Styron Psychological Analysis

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“Dr. Gold told me once or twice during our sessions that I should try to avoid the hospital at all costs, owing to the stigma I might suffer” (Styron, 1989). This comment along with misguided medication dosages are one of the issues regarding the treatment William Styron received for depression. Throughout Styron’s novel, he describes his disorder of depression slowly creeping onto him as time passes. He is reluctant to seek professional help until an incident in Paris makes him realize he struggles with a disorder in his mind that could lead to a fatal outcome. Styron is a typical individual who puts off treatment or seeking professional help until a dramatic event occurs. Many individuals are in denial there is something not right about …show more content…

Dr. Gold prescribed Styron Ludiomil. When Styron took Ludiomil he experienced many side effects including blocking his bladder. When he informed Dr. Gold about the side effects he was experiencing Dr. Gold decided to change his antidepressant to Nardil. This brings the issue of medication in treatment of mental illness and its effectiveness. The issue is patients must wait a certain amount of length before switching medications. For Styron he had to wait ten days so his system would be clear of the previous drug before taking the new medication. For patients suffering all day everyday with a disorder this time period can be gruesome for them. Even after waiting the time period for their systems to be cleared they have to wait additional weeks for medication to be effective. Medication treatment is a gamble because even after enduring time waiting for the treatment to kick in it’s not guaranteed the medication will be effective for the disorder trying to be treated. This cycle of finding the right medication for patients can be frustrating and one of the reasons patients quit treatment or seeking a …show more content…

It is very different learning the medical aspects of depression and hearing someone who has suffered from the disorder. Styron states in his novel, “I shall never learn what ‘caused’ my depression, as no one will ever learn about their own” (Styron, 1989). With depression there is no origin of where the disorder begins. There isn’t a pinpoint event when an individual can say, ‘this caused my depression’ or ‘it started after this event occurred’. Learning about individuals not knowing when or why their depression occurred help me understand why the disorder was so difficult to treat. If patients do not know why they have depression how can a psychologist help treat the disorder when there’s no cause to why individuals begin experiencing depression. PTSD, unlike depression, psychologist can understand why their patients are experiencing symptoms because patients are able to know the origin of where their disorder

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