Posted by Quintal on June 7, 2007, at 14:55:57
In reply to Re: The right to non-compliance » Quintal, posted by Squiggles on June 7, 2007, at 14:15:18
>This is not necessarily the case. You're lucky, and depending on............Absolutely.
>I think that statistics paint a grim picture.
I haven't looked at the statistics and as a rule I'm not inclined to accept them as infallible truth at face value. What agency was the source of those statistics, and what are their politics in this issue?
>I'll tell you why:
>because when my "counterfeit, or botched or old" lithium supply made me feel wonderful for the first few months, and then drove me to a psychotic state, in which only suicide seemed an escape, i realized that at >6months it could not have been withdrawal, but bipolar relapse. I reinstated and got stable, burning a few neurons in the course. That's why.What drugs exactly were you taking when you had this psychotic episode, and how did you discover that your lithium was "counterfeit, or botched or old"? Did you ever find out what it actually contained?
>As I said, most of the drugs we have suck, and the diagnosis is probably wrong 80% of the time. We are not there yet. I suppose it is possible for some people to live with mental illness, but for it is hell.
I'm not sure how often the diagnosis is 'wrong', but one thing that concerns me about modern American psychiatry is the huge rise in diagnosis (and liberal medication of) 'grey area' illnesses like soft bipolar, adult ADHD etc and the fashion for broadening diagnostic criteria almost to the point of pathologizing aspects of normal life. I think much of what is now being diagnosed as mental illness is more likely to be emotional disturbance or maladjustment, and the assumption that these 'illnesses' will require life long medication (to correct some biological deficit) is inappropriate and in some cases damaging. It's a growing concern that as a consequence many Americans are being overmedicated. Too much medication will cause chemical imbalances and make people unwell so the whole process can be counterproductive in these cases, unless of course you're the one making money from it.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:761591
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070604/msgs/761660.html