VIOLENCE
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to be forgotten . Medication can be helpful , but I find it is rare that the first trial of a medication is effective . Often a trial of the three to four medicines or combination of medication is needed , not to mention that medication can take three to five weeks before becoming effective .
I have a patient that I began seeing in Spring of this year , and it was not until our third meeting that he had the courage to tell me what was truly bothering him and contributing to his symptoms of anxiety and depression . He is a foreign national living here as a student . His home country , like so many these days , has been torn apart by war . His fear of being sent back home into danger has severely affected his sleep , appetite , concentration , mood and ability to study . His personal relationships suffer because of his heightened levels of anxiety . He is fearful of applying for asylum because he thinks this may bring him to the attention of authorities and that he will now be on the radar to be sent back as soon as he earns his degree . He became tearful as he told me of friends and family dying , and the guilt he has because he got out of his war-torn country to be where it is safer . He has heard stories about people returning home who are harassed and arrested under
The repeated stories of violence or knowing someone who suffered from a horrific event awakens our senses to the possibility of the same thing happening to us .
false accusations . He avoids news reports about what is happening in his country and to his fellow countrymen because it makes his ruminations worse and increases his guilt of being safe . Medication has helped tamp down his symptoms but cannot ease his mind of the fear of being killed if he returns , or the fear for the safety of those left behind . The memories of his childhood : playing with friends in the street , going to school and being carefree , seem unreal and more like a dream than an actual reality .
Violence has a very profound effect and can have dire consequences to our physical health and long-term mental health . We know how to treat the symptoms of the resulting illness and continue to refine and look for new treatments , which is admirable . Studies need to be done to understand why these things occur , or how we may be able to protect ourselves from grave events . The real solution lies in violence prevention and in having open , civil discourse . Just as important is early recognition of symptoms and getting into treatment as early as possible .
Dr . Lydon is a practicing psychiatrist and founder of Sensible Psychiatric Services .
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MARK73704 | APP _ 8 / 29 / 2017
22 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE