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Re:Ketamine lifts depression via a byproduct of its metabolism by GavinMcG on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @11:40AM (#11902721)
Doesn't a finding like this move us a big step away from that double-edged problem? I would dispute your claim that people think all they need to do is chew on some shrooms, etc. – I've never seen an article that suggested anything of the sort. But even if that were the case, discovering that the psychedelic effects may be separable from the antidepressant effect moves us away from that idea. Yet you seem to treat this news negatively.
Re:Ketamine lifts depression via a byproduct of its metabolism by rm_-rf_slash on Tuesday June 14, 2016 @11:43AM (#11902743)
Sadly, you seem to have missed my point, which is not to say that there is anything wrong with the science, but rather folks who would read the same article and think "maybe all I need is a good trip and I don't need no stinkin' doctor to tell me what to do or how much to take."
Re:Ketamine lifts depression via a byproduct of its metabolism by aminorex on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @05:13AM (#11908032)
At a guess, the majority would be correct. In general, physicians, like all humans, are incompetent and self-interested. Absolving yourself of personal responsibility by ceding your autonomy to an authority figure rarely works out. This is why I hate compulsory government healthcare: Physicians cease to be employees or voluntary servants who help, and become police (or tax farmers) who control and exploit. It is human nature.
Re:Ketamine lifts depression via a byproduct of its metabolism by GavinMcG on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @05:11PM (#11912180)
> In general, physicians, like all humans, are incompetent and self-interested

Self-interested, perhaps. But assuming that physicians are representative of the broader population when it comes to incompetence is really poorly-grounded.

Re:Ketamine lifts depression via a byproduct of its metabolism by aminorex on Thursday June 16, 2016 @12:45AM (#11914054)
I have had close friends killed by grossly incompetent diagnosticians, and seen numerous botched and often superfluous surgeries. Completely anecdotal, but evidently typical of rural environs.