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Originally Posted by Nomad17
Hi everyone,
Let me begin by saying I'm 17 and I've been on multiple different psychiatric drugs for depression, anxiety, and OCD since I was 14 years old. Lately I've become very suspicious of psychiatric medications, and really all drugs in general...and the government which really ties in here (MK ultra, etc.). However, I've realized that it doesn't matter whether or not I think the government is using medication to control my thoughts and make me conform into being a contributing member of society, because I'm still 17 and can do NOTHING about it. It sucks. I would quit taking meds in a heartbeat. I want to stop my medication. I hate it. I think it's changing me fundamentally as a person, stealing my thoughts, and turning my brain into mush. When I turn 18, I plan on stopping medications completely. I've already stopped taking my meds once, which only made my parents and the doctors give me more, which really just made me more suspicious. What if this is all widespread mind control by the government to keep us all the same? What if we're medicating great minds and stifling amazing personalities? What if the "crazy" or "paranoid" ones really know the truth and are being labelled in order for them to be controlled and/or ignored?
I think about this a good bit and have started freaking people out/annoying them because I talk about it obsessively. I just wondered if there were any other people who felt the same way and also what other people think about taking meds. I could just be paranoid like some people say, but I really don't think I'm really the only one. I can't be.
Any thoughts/opinions/feelings are much appreciated as I'm very interested in this topic in general.
Also this was not meant to offend anyone in any way if you support/endorse the use of these types of drugs. It is just my personal opinion/belief.
Nomad
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I do not believe the government is out to control our minds via medication. As one of the other posters said, though, pharmaceutical companies are for profit. We know that. Yes, there is a motive to make money. But that doesn't mean they are not producing drugs that are genuinely useful. The two are not mutually exclusive - making money and making useful products.
Sure, I would love to jettison all of my meds. It's sort of a pain taking them. But I really don't want to go back to crippling depression and miserable anxiety. On the right meds, I don't feel zombified. I feel like I am restored to my normal self, with my normal feelings and enthusiasms back. They are not perfect, but they sure are helpful. I owe my graduate degree to an antidepressant that gave me enough focus back and relieved my symptoms enough to let me actually write my thesis. Boy was I grateful.
Great and creative minds (not that I think I'm one of them...
don't function all that well or do their great and creative things when they're in the throes of really bad mental illness.
I'm sorry you feel you are being medicated against your wishes, being still a minor. I would not like that either. Have you discussed your concerns with your parents and your psychiatrist? They should listen to your concerns and talk them through with you and work with you on decisions. Are you seeing a therapist, and if so, have you discussed your concerns with him or her? If you're getting obsessed about this, you really need to be talking to a therapist about it.
But Let's step back for a moment and put that issue aside (consent about meds). Let me ask a few other questions:
1. How bad were your anxiety and depression and OCD? Were you suffering badly? I am guessing you may have been to have been medicated at a young age and for so long, but only you and your family know your history.
2. Have you gotten any relief from of your symptoms with the meds?
3. When/if you did not feel you were getting relief, or when you had too many side effects, did your doctor work with you to find better options?
4. Were you at all satisfied with your meds prior to reading/thinking about and getting concerned about government control of your thoughts? In other words, are you letting fear drive your concerns, as opposed to objectively taking stock of how effective the medications are? Try to get some help divorcing your thoughts form worry about government control and try to objectively think about whether aspects of your life are better (or not) with meds, and if so, which symptoms and which meds.
If you want to stop your meds to see how you do without them, that's something best decided in collaboration with your doctor. If you do it, then the two of you would plan it out and do it slowly. If you do great without them, that would be really nice, but there's also nothing wrong with being prepared to go back on if you feel really miserable off meds.
Good luck.