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alexandra_k said:
Anti psychotics were used to sedate people so they weren't management problems well BEFORE the days of managed care.

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Good point. I do think managed care makes the situation worse though.

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alexandra_k said:
I think that it is important to resist the

'if your meds work for you then you have a legitimate disorder'
vs
'if your meds don't work for you then you are a whiny whinge with nothing really wrong with you' line.

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Oh I never meant to suggest that at all. There are plenty of people with geniune mental illnesses whose meds don't work for them. I'm concerned that these people's experiences are being discounted by the people who've had good experiences w/meds. That was the point of my post.

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alexandra_k said:
parents can be genuinely distressed and upset that they can't manage their childs behaviour better - and they can be attempting to seek help the best way they know how (and the doctor suggests that 'it isn't your fault - just give him some ritalin).

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That's a sad reflection of our society. Unfortunately people sometimes like to use biology because they don't want to admit that they might have made some mistakes. Doctors need to be more responsible about prescribing meds instead of taking kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies. People who have mental disorders should be offered a variety of treatment options including but not limited to medications.

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alexandra_k said:
I don't think anybody is trying to trivialize your experience.

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True, that's not the intent but that's the inevitable result of overdiagnosing mental disorders. Not just my experiences, but the experiences of every person who has ever struggled with a mental illness. I mean, we've gotten to the point where textbooks are describing clinical depression as the "common cold" of mental disorders and I find that VERY disturbing. The people who suffer from true clinical depression are really being screwed over by this. That's why we need to fight against overmedicating. The truly clinically depressed are being ignored and stigmatized and told to "just get over it" because depression is supposedly just like the "common cold".

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alexandra_k said:
I think we should be wary of trivilizing the experience of those who manage off meds or of those who think that meds are what they need (including the pill poppers).

I mean... Their attitude isn't so very surprising given the marketing - is it?

The medicalization of distress...

And the drug companies get richer...

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Yeah the drug companies are pretty f-ed up.