The adrenal glands, situated on top of the kidneys, normally secrete adrenalin in response to the “fight or flight” system of the body.  This is why in situations where you need to be alert you can be.  This is why people can lift cars in an emergency.  This system is great when the body does it naturally.  What people don’t realize is that caffeine can seriously affect these glands causing damage.

Caffeine causes this system to fire.  This is why drinking caffeine causes one to be alert and able to focus better.  There is also less need for sleep.  If this is done once in a while the body can generally adjust.  The problem occurs for those who consume caffeine on a regular basis to achieve this alertness.  The adrenal glands secrete adrenalin in response to the caffeine and since for many drinking caffeine is a regular occurrence the adrenal glands do not get a break.  The concern here is that eventually the adrenal glands try to secrete adrenalin that is no longer available, having to dig deeper into the body’s system to get what they need.  This is why after a couple of hours, when the body begins to wind down people reach for another coffee or coke.  As time goes on the requirement of caffeine to maintain the same level of alertness increases.  This is what causes “adrenal exhaustion.”  This is what causes crashes.  The need for sleep increases dramatically and one may become confused, irritable, depressed and even experience mood swings.

How much is too much?  Research shows that as little as one 14 oz cup of coffee per day is enough.  Eat a well balanced breakfast and lunch and get an appropriate amount of sleep and one will be just as alert and a lot healthier.

On February 01, 2011, I visited the Emergency Department of a downtown Edmonton hospital.  I was feeling suicidal and wanted to hurt myself in any way possible.  I was quickly sent off to the Mental Health section the ER.  There I saw a Psychiatrist and a resident.  They asked me what was going on so I explained.  The Psychiatrist and resident then proceeded to tell me that there was nothing they could do.  Due to my history, which they did NOT get from me, they said hospitalization was not going to work.  The doctor stayed for about five minutes and was then called away.  The resident remained to ask more questions.

I had been sent to this hospital by referral from another hospital that did not have psychiatric care.  The doctor and resident read my history and made their decisions before talking with me.  I never saw the psychiatrist again.  The resident asked me about the drugs that I take.  She got the list from a computer-generated report of what the pharmacy had recently filled.  The resident had written down over four pages of drugs.  It concerned me that she had written down each drug two to four times and had not even noticed the duplicate entries.  When I brought this to her attention, she was surprised and didn’t seem to know how that happened.  When I mentioned there were a couple drugs missing, she acted like she didn’t believe me.  I then when on to inform her again that my husband and I were extremely concerned about my safety.  She told me that was her main concern also.  This was said this with no emotion or concern and it was obvious that she was just trying to pacify me.  I was so upset that they were sending me back on the streets with absolutely no help.

The resident told me that they would hook me up with a community program for a few weeks.  I was informed that since I live outside Edmonton, it would be my responsibility to come back to the hospital to see them.  When I explained that I don’t drive, and that my ride has other commitments, she said that was my problem and not hers.  The resident was one of the most dispassionate “professionals” I have ever talked with.  What worries me is that this woman already has a medical degree and she now wants to treat a group of people that require a lot of care and compassion.

Once I left the downtown hospital with my husband, I also learned that the Manager of the ER had phoned him to find out where I was.  The hospital had lost me. What is the concern with telling the husband of a suicidal wife that she has gone missing?  No doubt any things ran through my husband’s head.  To top it all off, outside of going to the washroom ONCE, I did not leave my room.  I left this hospital very upset and feeling even worse mentally than before I went in.

West End Hospital

The next day, when things were just as bad, I called my family physician.  She referred me to a west end hospital because she had previously been very happy with their psychiatric department.  At this hospital, my treatment went from bad to worse.  Here I was told by the ER doctor that I was 34 years old and should know better.  This ER doctor said she was not going to get Psychiatry involved because the downtown hospital had already done a work-up.  This confused me since the downtown hospital had NOT done a work-up.

The west end ER doctor then told me that when I get thoughts of harming myself, I should run up and down stairs until my legs burn.  Had she asked, she would have found out that this is physically impossible.  When I mentioned that I had trouble going to the kitchen as there are knives there, she simply said to stay out of the kitchen.  When I explained that my husband was concerned, she said that that was what I wanted, and that I was doing this for attention.  She compared me to herself though I forgot to ask her if she also suffered from depression or other mental illness.

When I told her I was impulsive, she told me I WASN’T because if I was I would jump out of a moving vehicle.  My thought to this was, “Great!  Another way to kill myself.”  This so-called professional, although not trained in psychiatry, acted like she knew it all.

Conclusion

At both hospitals I was treated like a second rate citizen.  I have often told myself I would rather have a physical illness since it is easier to understand.  Both hospitals sent a very depressed and suicidal patient back to the street.  All doctors involved and the resident did not seem to care and acted as if I was wasting their time.  Looking back, THEY were actually wasting provincial health care dollars.

At a hospital two hours away, in another city, I finally found the care I needed and deserved.

Between hospital visits I had talked with the Provincial Crisis Hot Line.  They were extremely efficient, caring, and a wonderful resource to me during a difficult time.