Thanks calli.

There's definitely a stigma but it's somewhat due imo. People make mistakes and sometimes that leads to abandonment from employers, potential lovers, friends and relatives. That's fine with me. If I ****ed up something in the past that makes people not like me, then I'll take responsibility for that. However, the "undue" part comes in when people are prejudged based on what someone thinks they know about stuff. I've been rejected by people for good reason in the past, as well as by people without good reason. Rejection is a part of life, but knowing that doesn't take away the heartache one experiences when rejected.

I totally agree. It is a timeless problem that will probably never go away and thus it shouldn't be ignored nor avoided.

The problem may be timeless but our response doesn't need to be.

Here's a question for you - pharmaceutical companies direct-marketing SSRIs to the public: net positive because they're normalizing convesations about mental health, or net negative because they give the impression a magic pill will make it go away?

I think it's a good thing in the long run, but perhaps on a short timeline there will be many that get the wrong impression. Pills only help manage symptoms, they don't cure anything. I think the public needs to know that pills are not a cure for an unhealthy lifestyle. In other words if you're out drinking and drugging all the time, pills will only help on a superficial level. If you make real lifestyle changes then you'll get the most out of meds.

I don't know that I want mental health conversations lead by pharmaceutical companies.

i thought antidepressants (SSRIs) actually do change your brain chemistry and can in effect treat/cure depression

as i understand it, other conditions like bipolar and stuff are more about symptom management than about a cure

correct me if i am wrong as i am not 100% on this

I think pills do change your brain chemistry, but that abnormal brain chemistry isn't always the cause of the problem. Pills are really good for one-cause diseases. If you have gonnorhea, take an antibiotic, yay pills. If you have depression, pills may or may not help and it may vary from person to person.

Pharmaceutical companies leading the discussion isn't ideal, but it may be better than not having the discussion at all. Not sure myself which is why I asked Bob what he thought.

I think all direct marketing of pharmaceuticas should be banned. It's ridiculous to make a person think he knows better than his doctor what medicine he should be taking just because he sees an advertisement on TV, and I'm sure doctors then are put under a lot of pressure to give out Rx that is not necessarily right for a patient, reducing quality of medical care.

That does put pressure on the doctors, but if they don't have the willpower to say no to a patient then maybe they're not good doctors.

The problem is that people are ignorant of their options. Banning advertisement will only increase this level of ignorance. The cycle of ignorance will continue. Perpetual ignorance isn't good for anyone.

How do we change that? Tell everyone to take a course in basic pharmacology?

Relevant to my interests as I'm waiting on an admissions decision for a Pharmacy program

Exactly by doing what we're doing right now in this thread; by talking about it.

Good luck on that, man.

Relevant somewhat, but I went to the doctor for the first time since Bush was president on Monday. And ironically, I've felt sick all week since going.

1. But we need to do more than talk about it, we need to stop advertising drugs for sure, because Viagra® may be a great solution for you, talk to your doctor to find out if your heart is healthy enough for sex!

2. Thanks jdr, appreciated.

3. Those doctor's bills will do that to a guy

Not advertising drugs at all is silly. Restricting advertising to people who can make informed decisions is a good compromise.

It would be amazing if the media worked that way.

I just buy my avanifil from the indian pharmacies anyway.

I went to see Jon Lovitz at Talking Stick. His erectile dysfunction joke:

'I'm going to prove that there's no such thing as erectile dysfunction! Every man that suffers from erectile dysfunction please stand up. tick, tick, tick.........(nobody stands up).
'SEE?'

Played my first 50/100 HE session on Tuesday.
I think I won ~$30 at a really tough LAG game.

It seems there's a 40/80 HE running again today (usually the highest LHE is 20/40, and the mix is usually 40/80). Hoping for a softer lineup.

Wish me luck!

Hand I witnessed: Few limps to me, I call 7-7, bunch more limps, 7 players to the flop:

Q-J-6r. UTG bets, folds to me and I fold also, gets to button who calls, HU now.

Turn: 6. UTG bets, button raises, UTG 3's! button calls. So I'm trying to guess who has what and only the obvious occurs to me: Some mixture of Q's, J's, 6's w/e who the heck knows (which is why I often lol at 'put them on ranges' bec I can't do it).

River: some unimportant card.

Try to guess the hands.



That's the bog of quicksand that I play in.

Raise preflop

Don't bother

Good fold.

Going to play the 10/20 at Canterbury tonight. Will report back my worst play of the night.

I survived a week being in charge of a teenager. /brag

He's a much better kid than I was at that age, so I'm kinda lucky in that regard.

You're a good man, Charlie Brown.