Galway Advertiser 2002/2002_12_05/GA_05122002_E1_038.pdf 

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myth m e n t a l illness
M A N Y P E O P L E , especially y o u n g m e n , lead double lives. T h e o u t w a r d i m a g e they present t o t h e w o r l d is o f h a r d w o r k i n g , successful, impor tant p e o p l e . T h e y h a v e hectic lives a n d rarely ask for support. T h e y s e e m t o h a v e it all a n d are t h e e n v y o f e v e r y o n e
But the reality b e h i n d that p u b l i c image may be a different story altogeth er, s a y s D r Terry L y n c h , a Limerick b a s e d d o c t o r and author o f Beyond Prozac - healing menial suffering with out drugs He spoke at Galway's first naturopathic festival at the Black B o x Theatre on Sunday. Strip away these masks and you will often find people grappling with e m o tional turmoil, he says. "Many young men bottle it up. terrified to reveal any weakness which might taint their image. T h e y fear l o s i n g the approval and acceptance of their relatives and friends. T h e y s u p p r e s s their e m o t i o n s in an attempt to cope with life which comes at them in relentless waves." Cut off from their feelings, many feel alienated from people, he believes. Even in their closest relationships they may feel alone and lonely. The greater the gap or the bigger the mask between the pub Depression is not a psychiatric illness, more a c o p i n g m e c h a n i s m , s a y s D r Terry lic image people feel compelled to por Lynch. tray and their true inner world, the more umbrella of depression is too simplistic. diagnosed as suffering from a mental ill desperate they become, he says. 1 see depression as distress, a very diffi ness or are told there is nothing wrong "Suicide then becomes a real option cult form o f human distress." with them, he says. which will once and for all remove them He refers to a study published in the He believes the escalating suicide rate from their anguish. For years, w e have British Journal of General Practice is a wake-up call to us all. "Concluding known that thousands of young men are which suggests that depression is more that suicide is the result of 'mental ill terrified of admitting that they have feel likely in people with certain characteris ness' may make us feel better, but it is ings - not to mention revealing them to tics. passing the buck. People take their o w n others." "The researchers spent more than 15 lives when they reach the point o f n o H e rejects the p r e v a i l i n g medical years following the lives of more than hope." belief that people w h o take their o w n 130 GPs. They found that doctors w h o lives are mentally ill at the time. as medical students experienced depres COPING MECHANISM "On the contrary, I believe suicide is sion, high self-criticism, sibling rivalry the final act of avoidance which in the and excessive alcohol intake were more context of the person's life always makes likely to d e v e l o p a serious depression He maintains depression is not a "psy sense. People who reach the point of sui later in life. The results also suggested chiatric illness", more a coping mecha c i d e all have o n e thing in c o m m o n . that having difficult relationships with nism, a withdrawal within oneself when Overwhelmed by despair, they are des the family of origin increased the likeli reaching out to others has become too perately trying to put an e n d to their hood o f difficult relationships with med painful and risky. emotional pain. The tragedy is that in ical colleagues during their working life. "With depression. I regularly find order to d o so. they feel they have to kill This research does not support the belief there i s anger, hurt, lots of difficult themselves." that depression is biological in origin." things going on. There can be fear, terror Many despairing people w h o turn to Life i s full of great pretenders, he and guilt loo. To put all this under the the medical system for help are either says. It's not just men that lead double lives, women d o too, donning masks for family, friends and work c o l l e a g u e s while inside they feel lonely, unhappy and unfulfilled. Women with children, especially, find that the needs of family and work come first and they stop taking care of themselves. "This process can occur so gradually that it goes unnoticed, like a thief in the night. Eventually, the person may reach the point where there is no colour, no joy in their life. Little wonder that many such people become depressed. They are so busy looking after other people that their o w n n e e d s for l o v e , c h a l l e n g e , growth, fun and colour often g o unmet." doctors said 'Great. This works wonders and bought into the idea that it was won derful. The people noticed they felt bet ter than well on it. That suggests an arti ficial state. I feel p r o b l e m s are now beginning to emerge. Doctors would say they are not addictive, I'm not so sure." He f e e l s G P s d o n o t g i v e people enough lime lo express themselves or to explore the issues which are at the root of the problem. "Nor d o they currently have enough understanding of the human emotions and behaviour to make a meaningful and effective contribution. GPs are pre occupied with diagnosing so called 'psy chiatric illness'. Once there is any trace of depression or any 'mental illness', the prescription pad comes into play and the real listening stops. I believe both GPs and psychiatrists prescribe antidepres sant drugs and tranquillisers far too often and far too easily." Lynch, who is from Lahinch, worked in Limerick as a G P for a number of years before beginning "to have doubts", he says. He then went on to take a mas ter's degree in psychotherapy. "1 reached a point where I had no choice. I lost faith in what I was doing. While medicine helps some people, to offer them it and very little else is not sufficient." He would like to see society provide a comprehensive network o f counselling services for people in emotional distress. "I believe this would provide a much more effective fire-brigade service for emotionally distressed people than what is currently available from doctors." * Beyond Prozac - Healing mental suffering without drugs was the first Irish book to be shortlisted for the presti gious MIND UK 2002 Book of the Year Award in the award's 21 year history. It is published by Marino Books and retails at 12.68 euro.

EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
He believes emotional distress is one o f the greatest e p i d e m i c s o f our time. "As s o m e t i m e s happens in epidemics, those afflicted are ostracised. Emotions are a fundamental part of the human con dition but in modem society, there is lit tle tolerance o f the expiation of emotion. W h e n friends or l o v e d o n e s b e c o m e angry or tearful, w e want them to stop because we d o not feel comfortable with painful emotions." Society has found ways of packaging emotional distress to make it more palat able, he says. We label mental illness, a term which frequently sticks for life and which Lynch feels very uneasy about. He challenges the views of most med ical experts that mental illness is caused by a biochemical brain imbalance or a genetic defect. "I believe so called 'men tal illnesses' are understandable expres sions of emotional pain." He is concerned that the ami depres sant Prozac, which w a s introduced in 1989, is being prescribed "too easily and excessively". "When it came out first, people w h o were prescribed it did feel better. The