> I felt that the title was very inflammatory to begin with.

The American Psychiatric Association hailed anti-psychotics as a signfiicant breakthrough precisely because they (were alledged) to act as a chemical straightjacket. When they said that that was how anti-psychotics acted they certainly didn't intend to be inflammatory. They meant to be descriptive. They meant to be describing their action. All the benefits of a lobotomy with the bonus of being reversible (though that aspect hasn't worked out so well).

That isn't being inflammatory. Or at least... Not more inflammatory than the American Psychiatric Association was when they were (intending to be) raving about the benefits of these new medications.

> 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"??

Well... Why would you bury your "support" for those of us who have had a negative experience with the use of medication?

I think the idea is that this forum is mostly PRO drugs / medication. I thought that the poster was (fairly refreshingly) posting from the other side of that.

> 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....

Yeah. A chemical lobotomy. Lucky you (literally).

> 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.

I agree that it isn't only psychiatric medication that is over prescribed.

I do think that there is a significant difference with the efficacy of medications with known mechanisms of action vs psychiatric meds, however. I think that the diabetic and insulun metaphor is only as good as the relationship between psych disorders and their medications - and the relationship isn't anywhere near as good.

We hear a great deal about how 'mental illness isn't anybody's fault it is irreversible and genetic' and 'it wasn't their fault they have a mental illness they didn't have any volountary control over that at all' and so on.

In one respect those above descriptions are... Liberating. Destigmatising (perhaps)

In another respect those above descriptions are... A life sentance. Stigmatising.

Depends on your thoughts on the issue, I guess.

I think we hear a lot about the former line (I have something like diabetes that I have no control over). Liberating for some - stigmatising for others.

I took this thread to be posting in support of those who feel stigmatised.

There are many others here who post in support of those who feel liberated by being categorised and being told they have a mental disease just like diabetes...

You don't have to justify the efficacy of your meds. But then... I don't have to justify the inefficacy of my experiences with meds either.