Comments on: In-House Counseling: Popping Pills at the Office

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:28:47 +0000

I know Mike Triforce. He works for Echert Seamen, in my opinion, one of the top Philly firms to work for.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:58:42 +0000

I used to refer to the law firm where I summered as Prozac Nation.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:26:28 +0000

ATL, please stop publishing this quack.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:05:52 +0000

I am seriously sick of this guy’s self promotion. Spend less time finding idiots to guest write on the blog and more time fixing your hosting issues.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:42:55 +0000

Mike Triforce here -
AAAAH HA HA HA HA! Buddy, do you have me pegged. Seriously, I am a 4th year associate at a large Philadelphia law firm and I waited out the last few rounds of layoffs AT HOME ON THE COUCH by taking short term (by that I mean six months) of PAID LEAVE on disability thanks to…my depression! Well, technically I had to say I was bipolar, but you know whatever. Doctors and pharmacists need to get paid. By the way, there are no side effects if you flush your meds or sell’em to college kids (in case pulling 150k for nothing doesn’t quite do it for you). Hey, I know it sounds like alot, but I had alot of free time to fill.
Now, here’s the two part genius to my plan. I will admit I didn’t think of this ahead of time, I was just a lazy con, but 1) I couldn’t have a stealth layoff because they can’t fault a performance IF ONE DIDN’T OCCUR and 2) shit, they’re scared of me now because if they drop me I simply sue for discrimination based on the Americans with Disabilities Act! I think being paid to not do or bill shit is a “reasonable accomodation” WOO WOO WOO! Suck it chumps! Obama I hope that curbing waste and abuse in the medical system thing works out for you…but not too well.
UHHHH!

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:17:57 +0000

I’m hoping that the post was really more of a “hey – we should think about whether there are other options” than a “stop-taking ADs, you idiots.”
Nonetheless, it’s hard to discern, which is a problem. The first time I read it, my immediate reaction was: “This is a person who has never struggled with serious non-situational depression, and certainly has no idea what it feels like to have that lifted from you.”
My second reaction was: God, did ATL give this guy cred because he used to work at a fancy law firm?”
ADs work for some people. For some they are lifesavers, for others they don’t do anything, or not enough to make them worthwhile. The key is to find a doc who gets that, and you, and figure it out.
And just because someone worked at Cravath/Skadden/Whatever Firm doesn’t mean they are expert at everything.
Yes, he gets law firm life, no he doesn’t really get depressed people, or how to communicate.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:25:10 +0000

[[[ First, like I said, they might not work. ]]]
So they work for clinical depression and dysthymia, although it may take a few trials to get the right medication, but not for temporary, non-clinical depression, grief, situational depression…. I can accept that. But the key point is that they work for clinical depression and dysthymia.
[[[ Second, the side-effects. ]]]
Yes, the side-effects can be bad. All the more reason not to give them to people who aren’t actually clinically depressed or dysthymic.
[[[ Third, anti-depressants only work while you’re on them. ]]]
So we’re on the same page – if you’re actually depressed or dysthymic, the correct medication works?
For some people, the boost they get from being on an antidepressant is what helps them get the CBT or make the life changes necessary to get their lives on a positive track. Frankly, if a GP is handing out antidepressant prescriptions year after year, without doing anything to encourage the patient to change his way of thinking, he’s doing his patient a disservice – but that doesn’t mean the patient would be better off unmedicated.
[[[ Fourth, to the extent they do work, it’s by erasing feelings. ]]]
Maybe that’s true for some medications or some individuals, but your generalization is otherwise false. In my experience it’s bunkum.
[[[ Fifth, ... no one really understands how they work... ]]]
So what?
Look, when I first tried antidepressants I was squarely in the skeptic’s box. Elavil (a tricyclic) was mood altering and even mind-altering, but it was more of a distraction from depression than an anti-depressant. (One of the reasons. Zoloft and Paxil offered significant side effects with no benefit. Some years later I tried Celexa and boom – wow – these things really work! And they help a lot during short-term therapy. A couple of years after that a dip back into depression, another few months of Celexa coupled with a series of deliberate lifestyle changes and I’ve never gone back. I’ve had plenty of “normal” lows, for which people who don’t know what depression is might complain, “I’m depressed” – but there’s a huge difference.
For a depressed lawyer, here’s the short version of how to help yourself: If you were a happy person before you became a lawyer, it’s probably your job that’s making you miserable. If you were a depressed or dysthymic person during the years leading up to your practice of law, you may need some medication and therapy to get out of your rut. But if you’re in either camp and hate your job, really, you can make your life a lot better by finding a different job.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:53:25 +0000

Every attorney I know is either taking some medication for depression/anxiety or has a drinking or substance abuse problem. Most I know fall into both categories.
Nature of the profession.
“Talking” with a therapist serves no useful purpose. A therapist cannot make the inordinate amount of stress, long hours, and constant beratement at work go away. A therapist cannot make you less of a perfectionist or overachiever. Yes, drugs take away the highs and lows—but that is exactly what every attorney needs….the ability to function in a high pressure environment with cool, cold, logical detachment, free from any form of extreme emotion.

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:32:44 +0000

the true nature of attorneys, which comes out anonymously on this board, makes me depressed

By: guest

guest — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:29:52 +0000

Why not just smoke some crack?