with regards to poor coping skills, you are confusing axis I psychiatric disorders with axis II. there is a big difference in how they are managed. major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder are axis I disorders that can be complicated but are not due to "poor coping skills". poor coping skills are suggestive of a axis II condition such as borderline personality disorder. these are treated differently, whether w/ medications or non-pharmacological means.
also, when it comes to medications/ECT, no one is suggesting that they are devoid of possible side effects (it needs to be stated that the majority of people do not encounter debilitating side effects), but studies suggest that statistically outcomes are more positive than the alternative. absolutely, ECT can cause short term memory loss, but I would argue that in a majority of cases this is a better outcome than suicide or other sequelae of untreated major depression.
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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Depends how you define extremely effective. Depends on if you value memory. ECT has helped some people no doubt. But don't minimize the experiences of those who've had it who think the only effects its had on their life was negative. What percentage of people would it have to help to be considered extremely effective by you? What percentage of people would it have to harm to make you wonder about how effective it is?
Call me biased but blasting people's brains with electricity to make them forget isn't a "extremely effective" way to deal with depression. Some people are depressed because they have bad life coping skills, how's it going to help that?
The role of community, family and counselling is often minimized in order to get the quick fix of some pills or ECT or what have you. Damage has been done to lots of people who might have had normal lives.
One of the more damning statistics I've found was in a study the World Health Organization did which said that good outcomes for schizophrenics in First World countries was around 1/3. Good outcomes for schizophrenics in Third World countries was 2/3 or twice as good if I remember correctly. Tends to indicate the drugs we feed schizophrenics are doing little to cure them, and only changing symptomology while putting them on drugs they have to stay on indefinitely. In Third World countries schizophrenics are actually being cured after an episode, probably with the help of community and family.
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