know what you’re taking so he can look out for conflicts.
Yeah I think we are stuck with the meds for the time being.
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From all of the comments, it seems like a lot of doctors don’t have a problem with adding a few supplements in with the psych meds.
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We have only added them as a result of labwork or, in one case, after legitimate clinical studies…all prescribed with traditional medications by the psychiatrist. Our daughter’s psychosis is somewhat treatment resistant. The medication helps quiet the psychosis but it still breaks through daily. But she is so much better with the medication. ๐
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I think I can understand what you are saying–that healthy habits, including supplements may help…but it can be downright dangerous to attribute mental illness to a lack of fatty acids, vitamins, or for that matter, prayer, sincerity, goodness, etc. The thinking can branch out in many directions which oversimplify what is going on and can appear to point the finger at the ill person or their parents for some mistake or neglect. Yikes! A good friend once became outraged when another friend offered to provide her with vitamins to cure her depression.
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Yes, and it gets frustrating. ๐ฆ
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