People need to stop being deluded

This topic isn't pro-drug or anti-drug. Its a get real topic

Heres what i see is happening on both sides of the spectrum

You have the people with mental illness, who go to the doctor and get meds. They are told it will correct a chemical imbalance. They then read on the internet there is no chemical imbalance. Instantly, the
"HERPA DERP THE GOVERNMENT IS POISONING US!!@!" chatter starts.

Then theres the psychiatric industry. They ARE trying to make a profit, but these drugs ARE helpful. They aren't giving you arsenic or flour in a pill. They are taking advantage of an industry, just like an electrician or a supermarket manager does.

Now, im not trying to insult anyone. All im saying is how it is

We live in a FREE country. When you go to the doctors, does he get the pill, put it in your throat, and hold your mouth closed till you swallow?
Yeah, no he doesn't. If you are going to mindlessly take pills, without doing research, get ready to face consequences.

Im a 16 year old kid. EVERY pill i have taken, i have taken with at least 3 days straight of research into it. Apart from that, i've researched every mental illness, went through countless studies to know what i know now. Im not fixed of my illness at all. Yet im also not 'messed up forever'.

Heres a truthful rundown on the medical industry

Your not born with mental illness, unless its something like fragile x, and thus it is not a physical disorder

The only drugs that can damage your brain are long term benzo's/antipsychotics/an overdose of any drug. And if you are suffering from that currently, you must ask yourself.
WHY DID I TAKE THESE DRUGS WHEN THERE ARE COUNTLESS STORIES ON THE INTERNET OF PEOPLES BRAINS BEING DAMAGED?
You are responsible for yourself. In placing blame on the medicine industry, you are saying that you have accepted the fact that they are responsible for you, which they are not. Massive hypocrisy if you have not noticed.

Long story short: Theres a thing called wikipedia. Research your drug before you take it. Learn how the brain works, dont just believe the "You have an imbalance of serotonin" theory, which is in itself impossible. Drugs are tools, not cures. Accept that. If you use them as tools, they will help you, if you use them as cures, they will maim you.

The risks are worth it. Meds are shackles, yes. But you don't mind it much when the alternative is being chained to a wall. With meds, you at least have some control.

not a bad post, Arlo.

there is an amount of craziness on both sides of the system. meds help some, not others... and if you have a choice whether to take them or not that is free choice.

the part where i disagree, is "like an electrician or a supermarket manager does" people's personal lives, health etc, is at stake, and when drs end up pill pushing in favour of offering therapy,

i think a psychiatrist has a more personal responsibility to his patients than a supermarket manager has to his customers - getting home and discovering you've been sold mouldy brocoli and a broken plate is not the same as ending up with a seroxat addiction or something.

e.g.

basically e.g. in depression, chemicals are low because you are unhappy... meds can create chemical happiness... which makes medicating a little like self-medicating, and depending on how you'd otherwise self-medicate, either slightly healthier, or slightly less.

Since when was Wikipedia a credible source of information?
If you're talking about doing research, it's better to do research on websites that actually have information on the drugs.

Some inside information as to why some people may not like drugs though, and why people may blame the doctors are pharmacists is because about ten years ago the drug information that is widely available today was mostly kept behind closed doors. This lead to a lot of problems as you might imagine. Side effects that are seen as severe today were not mentioned, which has lead to some serious consequences for people.

Sure, you can say that some people have the choice to take the drug or not. But think of children for instance, who's parents are told that it will help the child. The parent subsequently tells the child to take the pill or else. And despite the fact that it would be great if everything were as black and white as you illustrate it, it just isn't. Nothing is really that simple.

I do however think katana has made a good point overall in her/his post.

While I mostly agree, I need to point out a flaw in your logic.

Not everyone on meds takes them with fully informed consent. Young children, and people in various types of incarceration come to mind. Those are the ones that need protecting.

I worked in group homes where every single child was on psych meds. Kids as young as 5 on doses of risperidone that exceeded the recommended dose for adults, suicidal teenagers on triple the standard dose of zoloft, and kids on so much ritalin they couldn't sleep at all and had to take sleeping pills to top it all off.

If you've ever been forcibly hospitalized, you'd know that unless you go along with the treatment, you're not going to get out any time soon. Refusing meds is marked down as another symptom of some illness and it's very hard to get released while refusing to take medicine.

For both of these groups, it's common to not receive any information at all about the medications they're expected to ingest. Questions aren't welcomed.

Do you honestly think these people are lazy? Uninformed? Have the choices at their feet? They don't. They are wards of the state and historically have been the subjects of experimentation because nobody will stand up and be a voice for them.

This isn't even taking into account people who are in potentially abusive situations and at the mercy of someone making medical decisions for them.

You make it sound like everyone who takes these pills actually want them. If that's what you believe, I think part of the delusion lays on your shoulders.

The lack of informed due forced hospitalization is extremely problematic, especially since the most consistently damaging pharmaceuticals (i.e., antipyschotics and sedative/hypnotics) are widely used to restrain people who are considered to be an immediate danger to themselves and others. However, issues surrounding informed consent are largely separate from issues of efficacy, the two of which are often confused in anti-psychiatry debates.