If you were putting together a care package for an 35ish year old woman who was going to medical school, what would you put in it?
'The Killer In Me'
Natter 45: Smooth as Billy Dee Williams.
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Coffee...ground or beans.
And Red Bull.
Both good ideas.
Does anyone have any advice for how best to speak to someone who's suddenly showing strong symptoms of clinical depression? My dad, who's normally very chipper and upbeat, has been in such a state of misery the last few days—apparently in reaction to an antibiotic—that he's seriously frightening my mom. He's blaming himself for every problem, saying that he doesn't deserve to do things like watch television (when Mom tried to cheer himup with some comedies and game shows), and made a comment about there being a lot of pills around the house.
While I've of course helped cheer people up when they're down in the dumps due to unpleasant situations, I've never dealt with someone who is in that seriously bad a mental state, and I'm very fearful of doing or saying something that will make things worse.
That is a hard one, Matt. I would do my best to make him (or your mom) talk to the doctor and see if this is an expected side effect of the antibiotic, and see if there is an alternate drug or something that would counteract it.
What Lee said, Matt. If it is a reaction to the drug, it needs to be switched for one that doesn't cause that side effect. Or a counter-effect drug prescribed. I'm sorry he's going through this, and putting you and your mom through the worry about him.
He's already seen the doctor (yesterday), and been taken off the antibiotic and given a mild anti-depressant. We're 99% positive that's the root cause since it's such a 180° turnaround from his usual personality and began soon after taking the drug. But the blue mood has continued through today (actually we think something the doctor said in concern may have brought up his older brother's suicide and made him start thinking about such things). I'm headed over tomorrow to visit and try and draw him out of the funk as much as I can, though I doubt he'll feel like getting out and doing anything like going for a drive or people watching that might ordinarily make him feel better if he was a bit down.
I think just being there with him is probably the best thing, Matt. I hope that changing the drugs helps lift the depression.
What Lee said.
My thoughts are with you, Matt. I am glad that you are going over there tomorrow and that his medication was changed. I hope he comes out of this as quickly as the depression started.