Posted by clint878 on October 27, 2006, at 10:53:09
Most people are aware of people who support the "anti-psychiatry" movement, which claims that there are no mental illnesses and that society marginalizes people who don't act the way others do.
While I'm not sure I would agree with this rather simplistic assessment, there is one progression of iatrogenic events that they have mentioned that does sound like it may occur to some people.
It goes like this: someone becomes depressed (but not suicidal), and goes to see a psychiatrist after suffering for a few months. The psychiatrist prescribes an antidepressant. The patient takes the antidepressant, which causes mania. He then goes to the hospital for treament of the manic episode, and is prescribed an antipsychotic. The antipsychotic works partially, but causes tardive dyskinesia. The patient is then prescribed other antipsychotics to deal with the TD, and ends up with akathisia, along with the original depression, and the mania, AND the TD. Eventually he is so messed up he commits suicide rather than continue live in such a horrible state.
While I'd like to say that this stuff doesn't happen, I fear it does more often than is publicized. Are my fears unfounded?
poster:clint878
thread:698173
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061020/msgs/698173.html