1 - Cherarawa,
Just one question, do you, ah...practice what you...ah preach? Just curious since I noticed you don't even pass by the SHS or the gym, and make frequent trips to, you know... (Comment this)
2 - Wegesha,, first I would like to say great information(don’t forget white coat syndrome), but don’t forget that the current Ethiopian government causes us more mental illness than high blood pressure. In that note, I think we abesha need to talk about it more than anything else.. Almost 6% of the 65 million(is it 65 now) population are believed to suffer from mental illness. Me thinks the number is more than just 6%. Lawd knows what goes on in every house. I specially think mental illness in the Diaspora is a big problem and overlooked. I myself witness this demon for three years and I am telling u in the name of Gawd I would prefer to have a hypertension and cheguara than major depression, schizophrenia and anxiety. Don’t worry I am not heading to Amanuel mental hospital until iam done with my wonder drug called prozac.
You may wonder why iam bluffing about this. Imagine a brother or a sister who came from Ethiopia to what is called the land of opportunity with full of passion and optimistic to realized that America is more than a land of opportunity, don’t get me wrong I am not saying it is not . When reality hits us( no job, no money, hard to pay bills , unable to send money to back home) we also hit rock bottom. When a family member or friends find out that person is roaming the street of America and starbucks coffee shop and not doing well they ship him or her to Ethiopia by adding esuma eko abedual
The stigma associate with mental illness in our community is not easy to bare
Please lets talk about it and discuss about the signs and symptoms and what to do about it. As an ER nurse, I seen so many of them, and I sure don’t mind sharing some of my experience..
3 - Very important point Maven. It would be a great help for all to address this topic. (Comment this)
Written by:
Anonymous
at 2006/03/26 - 21:51:16
4 - Great!
Can we also get sumink on Typhoid, Typhus, Amoeba (+ cysts) and Giardiasis? These diseases are very popular among doctors and lab techncians here in Ethiopia- perhaps they are proxy indicators of other illnesses that the equipment and man power cannot pick up? Bottom line is that there are a lot of of 3rd and 4th generation Antib's being chucked around like candy, when Tetracycline or even nothing could remedy whatever illness it really is. (Comment this)
5 - Providing safe drinking water in every town is the pillar intervention to eliminate those water borne diseases. Also, EDUCATION is vital regarding antibiotics treatments and hygiene. Most of them don’t finish the 14 days treatment , which is one of the reasons those bugs are becoming more resistance to antibiotics. Now a days, multiple antibiotics is needed to get rid off easy bugs.
Amoxicillin feleghi meta that is what my sister says. (Comment this)
7 - Yea, depression. How and where does a brother get help if they don't have insurance to pay for it? (Comment this)
Written by:
Anonymous
at 2006/03/28 - 17:39:37
8 - Anonymous,
Check ur local county hospital. They provide free medical treatment. Also you can check urself to local emergency psychiatrist service.
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/ (Comment this)
9 - Dear anonymous, another suggestion, if you have access to the internet, is to search on google using these terms "community clinic + whatever city you live in". Those community clinics are intended for people of low income and those without insurance. Even if they charge you, it is very minimal to cover their cost of pen and pencils and othre office supplies. Most times the doctors will have sample medications from the companies that market it and it is intended for low income people who can't afford the medication. Although it is called "sample", the doctors get a constant supply from companies because the drug companies have an internal program to help those that can't afford the meds (ok, the companies' true intention is to promote their drug but take advantage of it regardless). Once you know what kind of medication you will be on, you can call the company directly and tell them a physician has prescribed their company's medication but you can't afford it. The company will include you in their program of "free supplies to those that can't pay for it." These are not programs companies like to advertise for obvious reasons but each company has it. Anonymous, I hope you understand medications seem to offer an easy alternative to fix problems and as a result, there is a tendency for physicians to go for their prescription pads as soon as you describe your problems. I just want you to be aware that a great social support system is the initial therapy (perhaps a sista that will cook for a brotha? I don't know, you should talk to choma about that). (Comment this)
10 - Dear anonymous
I forgot to mention one major info. I may be jumping the gun here but I can almost sense they won't talk to you about this at a community clinic or at the county hospital. Most of the commonly used drugs for depression have a common side effect; sexual dysfunction. Since they decrease libido, getting it up may be difficult but even if you get it up, these drugs are notorious for causing premature ejaculation. I just didn't want you to find out after your hard earned money has been spent on getting the girl drunk and finally bringing her home (or is that just me). There is a drug call Wellbutrin, also marketed for depression, and is known to improve sexual function. This drug, under another name (Zyban) is also marketed to aid in helping quit smoking. If you are a horny smoker, this may be the drug for you. If you ever get the option to choose from two sample drugs at the doctor's office go for Wellbutrin (when marketed for depression it is called Bupropion). (Comment this)
Just one question, do you, ah...practice what you...ah preach? Just curious since I noticed you don't even pass by the SHS or the gym, and make frequent trips to, you know... (Comment this)
You may wonder why iam bluffing about this. Imagine a brother or a sister who came from Ethiopia to what is called the land of opportunity with full of passion and optimistic to realized that America is more than a land of opportunity, don’t get me wrong I am not saying it is not . When reality hits us( no job, no money, hard to pay bills , unable to send money to back home) we also hit rock bottom. When a family member or friends find out that person is roaming the street of America and starbucks coffee shop and not doing well they ship him or her to Ethiopia by adding esuma eko abedual
The stigma associate with mental illness in our community is not easy to bare
Please lets talk about it and discuss about the signs and symptoms and what to do about it. As an ER nurse, I seen so many of them, and I sure don’t mind sharing some of my experience..
(Comment this)
Can we also get sumink on Typhoid, Typhus, Amoeba (+ cysts) and Giardiasis? These diseases are very popular among doctors and lab techncians here in Ethiopia- perhaps they are proxy indicators of other illnesses that the equipment and man power cannot pick up? Bottom line is that there are a lot of of 3rd and 4th generation Antib's being chucked around like candy, when Tetracycline or even nothing could remedy whatever illness it really is. (Comment this)
Amoxicillin feleghi meta that is what my sister says.
(Comment this)
Check ur local county hospital. They provide free medical treatment. Also you can check urself to local emergency psychiatrist service.
http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/ (Comment this)
another suggestion, if you have access to the internet, is to search on google using these terms "community clinic + whatever city you live in". Those community clinics are intended for people of low income and those without insurance. Even if they charge you, it is very minimal to cover their cost of pen and pencils and othre office supplies. Most times the doctors will have sample medications from the companies that market it and it is intended for low income people who can't afford the medication. Although it is called "sample", the doctors get a constant supply from companies because the drug companies have an internal program to help those that can't afford the meds (ok, the companies' true intention is to promote their drug but take advantage of it regardless). Once you know what kind of medication you will be on, you can call the company directly and tell them a physician has prescribed their company's medication but you can't afford it. The company will include you in their program of "free supplies to those that can't pay for it." These are not programs companies like to advertise for obvious reasons but each company has it. Anonymous, I hope you understand medications seem to offer an easy alternative to fix problems and as a result, there is a tendency for physicians to go for their prescription pads as soon as you describe your problems. I just want you to be aware that a great social support system is the initial therapy (perhaps a sista that will cook for a brotha? I don't know, you should talk to choma about that). (Comment this)
I forgot to mention one major info. I may be jumping the gun here but I can almost sense they won't talk to you about this at a community clinic or at the county hospital. Most of the commonly used drugs for depression have a common side effect; sexual dysfunction. Since they decrease libido, getting it up may be difficult but even if you get it up, these drugs are notorious for causing premature ejaculation. I just didn't want you to find out after your hard earned money has been spent on getting the girl drunk and finally bringing her home (or is that just me). There is a drug call Wellbutrin, also marketed for depression, and is known to improve sexual function. This drug, under another name (Zyban) is also marketed to aid in helping quit smoking. If you are a horny smoker, this may be the drug for you. If you ever get the option to choose from two sample drugs at the doctor's office go for Wellbutrin (when marketed for depression it is called Bupropion). (Comment this)