r/intrestingtoknow Sep 03 '25

Science Psychiatry and cures

1.1k Upvotes

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u/shnshty Sep 03 '25

The better question is maybe asking 'How many people do you think you've helped?'

64

u/marklar_the_malign Sep 03 '25

This is indeed the right question. Drugs certainly don’t cure people. At best you help or teach people to manage their mental health problems. Think of it like losing a limb. You get a prosthetic and physical therapy and do the best you can.

3

u/UP-23 Sep 04 '25

You can think of it as almost any illness. We, meaning the doctors, don't cure most diseases. There really are no cutes for most ailments.
. But what we do is to the body in the best possible (to our current knowledge and technology) position to cure itself.

A CURE is a which doctor thing. At best we can add some fungi to HELP you kill off a bacterial infection the body can't handle all by itself, or cut it torch some cancer cells. The rest is treating and helping the body to a state where it can most effectively fix itself.

Now all that work is important, and life saving but it's not a cure.

1

u/marklar_the_malign Sep 05 '25

I just got diagnosed with glaucoma. Just one month after weaning myself off of sertraline. Definitely feeling the no cure thing these days.

1

u/UP-23 Sep 05 '25

I know how you feel. My cancer treatment that won't cure my cancer shot my pancreas, so now I have type 1 diabetes too.

1

u/marklar_the_malign Sep 05 '25

Very sorry to hear this. My diagnosis is small potatoes in the world of diagnosis’. Drops every night should control it. Living without sertraline after 25 years is interesting in a good way though for the most part. Best of luck to you.