Thursday, May 26, 2005

If Scwarzenegger becomes president, he needs to look no further for his Surgeon General

Apparently, Tom Cruise, in addition to delivering impudent lines and looking cool in sun glasses, has developed a flare for treating post-partum (the time following pregnancy for you now medical people) depression. Cruise recently bashed Brooke Shields new book discussing her use of the antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil) for treating post-partum depression. Thanks Tom, the boys down in the research lab can cut out early today, looks like "vitamins" will do the trick. This is what happens when Cruise is allowed to discuss anything besides his next movie or his love life; Katie Holmes is losing cool points fast by the way. News flash Katie: when your boyfriend mentions going to hangout with the other scientologist-- run.

For many of you, you may have never heard of the long history scientology and psychiatry has. The apostle L. Ron Hubbard, was found making many accusation that mental health professionals were using ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) and pre-frontal lobotomy (a surgery once thought to treat schizophrenia effectively), both as methods to control people not in line with the whatever political view to control the world they were said to follow. Hmmm.... we do have a word for that in psychiatry: delusional.

A word on post partum depression (PPD). It happens in 10-15% of new mommies. The risk is much higher if she has had it before, been depressed without pregnancy before, a family history, negative life events around the delivery of the baby, or a lack of social support. PPD increases the risk of the mother hurting herself or the infant (both directly or through negligence). The preferred treatment is pre-emptive antidepressant use at the end of the pregnancy in women with risk factors and psychotherapy. Despite the fact that Tom is right in saying that theories currently lean toward a causation related to hormonal level, few studies support treating depression with hormones. Absolutely none support vitamin usage for PPD treatment ( unless you are niacin, vit B12, or thiamine deficient).

Never take advice from any ever known as Iceman.

2 comments:

Piccu said...
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Piccu said...

have to say that anyone who takes advice, especially medical or political advice from a celebrity is a moron. I don't understand how people actually take what celebrities say and base their own opinion on their views. Why do I care who Bruce Springsteen wants to vote for? Celebrities have too much of a hold on society as it is without telling us how to treat (or not treat) a person's illness. What does Cruise know about post partum depression, he adopted his kids. He didn't have the swimmers to impregnate or he has "other" issues. I respect any person's religious proclivities, but Scientologists like Mr. Cruise make that very hard to do. (And don't even get me started on Arnold Schwarzenegger.)