Wednesday, October 7, 2009
{The Blue Banner}
Page 20
Psychiatric medications remain a mystery
As trial medications flood cam
puses, students cope with substance
dependence issues before they are
old enough to buy a drink.
The precise function of bipolar
and depression medications is un
clear. An exact biological explana
tion for these disorders continues to
elude modem science.
With numerous expectations
weighing down the shoulders of
youths and college students, many
find the load too heavy to bear with
out professional help. According
to the National Institute of Mental
Health, doctors and psychiatrists di
agnosed more students with bipolar
disorder and depression this year
than ever before.
Psychiatric treatment for these
disorders, some students report, ini
tially makes life harder instead of
easier.
“My treatment is more like che
motherapy than any other medical
process I can imagine,” said Rob
ert Uhren, senior at Asheville High
School. Diagnosed with a nonspe
cific mood disorder and depression
last year, Uhren said he has high
hopes for long-term success, but that
former short-term goals now seem
unrealistic.
Prior to seeking help, Uhren com
peted for Asheville High’s valedic
torian position. Since his diagnosis,
treating the disorder is his primary
concern and school is on the back
burner, he said.
“My psychiatrist admits my dis
order is not very well understood,
nor the medications used to treat
it,” Uhren said. “Treatment for my
disorders seems an experimental
process. When I get too manic, my
uppers get reduced or my downers
increased until the medicine balanc
es my personality.”
During the nine months since his
diagnosis, psychiatrists tried more
than 15 prescription medications to
treat Uhren’s disorder, which includ
ed Lithium, Depakote, Abilify and
Ambien. Currently, Uhren takes six
medications several times a day.
“Lately, I have been experiencing
some side effects, I think from Abili
fy,” Uhren said.
By Jacob Yancey
Staff Writer
JAYANCEY@UNCA.EDU
Increased levels of energy are a
common side effect of Abilify, ac
cording to officials. Instead of feel
ing lethargic all the time, Uhren said
now he feels like he has ADHD and
cannot sit still or concentrate. “I am
jittery pretty much all of the time,”
he said.
Under the varied effects of these
dmgs, passing classes requires addi
tional effort from Uhren, his teachers
and even his psychiatrist, who often
writes notes excusing Uhren from
class. Currently, Uhren attends an
average of three days of school per
week. Being valedictorian is no lon
ger an option for this student, whose
transcript is now full of Bs and Cs.
Uhren’s process is a medical trial
and it takes longer for some than oth
ers. Medical trials are used to treat
conditions or disorders with unclear
biological causes. After two failed
trial periods, psychiatrists usually
reassess their initial diagnosis and
adjust the prescription path accord
ingly.
Patients exposed to this experi
mental process often find help. How
ever, as many of the drugs are poorly
understood, individuals run the risk
of serious adverse side effects.
“I’ve been diagnosed as bipolar
and depressed. Also, doctors tell me
I have generalized anxiety disorder
with social anxiety,” Alex Clymer
said. The Asheville native, now 24
and in college, first sought help in
high school. During her treatment,
Clymer visited more than 12 doctors
for psychiatric aid.
“A few told me I was just going
through a rough period in life, but
my diagnoses varied with every new
doctor,” she said.
Medical trials are also necessary
because many patients, like Clymer
and Uhren, experience co-morbidity,
Photo Courtesy of Robert Uhren
Robert Uhren, a local high school senior, holds his daily medication.
which means they have more than
one condition or disorder at the same
time. People diagnosed with bipolar
disorder, for instance, may face so
cial or occupational repercussions re
sulting in mild depression. Seeking
psychiatric treatment would mean a
prescription for bipolar medication
as well as depression medications.
Another problem with these di
agnoses is psychiatrists do not fully
understand the biological origin or
dysfunction of these disorders, or the
function of many drugs used to treat
them. Also, most of these dmgs,
aside from Lithium, are relatively
new, and long-term side effects have
yet to be determined.
“I got tired of all the trial and er
ror, all the ups and downs. I even
tually lost hope and stopped taking
my medications,” Clymer said. Di
agnosed as a teen, doctors prescribed
Clymer more medications than she
cares to count, she said. Now, sev
eral years after her last trial, she no
longer takes any medications. In
stead, Clymer looks inward to find a
solution for her problems.
Many medications treating these
mental disorders come with risk of
dependency and side effects. Addic
tion to any substance is hard to over
come. For teenagers in high school
or college, battling addiction puts the
odds of excelling against them.
“Withdrawing from these drags is
very hard. All of the emotions come
back, positive and negative, which
is overwhelming after a long time of
the nothingness produced by medi
cations. It’s hard to figure out how to
handle life again,” Clymer said.
On the advice of her psychiatrist,
she weaned herself off the drags
rather than quitting abruptly. How
ever, Clymer said the process is dif
ficult and sometimes painful.
“At times I was so dizzy I could
hardly drive. I got ‘brain zaps,’ I
don’t know what they are exactly. I
looked them up and found out they
are a common withdrawal symptom
from Lexapro,” Clymer said.
Therapy combined with medica
tions is the best form of treatment,
according to NIMH. “I’m not put
ting all my faith in the medications,
which is why I am also seeing a psy
chologist,” Uhren said.
As students encounter difficulty,
mood swings or sadness, it’s impor
tant to consider both short-term and
long-term implications when seek
ing medication. While medications
sometimes work, others may find
better, faster or longer-lasting solu
tions within themselves.