I'm going to be talking about my experiences with the mental health system in Canada so some of it might not be completely transferable to the US - but I've only experienced top notch care. I have a psychiatrist who actually talks and listens to me both about my meds and about the psycho/social components of my illness. I spent 8 weeks in a psychiatric hospital with very caring staff and if I hadn't I probably wouldn't be here. As for meds. They've literally saved my life I didn't know how different things could be until I went on anti-D's and a decent anti psychotic made a huge difference in my life. Once we got the dossage right, I felt like I was 20 again before all my mental health problems started.

Point taken about meds being expensive - mine run around $600 a month. But that's just as much an insurance issue as it is a pharmaceutical company issue. The pharma companies have a right to make a profit, but what pisses me off is when insurance companies won't pay or have high co pays for psych meds.

Just my 2 cents.

---splitimage