Are There Such Things as Brain Chemical Imbalances?

19 May

Posted by: admin in: Anxiety, Attitude, Bipolar Disorder, Chemical Imbalances, Depression, Mind/Body Connection

by KC Kelly, Ph.D., LMHC

Are there such things as true brain chemical imbalances? Someone commented on a former article I wrote and respectfully questioned brain chemical imbalances. I appreciated and also respected the question so much and had so much to say on the subject, that it inspired me to write an article.

He asked, “The mind and body are so intrinsically linked that I’m not sure how we can tell which comes first. In other words, could the chemical imbalance actually be caused by some deep unconscious negative thought patterns? Or are the behaviors associated with issues such as bi-polar, depression, etc. inevitable because of the physical/chemical changes taking place first?”

GREAT QUESTION and here is my take:

Yes, the mind and body are indeed very intrinsically linked as I have written about in my article,

http://docinthebiz.com/blog/hello-world/

and it most certainly IS difficult to determine which comes first: The mind creating the disturbance, or the chemicals in the brain creating the physical symptoms which disturb us.

I have to say that everyone does have their own opinion on this topic and it can often times be a very touchy subject.

I happen to be a doctor who fully believes that there are such things as true brain chemical imbalances. Can mind set, thought patterns, and attitude bring on anxiety attacks, panic attacks, or anger explosions, for example? Without question. Can these same mind sets, thought patterns, attitudes, and good coping skills help alleviate the symptoms? Without question. However, are there chemicals in the brain that misfire, are limited, or in overabundance and cause major issues for us beyond our conscious or unconscious control? In my opinion, most definitely.

Another idea that was proposed is that people are “made up of the exact same stuff as you and me,” and is something in which I must respectfully disagree. Yes, we all bleed red, but our chemical make-ups are most certainly proven to me (through much reading, study, and research) to be substantially different.

Unfortunately, brain chemical imbalances are very real and very true. The people who suffer with them, truly suffer and can endure great mental anguish and loss of quality of life. There is, however, a major difference between feeling sad and being in a severe state of clinical depression. There is also a major difference between feeling anxious and having an anxiety or panic attack. If you truly do suffer with a brain chemical imbalance, it’s not difficult to understand the difference. The difficulty comes in when trying to express, describe, or explain it to those who have never had these experiences.

And so, I do completely understand someone out of the field or who has not personally experienced either to question this philosophy.
Medications give us relief along with psychotherapy (as they should be teamed together). And the rest is very questionable. I continue to try to learn about these disorders, constantly increasing my knowledge base and cognizance of the disorders and treatments to help people.

Thus far, has a cure been found? No. Does anyone know exactly what is going on inside the brain? No. Can anyone truly know the answer to the question, what causes brain chemical imbalances or are there such things as true brain chemical imbalances? I gave you my answer and different scholarly hypotheses prove this to be true as well. And so, the last question I ask is: Is there successfully proven treatment options for those with brain chemical imbalances for most (but not all) emotional/mental disorders? Yes. And that is the good news!

Please visit me at http://DOCintheBiz.com for mental health self help links and the opportunity to email me for professional and confidential help with any concerns you may have. You are never alone!

Dr. KC
http://DOCintheBiz.com

This article is copyrighted by DOCintheBiz.com and may be respectfully re-distributed for non-commercial educational purposes granted that website link and author credit remain intact.

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37 Responses

Just Bob
19|May|2008 1

Very well put as always. I recently tried to explain what I call “The Fog” on my blog. I’ll provide the link if people are interested in checking out (hint, hint Dr. KC).

http://boblebarron.blogspot.com/2008/05/fog.html
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 2

Dear Just Bob,

Thank you for writing! I will definitely check out your link to your article and you are more than welcome to post it here as well for others to read. I actually think you could do a great service here in assisting others who may not understand what a true chemical imbalance is and how it affects the lives of so many.

Thank you for reading and please keep posting.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Axecity
19|May|2008 3

I know about medical treatment using SSRI, however, do you think it’s a good choice for treating such imbalances that cause panic, OCD, BPD or any other personality disorder? I read about people speaking out their suffering from the severe side or withdrawal effects by using such kind of medications.

A hard comment that I have came across about using medical treatments for personality or mental disorders ” Medical treatments for personality or mental disorders in those days are like a butcher, they aren’t specific, they may heal a part and destroy as many”.

Wish there can be some effective and safe treatment someday for all those who suffer.
Janet
19|May|2008 4

Hi Dr. KC
I would have to say from personal experience I do believe their is such a thing as chemical imbalances. My mother and my Aunt were diagnosed with Schizophrenia while their other sister was not. So that is 2 out of 3 sisters. Although growing up for them was hard, my grandmother died when my mother was only 2 years old. I feel my mother may have been misdiagnosed back in the 60’s. She married at 19 years old and began having children, one right after the other. By the time she was 24 years old she had 4 children. When she had a breakdown and became pyschotic they started giving her shock therapy and put her on the thorazine suffle as I called it. We all suffered growing up, her most of all, she was in and out of Mental Institutions. But when my mother went to a new treatment place in 1989, they put her on a new medicine, lithium. Day by day we all could see a new mother emerging, she never went back into a mental institusion again until she passed away this past January. She did not become June Clever, but we had many good years together and we grew very close. I am so thankful for that. I feel she may have had post partum psychosis, because her breakdown happend right after the birth of her 4th child. As far as me and my siblings none of us followed in her shoes, I did develop panic attacks in my twenties and that was ok with me after seeing the way mother suffered. I just take medicine and they are under control. My daughter also has the same thing as me. She is doing well with her medicine as well. So I definatley agree it is a chemical imbalance with my family history. I feel no shame now like I did growing up. We should treat the mentally ill like we would treat a cancer patient. I just feel society today is still not in that mentality. I now work with the disabled because I have true empathy for them.
thanks for reading my comment, look foward to more of your discussions,
Janet
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 5

Dear Axecity,

I wish as well that there could be one proven effective and safe treatment, or even cure, for those who suffer with mental/emotional disorders.

There are many people who have had amazing experiences with SSRI’s for depression and/or anxiety and have even used the phrase “They have saved my life.” Others have not been able to withstand the side effects to even stay on the medication long enough to see if it would work. While others hadn’t any effects or help at all from the medication.

The “hard” statement you are referring to above is understandable to me, although I find it just as discouraging as you do. The truth is that everyone has different and unique body chemistry and what works for one will not necessarily work for another. It’s just the same for psychotropic medications as it would be for antibiotics for an infection. What works for you, may not work for me.

The brain is the most mysterious organ in the body and therefore, I believe we are still many years away from finding the perfect one treatment. The key is to keep trying different medications with your psychiatrist until you find the right medication or combination of medications that works for YOU. This is understandably a very difficult thing to do and much easier said than done. You must also remember the importance of pairing psychotherapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is great for anxiety and depression) with medication management.

If you would like to talk one on one about your experiences or other more detailed information, please contact me at DOCintheBiz. I would be happy to help you in any way I can. I DO understand and you are NOT alone.

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 6

Dear Janet,

As the years progressed, so did medical advancements for not only internal medicine, but for psychiatric medicine as well. I’m so sorry to hear of the misdiagnosis and treatment of your mother as well as so many others out there, but happy to hear that you did have some good years with her when she was properly diagnosed and treated!

There still needs to be more time and consideration taken when diagnosing people, even today, in my opinion, but things have gotten a LOT better.

I’m glad to hear that your panic attacks are under control! That’s fantastic news! You must be a great mom to your daughter who suffers with something with which you are familiar. I know can be a “safe person” to her.

I feel one of the plus’s (if you can believe there are advantages) to having a mental/emotional disorder is that it gives the person a greater sense of understanding and empathy towards others with issues either similar or different to theirs.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and commenting. Please keep reading and posting. I have an article coming out on the stigma of mental/emotional disorders, which I think may interest you!

All the best to you,
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. Rob
19|May|2008 7

Clear, concise, logical, informative, intelligent, persuasive, convincing, entertaining, professional yet casual. I came, I learned, I stumbled (so others could experience your writing). Very well done.
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 8

Dear Dr. Rob,

Thank you so much for your visit and your very kind comment. I appreciate your visit very much! I’m glad that I could bring such information to you and to my other readers as well.

Please keep reading and posting!!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Axecity
19|May|2008 9

Dr. KC,

I am sorry If my words have given an impression that I was talking about myself
Actually I was discussing the issue in general according to what I learned from friends talking about members in their family who are suffering from such personality disorders and how it didn’t help to be on medical treatments.

Anyway, you raise many valuable and content-rich issues, thanks for sharing.

Sorry again for any misunderstanding

This is
Bradley
19|May|2008 10

Thank you for a great post. As I said in my blog recently:

People have diabetes and they take insulin for it. People have kidney problems and need dialysis. People have computer problems and need to do a reinstall. The brain is a lot more complicated than any of those things so, why do people not get it when it doesn’t function properly?
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 11

Dear Axecity,

No need to apologize at all. I’m sorry as well for assuming you were writing about yourself. I love the ideas you bring forth and what you lend to discussions. No matter who you are talking about, your questions and insight lend to helping anyone who reads these articles and comments! It helps us to help others and please know how much I appreciate your contributions!

Please keep reading and posting!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Jennifer
19|May|2008 12

Dr. KC, thank you for such a well written article! I beleive that there is a lot of both out there. By both, I mean there are people with real chemical imbalances - that’s where it started - an imbalance in the brain. I have known them. There are also the people who have brought on their chemical imbalances by the way they think. I believe it is a very wise doctor who distinguishes between the two and correctly diagnoses and treats the patient. It is so sad that pharmaceutical companies are making a killing off of people that need training to learn how to change their way of thinking. But, I am glad that there is medicine to help the people who truly do need it such as Janet and her family members. Unfortunately, too many medical doctors are not properly trained and knowledgable about depression and just shell out meds to everyone who says they want it.

I came across an article a few months back and wrote a blog post about it. The post I wrote links to a very informative article with lots of scientific research. Dr. KC, I beleive you and all your readers could benefit from it: http://principlesforpeace.com/?cat=41

Again, thanks for this posts!

Jennifer
http://principlesforpeace.com
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 13

Dear Bradley,

Thank you so much for your contribution here! You are absolutely right! For some reason, people don’t understand human mental health “malfunctions”, if you will, but understand computerized ones completely!!

There are even some people who tend to put their OWN emotional/mental health and sometimes even their physical health second to a lot of other less important things too. We may all tend to be guilty of this at times.

Thank you so much for your comment. I do hope you’ll keep reading and posting.

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 14

Dear Jennifer,

I agree with you and tend to be saddened by the amount of “over” prescribing of medications, especially when it comes to children who are very quickly diagnosed with ADHD and just take any medication that is given to them. Many times adults know when they need medication or not as they are aware that they are not living the quality of life they want to live. However, when in a vulnerable state, even adults do what a doctor tells them to do because they, after all, are doctors. That does not make it right.

You’re correct in saying that it does take a very good and well trained doctor to decipher the difference between situational sadness and a true chemical imbalance which causes clinical depression. I also think that a well trained doctor should be able to recognize that just because a person comes to see him or her for a mental or emotional issue, the person don’t necessarily need to be diagnosed with anything! Unfortunately, I also believe that insurance companies play a huge role in these diagnoses. They insist on a diagnosis before they will pay the doctors.

Mind over matter is imperative when we are talking about situational sadness which can lead to depression. But I believe there is a difference between “sadness”, “depression” and “clinical depression”. Then there are all different classifications of depression as well. I believe we can “think” ourselves into a depression, but clinical depression is a true and deep chemical imbalance in need of medication in order for the person to be functional. On the same token, I believe a person can also certainly bring upon a panic attack through “what if” ruminations. But how do we account for the uncued attacks? There is a chemical imbalance there to begin with and a person does often have the ability to control the anxiety (especially if they are in therapy to learn how).

So, there are certainly many ways to look at this topic as you say there are “both sides”.

Thank you so much for your comment as it brought upon great insight. Thank you for your links as well and I will be reviewing them as soon as I can.

Please keep reading and posting!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr Roger
19|May|2008 15

Fabulous article Doc. I must say you know what you are talking about!
Anyone who knows or feels they have a chemical imbalance can definitely be helped. There is no reason what-so-ever to suffer alone!
Please continue to encourage your readers to get professional help in coping with these issues. I, for one, would seek your expertise.
Cudos for another great read.
Dr Roger.
Dr. KC
19|May|2008 16

Dear Dr. Roger,

Thank you so much for your comment and I’m very glad you enjoyed the read. You have definitely added much positive light to the subject.

I hope that my readers will heed your words as well, as you state that there is “no reason what-so-ever to suffer alone”.

Please keep reading and posting.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Devin
19|May|2008 17

Just found your blog today and as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I am impressed. I look forward to reading much more!

Specific to this entry, I think you covered the imbalance subject well from all angles. My own two cents is that each person’s brain has a range of functioning, and sometimes it doesn’t function well enough for a certain task. And after frequent instances of lower functioning, the mind-body-emotion system can get stuck in a pattern. Then again, I had a full day and I’m pretty tired as I write this. So I might disagree with myself tomorrow.

Keep up the good work, and I’ll be sure to visit again.
Dr. KC
20|May|2008 18

Dear Devin,

I’m really glad that you found my blog and that you enjoyed what you read.

I suppose what you are saying is that each person’s brain functions in different ways for different tasks. This could relate to someone being good in math, but not English, perhaps? Are you saying that you feel the brain can be trained to not get stuck in patterns that are not useful or positive? I’m not exactly sure what you mean by your post, but I am curious to be enlightened.

Thank you for the comment and I do hope you’ll read more and keep posting.

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Benny Greenberg
20|May|2008 19

I am not a Dr. I only play… wait that’s too much info…

I love the article because it gives your opinion from both sides.
I wonder if we will every be able to actually figure it out.
In many books that I have read and the age of the books do not really matter as they can be from the 1800’s to modern works of last month, both sides are taken.
I can see the nature-nurture battle taking on a fun discusion here.

Ben
Devin
20|May|2008 20

Well, it’s a new day, so I’ll try to be more clear than I was last night. Sorry for confusing you!

What I was trying to get at with functioning is that a person has a general range of functioning for being able to concentrate for example, or the relative ability to adjust their own moods. If a person starts thinking negatively or feeling down, that can become a habit. And I do think the brain can be trained to be adaptable instead of getting stuck in patterns that are undesirable.
Attitude, Success, and the Things That Hold Us Back | DOCintheBiz
20|May|2008 21

[...] Are There Such Things as Brain Chemical Imbalances? [...]
Dr. KC
20|May|2008 22

Dear Benny,

I always try to see things from both sides. I never try to say that there is only one way to do, see, or perceive something or someone. That would not make me a very good therapist, I believe. I thank you for your appreciation of this quality I try to maintain.

There is definitely a nature vs. nurture element associated with emotional disturbances. Great point to bring up. There is much literature to back up that claim in the literature, for sure. A true chemical imbalance would definitely stand the best change of successful treatment with good medical care paired with good psychotherapy and a strong social support system for the person in need. That is a great mixture of nature working together with nurture!

We could discuss this topic for hours! Thank you for bringing it up. Feel welcomed to continue it.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. KC
20|May|2008 23

Dear Devin,

Great point!! I agree that we can certainly train ourselves to think in certain ways. In my opinion, it holds true that if someone is constantly telling themselves that they are ugly and worthless, they are bound to begin to truly believe it. On the other hand, if someone constantly tells themselves that they are a good worthy person, then they will eventually believe that as well. That is why I strongly ascertain that positive affirmations are extremely worthwhile, important and can be very successful in helping one to feel good about him/herself. My belief is that a good self esteem is the key to living a happy and emotionally healthy life.

A person can certainly train their mind or “attitude”, just as they can train their body into top notch condition.

Thank you for your comment and please keep reading and posting.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Tim Brownson
20|May|2008 24

As the catalyst for that post, thanks a lot for taking the time to go into detail.

I’m still on the fence though
Dr. KC
20|May|2008 25

Dear Tim,

I knew indeed that you would still be on the fence, however, as I said in my last comment back to you, that’s what makes the world go ‘round. Everyone works with clients differently and it’s wonderful to have so many different kinds of life coaches, therapists, and doctors out there to meet the need of all the different personalities that need help.

Not everyone is right for everyone. It’s great to have choices.
Thanks for your comment. Please keep reading and posting as I’m sure we all can learn from each other.

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Janet
21|May|2008 26

Hi Dr. KC,
Thanks for taking the time to reply to me. I appreciate your insights as they gave me a new perspective on what happens in the mental health field. I look foward to many more discussions with you!
Janet
Dr. KC
21|May|2008 27

Dear Janet,

It’s my pleasure to reply to you. It my goal to reply to every person who does me the honor of taking the time to read my articles. On top of that, I hope that each and every person who reads my work, learns something that can to change a life; whether theirs or a loved ones.

I hope to keep bringing new insights to you and to others. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to bring the proper information to you.

Thank you for your comment. Please keep reading and posting.
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Dr. Nicole Sundene
23|May|2008 28

Having specialized in depression and anxiety management using natural means, I think it is extremely important to tease out the difference when at all possible.

For many people with chronic dysthmia for instance, they will have a very poor negative attitude because of the chronic chemical state that they function in. Positive thinking and phrasing is important but will only get some patients so far. When severe depression strikes it is nearly impossible for them to be able to adopt a positive attitude to counteract the severe chemical imbalance that is causing the thought process.
Dr. KC
23|May|2008 29

Dear Dr. Nicole,

Your comment, “It is extremely important to tease out the difference when at all possible” in regards to whether or not a person has a chemical imbalance it the key. And the key to proper treatment.

Thank you so much for your comment.
Please keep reading and posting. Your insight is most valuable!
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
Post Partum Panic Attacks
11|Jun|2008 30

Post Partum Panic Attacks…

Found your blog on yahoo - thanks for the article but i still don’t get it….
Doc KC
11|Jun|2008 31

In reference to this article on Post Partum Panic Attacks:

I thought this was a great article to help explain panic attacks and I have even “Stumbled” it, but this was all the information in a comment that I received. I would love to be able to answer any questions, but I do not know what the questions are.

Thank you, however, for attempting to send a comment. If whomever wrote this sees my comment back, they are welcome to elaborate and I will be here to answer.

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
http://www.GLCzone.com
Raven Hawk
14|Sep|2008 32

You have always seen my post as positive. I try to be, I honestly due, yet today I feel so down it isn’t funny. Even with new meds (which has helped me so much) I feel myself slipping down the hole. Sometimes I do NOT know WHAT to do. I try pushing forward with my dreams. It is so hard when there is no response (referring to others helping me on my space - with one exception, one very incredible woman)… i try hard with so many things…..

At this point, it is HARD not to take this non response as rejection. These are people I know that could help and it is such an easy request, just to post a bulletin for me and people can go from there.

I guess I just sometimes do not understand people. Why is there such a line with those who have and those who do not. Are we not all equal? I believe that yet when something like this occurs it rocks my faith.

KC, I feel so alone. So very alone in my dream, in my life. My thought process is not good. I would never call 911 or go to a hospital, not when I feel this way. Sometimes I just wish Spirit would just take me and the pain would stop. I know the other side is just light, love and spirit.

How much can a person take. Seriously. How much can a person take before it is too much, especially after trying so very hard.

This IS THE ONLY PLACE I FEEL FREE enough to express myself. I feel many in my clan would not understand for they feel I should shelve my dream and would not be loving in their response to my state of mind.

Is it bad I want my dream to come true. Is it bad that I want to live in a place where my spirit will THRIVE. People will say you can thrive anywhere, yet I know that there are some that really need that certain place to thrive and for me that is truth. That is why I went to the lake every week to fill up on what I needed to surivive.

So yes, I am quite down. People have their lives. They are busy. An example would be when I sliced my finger, I called my mom, she was not available, I called my sisters, they were not available. I ended up calling my best friend who was in a different state, pulling her out from seeing patients (and there when you say you cut yourself they think suicide which I did NOT know) and she DID come to the phone. I was ready to pass out. If I did, I wanted SOMEONE to know, someone to care, someone to call 911 if needed. Yet she too, which I TOTALLY understand had to get back… she was loving though to me…told me she would get back to check on me…and life happened for her and she did not get back to me) SO I WAS ALONE, not a great feeling. My finger would surive, it was me passing out I was concerned with, where I would fall etc.

So it is NOT A GOOD DAY FOR ME and I truly wish my journey was over.

Raven Hawk
Dr. KC
15|Sep|2008 33

Dear Raven Hawk,

I am so happy that you feel free and comfortable to express yourself the way you say you can and the way you do here on my blog! Your reaching out is so brave and wonderful. It shows that you can be committed to getting to the bottom of issues and changing the things that you want/need to change in order to live a more emotionally happy and healthy life.

Just about EVERYBODY has felt alone at some point in their lives. I have a difficult time myself believing anyone who says differently. Yes, some feel that way more often than others, but everyone does. I think that is why I write of self love, confidence and worth so often in my articles. It is key to living in this world where, as you say, it is often difficult to find help from others when lives are so full and busy. You are NOT alone, however, and you must know this!

Please also know that, yes, I do love to “hear” you positive, up and happy, but I would never expect you or anyone else to always feel that way. I find that quite impossible, as feeling down is a part of life as well. It’s OK. It’s normal. It’s natural. On the other hand, feeling low hopefully will not take you to a place where you give up on your dreams and/or goals. Never! I always keep the old cliché in my head, “If it were easy, everyone would be getting/doing it.” We just need to learn (and it takes learning) how to go AROUND the obstacles that get in the way of our goals and to know that there is always a way. This positive thinking is what has made the most successful people successful! I’ve HEARD from other professionals that luck plays a certain part, who you know, and that things that are meant to happen will happen, but then again, to me, that does not take away the idea that we have to work hard to get what we want. That includes, jumping the hurdles that get in our way. And as I said, we just have to learn how to do that.

I would love so much to work with you and take this conversation to another level, but that is impossible in this kind of forum and not fair to you either, as confidentiality is important to me. If there is any way you can find a sliding scale clinic in your area where you can talk to someone to help you through the hard times, that would be wonderful. You know I would be more than happy to help you here at DOCintheBiz with emails specifically geared towards helping you overcome these feelings, learn how to control them from coming over you and decreasing the frequency of the down times, but either way, I wish that you could find someone to talk to. Remember, it’s your health and whether physical health or mental health, they work together and nothing is more important.

All my best,

Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
http://www.GLCzone.com
Analee
02|Nov|2008 34

My Dear:

Even as an internationally published lyric poet I find your writing to be of both ultimate earthly and spiritual solidity and also of unearthly beauty… I was going to wait to write to you until I’d let a sonnet or some equally worthy poetic celebration come through in your honor, but now I read here in this article that you are always seeking new information on the various psychological disorders.

I have always thought that I could offer a lot to someone exactly like yourself: At an IQ of 181, I have been in a position to be highly — perhaps in some ways uniquely — aware of the inner processes which have resulted in a personality so split that even medical conditions such as pregnancies and loose bone splinters come and go in their availability to testing. And I mean testing as basic as simple x-rays (an oral surgeon recently had to justify his subsequent surgery to the insurance companies with a polaroid photo, since the object he was removing — visible to the naked eye — could not be made to appear on film… etc…etc… I coud tell stories…)

Every one of us (in here) got here by a combination of trauma and the desire somehow to find a mannerism or mannerisms which would please rather than repel those to whom we wished to reach out in what you must by now understand was for a long time a very confusing world — in other words, a desire to be helpful. Every one of us shares those two characteristics: trauma, and a desire to be of assistance to the whole — and that has been the saving grace which has enabled us to stand existence within the confines of one body in space and time without destroying ourselves — not that we weren’t driven to try to get out of existence that way once…

These circumstances result in the inner coming and going of quite a little handful of the various anxiety disorders — my consciousness all the while highly cognizant and conscious of all the processes involved.

At the same time, I have access to expertise from the other side of the veil: When every action of every day has become a battle between whole camps of opposing motivations, the only way to avoid complete paralysis (I perceived by necessity) was to give each little decision up to a higher spiritual source, stipulating only that the resulting decision be for the highest good of everyone involved.

It was clear to me that in this somewhat tenuous position it would be necessary to maintain a completely clear connection with Self in a world seemingly designed to foil and punish that exact clarity.

Thus, by exercising it hundreds and thousands of times every day, I evolved the ability to speak with spirit intimately, fully and constantly, both on my own behalf and on behalf of other, incarnate spirits who cross my Path.

Gosh, I’d LOVE to make you the beneficiary of the insights with which my mind is simply teeming! Have you a question? A list of questions? If you’d rather carry on outside the blog format per se, my email address is ana.aurora.7@gmail.com …

It actually might be wiser to contact me in this way because I’m truly STOOPID about computers, had to do a lot of navigating to get into this commentary box, & don’t know if I’ll ever be able to find your blog again!

Blessings — blessings, Dear One, on your continued good work! Never stop writing for the people. You’re explaining things in a completely unique way — one which can be understood by those who would not have been able to set their sights and their steps upon the inward and upward path otherwise than by reading your words.

Most SIncerely and with Great Love,

Analee
Dr. KC
02|Nov|2008 35

Dear Analee,

Thank you so much for the very kind comment and compliments about my writing. They are very much appreciated. You are correct in stating that I am always looking for new information on certain psychological disorders; my specialty being anxiety. I love when my readers share their personal stories, experiences, and knowledge. You seem to have much knowledge on all sorts of subjects and I can see where your intelligence shines through your writing.

Your kindness and offerings are highly appreciated. My list of questions could be endless. I will think about it and get back to you.

Thank you again.
All my best,
Dr. KC
http://www.DOCintheBiz.com
http://www.GLCzone.com
Kay alabodi
04|Oct|2009 36

I’ve always suffered anixety and depression, but never taken medcation until I start having panic attacks. My doctor gave me celexxa i think. I took them for 6 months. I felt better, so i stopped them suddenly. I start having some headach, dizzness for aout 2 weeks, but now I’m fine I have not have a panic attack since, and feeling less depressed than before I started the med. I beleive that there are unbalance in brain chemicals and medcation really help. I only have one question. What could stopping medication suddenly do. I can’tgo back to my doctor because I have lost my insurance after my husband lost his job.
Doc KC
05|Oct|2009 37

Dear Kay,

Welcome to DOCintheBiz! It’s nice to see you here.

I’m really happy to hear that you are experiencing less depression and no panic attacks since getting off your medication.

To answer you question: I can only speak of what the experts say about stopping medication. I do not give specific medication “advice” over the Internet, as I do not know your medical history and I am a Ph.D., not an M.D., but I do have vast knowledge in the area of psychopharmacology for certain classes of medications: mainly those prescribed for anxiety and depression.

It is never advised to just stop any medication “cold turkey” and without a medical doctor monitoring you. Sometimes a person can get “lucky” (if you will) with only minor side effects or withdrawal symptoms. Other times, people can experience seizures, severe worsening of symptoms, or even worse. Medications should be tapered very slowly.

I hope this was helpful to you. I do understand the issue of not having insurance to pay for doctor’s visits, but I think that even if you have to pay cash (save for it), it is worth the investment. There is nothing more important, in my opinion, then someone’s health. Without our health (mental as well as physical), we will not have the proper strength to be our very best.

All my best,
Dr. KC
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