A writerly pal and blogging buddy, Lynn Rush, has some fantastic questions for today! I met Lynn several months ago on the interwebz and have become an avid fan. Not only is her blog, Catch the Rush, fun and engaging with movie trivia quotes, writer’s journeys, and guest spots with her characters, but Lynn herself is upbeat and always encouraging. And she’s written a TON of novels!!!!
Thanks, Lynn, for posing such interesting questions!
1) What is the treatment for amnesia (trauma induced)?
I’m glad you pointed out trauma induced amnesia, because there are several instances where amnesia can occur (perhaps I’ll tackle that in a later post…). Gosh, I wish I could say there was some magical medication available to cure amnesia, regardless of its cause. Alas, we don’t have such a thing.
Trauma induced amnesia leads me to believe there was some assault (injury) to the brain. A common example would be a car accident where someone hits their head and is knocked out. They could have injury ranging from mild to severe concussion to a fractured skull, coma, or brain bleed.
There are also two main types of amnesia: Retrograde (where the person doesn’t remember memories from before the incident) and Anterograde (where the person can’t make “new” memories after the incident).
Most treatment includes:
- sedatives such as low dose anti-psychotics (if the person is distraught or agitated and needs the aid of a medication to calm them)
- cognitive rehabilitation (in other words working with the person to regain skills)
- TLC (I add this becuase amnesia is a frightening experience and most benefit greatly from support of friends and family)
2) What medications would you prescribe for someone with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)?
OCD is an Anxiety Disorder where the individual suffers from intrusive, recurrent, often unpleasant thoughts (obsessions) and engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions) to ward off, defend themselves against, and fight those thoughts. It is a disorder when it interferes with the person’s functioning and when it causes significant distress. Severe forms of OCD literally take the quality of life away from someone becuase they are engaging in their thoughts and behaviors for HOURS a day.
I’m gonna amend this by saying we all have had that experience of, “Oh, crap, I left the stove on,” or “Did I lock the door when I left for work?” It’s okay to go back and check, as long as it doesn’t happen for hours a day.
Treatment includes a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (where the person works with a therapist to identify the thoughts, the emotions behind them, and strategies to break into the compulsion cycle) and medications. The most commonly prescribed medications for the treatment of OCD include anti-depressants such as Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft, Luvox, etc. (I haven’t named all of them here, but suffice it to say they all have some effect in ameliorating symptoms and it comes down to what works best for that individual.) Studies have shown Luvox to be particularly good at curbing symptoms, however, it can react with other medications when metabolized in the liver, so it is used less frequently. Another oldie, but goodie, are the TCA (tricyclic anti-depressants) class. However, they tend to be dangerous in overdose and, since the advent of Prozac and other “SSRI’s” (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors–AKA they regulate a chemical in the brain called Serotonin), they have been prescribed less and less.
3) What treatment would you try with agoraphobia? Both meds and behavioral therapy?
Like OCD, agoraphobia is considered an Anxiety Disorder.
Agoraphobia itself means: an abnormal fear of open or crowded/public spaces.
Agoraphobia is commonly associated with Panic Disorder (which occurs when an individual experiences frequent panic attacks, characterized by overwhelming anxiety, sense of doom, lightheadedness, fear of loss of control, tingling of extremities, racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, upset stomach, etc, that lasts from 5-20 minutes). The fear becomes overwhelming when the person believes there is no way out or they will be completely unable to get help if something bad happens. The general cycle is that someone has a panic attack, then anticiapates it occurring in that location again, so they avoid going there, then another panic attack happens somewhere else and they avoid going there, until finally, they are literally housebound.
Treatment for Agoraphobia, like OCD, is two-fold. While avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations is helpful in the short-term (we all use this strategy, by the way), it tends to have negative consequences in the long-term (ex. becoming housebound because you can no longer go anywhere). So, CBT and something called Exposure Response Therapy is helpful because it helps the person confront their fear with the guidance of a therapist.
Therapy is often supplemented with medications. Anti-depressants again are most effective in these cases because they help regulate Serotonin and help the individual to cope better with their anxiety.
Alrighty, gang, we covered a lot of material here today–I hope y’all made it to the end, LOL! Any questions or clarifying I can do?
And don’t forget to check out Lydia’s post on Medical Monday!
Great questions, Lynn. Thanks for posting another great Mental Health Monday, Laura. You’re right, Lynn, is awesome! Always upbeat and kind.
Amnesia is always funny in the movies, but recently my eldest had a frightening experience with a friend suffering a concussion during a football game. The young man came off the field with no memory of where he was or who my son was. It freaked him out.
OCD- when my middle son was only old enough to crawl we use to think it was cute/funny that if you dropped trash on the floor he’d scurry over, pick it up, and crawl to the trash can to throw it away. Of course, we didn’t know it was part of a disorder. Not for a couple years, anyway.
Thanks for sharing these today.
Amnesia IS scary! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Dialogue spreads knowledge and understanding. Thank you.
Thanks for the shout out, Laura. I love hearing about psych stuff. Thanks for answering some of my questions, too. These Mental Health Mondays are awesome.
Thanks, Lynn! Much appreciated. You asked great questions!!
My crit partner’s main character is dealing with Traumatic Amnesia. She can’t remember the past. Great post! As always.
Mental Health Mondays rock as does Lynn.
BTW, is there a clinical diagnosis for Monday Morning Blues? I hate them and it’s always there…
LOL, Monday Morning Blues. That’s a toughy becuase it is so ubiquitous. The “cure” is not working, but alas, one has to pay the bills. 😉
Great post Laura! Could an agoraphobic have one comfortable place that they frequent? I want to write in a character that rarely leaves his house but will go to the corner bar, or is that unrealistic?
Yes, people with agoraphobia CAN leave their homes. Feeling safe is key. If your character feels safe in the corner bar, then it’s okay for them to go there. But if the grocery store strikes panic, then they’ll probably balk. 😉
Awesome – thanks!
Excellent questions! Thanks Laura for sharing all your knowledge. Exposure response therapy sounds fascinating. ANd, er, scary!
ERT does sound scary. The good thing is that it is done in graded exposures and the person can go at their own pace.
Wow! I feel like I just crammed for a test, lol. Great stuff here! My b/f always jokes that I have Pre-pre-OCD b/c I’m too lazy to have full blown OCD. ;p I think he has turrets. 😉
Great post. I love reading Mental Health Mondays. I’ve seen these disorders in books and movies. I think Monk is my favorite example of OCD. I also like thre Drew Berrymore movie where she has a TBI which affects her short-term memory. Anne Rice has a character that has acrophobia which was my first introduction to the order.