I have avoided this thread so far because I have very strong opinions on this subject and because I felt that the title was very inflammatory to begin with. I was hoping that it would just go away on its own. Unfortunately it hasn't, so here goes...

First, if someone is posting in a "supportive" mental health community, for the purpose of educating those members with their own mental health issues or who are dealing with a loved ones MI, why would you use such an inflammatory title?? Why would you use a title that just perpetuates the stigma we deal with from others or continue to heap on ourselves at are lowest???

Why would you bury your "support" for those of us who have had a positive experience with the use of medication, within the same paragraph where you use the terms such as "emotional flat line" & "frontal lobotomy"?? HMMM... Doesn't sound very supportive to me. But hey, I'm on medication and my thought processes are "controlled" right?

Anyway, let me say that medication has been a life saver, literally! I have been treated off and on for the past 30 years. I was hospitalized in the mid 70's when the only medications out there were the major tranquilizers. I had ECT and the hospital pdoc even floated the idea of a lobotomy past my parents, I was 16. Yes, those were the days....

I did try life without medications, many, many times. I have gone years without medications. They were not good years, not for me or my loved ones. I have had therapy and continue to have therapy on a as needed basis for years. We discuss my fear of the stigma of mental illness. We discuss the years I made my family miserable and my guilt over not following the doctor's suggestion to take medication. Trust me, I should have! Having clear thought processes would have made the world of difference in my life. I would have had many less regrets...anyway.

My diagnosis is "Major Depression with Psychotic Features". Now, I take medication daily and yes and one of those is even a dreaded "anti-psychotic". I have a family who still loves me, I work full-time in an intellectually stimulating job that I love and I haven't had a relapse in 5 years. Are my thought processes "controlled"? No, but they are definitely much clearer and more organized. Is my behavior controlled? No, but I am less likely to attempt suicide on my medication. Am I "emotionally flat lined"? No, but I will say that at times, when I have had to have medication adjustments, I do sometimes go through a period of fatigue until my body adjusts. A small price to pay for continued good mental health.

In closing, are psychiatric medications sometimes over prescribed..... probably. Are there some people who are prescribed anti-cholesterol meds when a life style change would be enough.... probably. Are there people with Type 2 Diabetes that are prescribed meds when a life style change again would be enough ..... probably. The only real difference is that with the hot topic of mental illness, we, those of us who brave the stigma and seek treatment, are not only fighting ourselves, but have to justify our need for medications in threads like these.