Mental Health Medication Awareness

I am so happy to find this forum topic here. As a survivor of the overuse and misuse of mental health medications through improper diagnosis (over and over again) and inadequate monitoring and/or initial evaluation I must admit that I am on some sort of 'mission' to expose that these medications are NOT 'miracle cures' and actually can cause serious and traumatic side effects, something you are NOT told about by the doctor(s). Maybe they do have a place, but I really doubt this after my experience and witnessing so many others who don't really get any better on them. The system is designed for the patient to NOT get better. Anyone who disagrees can explain to me why I got worse and worse while in 'treatment' including many combinations of medications, therapy (in-patient and out-patient), ECT, etc. and then have gotten miracously better and back to 'normal' after ending all of these 'treatments'. I have a few ideas on how to raise the awareness, but forums like this are a welcome sight to see that is for sure! I have done an amateur website at http://www.freewebs.com/stopthemadness_now/index.htm and am hoping to have another with more of a minstry aspect up and running soon. So far I have posted my own story, a place for others stories (need some to add), links and related resources (finding more to add all the time), and a gallery of poetry and art done while under the influence of medication revealing what is going on within the mind under such mind altering medications and how fast that change can happen. Check it out if you have a chance. I hope to visit back here often and to catch up on what has already been posted. I love the posting about Tom Cruise and it is so refreshing to hear that someone else doesn't think that he is the 'crazy' one and actually had a point that wasn't given nearly enough attention especially since the FDA released that they were looking into the effects of antidepressants on adults as well right after the whole Tom Cruise and Brooke Shields controversy. What a perfect time for everything to have come to light, but the networks couldn't lose their advertising dollars now could they?? Take care and once again, I applaud this forum!

Good, job. Start the crusade of exposing the f!#$ed up western medicine system. It's abuse, it's the communism of medicine! These people who work and deal with this stuff are money greedy crooks. They need to be exposed!

If any of you a$$holes are reading this then wake up. We want a good world, a peaceful world, a world where you know that everyone is doing the best for everyone. A world where people can get CURED from mental illnesses, not just sedated like idioits. That's madness!

Western Medicine has got to be the biggest scam in Western history... and the strange thing is that their getting away with it. I just feel bad for the innocent people that fall into the perscription trap, the further you dwell in it the further the route back is. Unfortunetly for many people their is no way back, like a crack addict who can't kick the habit after years of doing it!

I hope we can all wake up, and find cures not curses!

Western Medicine has got to be the biggest scam in Western history... and the strange thing is that their getting away with it. I just feel bad for the innocent people that fall into the perscription trap, the further you dwell in it the further the route back is. Unfortunetly for many people their is no way back, like a crack addict who can't kick the habit after years of doing it!

I completely agree with you and thank you for your response. I used to trust the media in most ways, but through this experience I see more and more everyday on tv and in magazines the advertising that the drug companies are doing and have realized no wonder they don't report the horrific effects the meds have. They would lose their advertising dollars. The myth is that both sides of a story are exposed like so many reporters say they do. I am finding that they say just enough to 'cover' themselves about these meds might not be for everyone, but then the rest of what they say is totally biased towards using the meds. I just wrote a reply to an article in Parents magazine (Oct 2005 issue) called "Could antidepressants make you a better parent?". They say that these meds can have "annoying" side effects...annoying???? I am sorry but they are more than "annoying"!!! They end the article with "when you are feeling more upbeat and relaxed, you're more likely to be a first-rate parent - the happy ending every mom wants." does that sound like an ad for the drug companies or what!!!! The sad thing is that many, many mothers will read this and feel like that is the answer for any and all of their problems. I am sorry to tell them that I don't know one single person who has taken these meds who have ended up with that promised 'happy ending'!!! Bringing me to the point made in the last post that these are innocent people being caught in the prescription trap! They DO become addicted and I don't know how to explain it scientifically or anything but I have SEEN it and EXPERIENCED it and that is good enough for me! The drug companies deny it but I don't trust them as far as I can throw them! My closest friend started Zoloft before I ended up on Celexa (I thought it was working for her so why not try it right??? I was WRONG!!!!). She is now 5 yrs later wanting to go off it and you know what...yes...you guessed it...she can't! She has tried and she goes through such terrible side effects that she can't make it through it. Doesn't that sound very similar to someone going through rehab for alcohol or drugs??? And don't misunderstand by thinking that she is fine on the meds either. She definitely doesn't have that 'more upbeat and relaxed' feelings as promised and in my opinion is no better off than before meds. I know another person I was inpatient with in 2001 and she stands by the fact that she needs meds, but you know what? She still seems to struggle as much and when I first met her and has gone from new combination to new combination. I KNOW I would be the same way if I hadn't fought to stop these meds and actually moved out of state to get away from all of the ones that were trying to keep me on them. Even if someone doesn't end up in death or prison on meds, they still remain a prisoner of the drug companies and every day they find it harder to escape. This is not the result of a 'study' but from personal experience which should have more influence since there are SO MANY with the SAME experiences. YES...we need to WAKE UP before we lose anymore lives and personalities to this epidemic.