Life is awesome - argumentum ad populum

[Phaedra]

Sorry, Phae, you're an intelligent gal, but this is wildly incorrect. Studies suggest that mental disorders like depression and anxiety can often be alleviated, if not "cured," by exercise alone. They also suggest that behavioral therapy works wonders for anxiety disorders, such as OCD and PTSD. What about schizophrenia, dissociative personality disorder, manic depression, psychosis, etc? In some cases, the placebo effect did come into play, when it came to mental disorders that can be alleviated by endorphins, which can be created by the hope a new medication brings. That's not really placebo, as there are brain chemicals reacting to the specific ailment. It's not placebo in the same regard as treating a cold with placebo, as a cold is not a mental chemical imbalance. Psych meds being overprescribed does not mean that the majority of people who have mental disorders do not need them -- not by a long shot. They may only need them temporarily. They may need them all the time or they may not need them at all. It depends on the ailment, the severity and the patient's tolerance of the medications. Give a schizophrenic a placebo and you will still have a sick schizophrenic. There is scientific evidence that specific psych meds help tremendously, but patients really have to work with their doctors to find the right meds because we are talking about brain medication here. It is not one size fits all.

You're wrong. So very, very wrong.

If you want to research my claims, a good place to start is here:

http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker...renia.html

You could also read Robert Whitaker's book, "Anatomy of an Epidemic"

I asked my psychologist if what I'd read was true, and she consented that it was. I asked my psychiatrist if what I'd read was true, and he consented that it was. But, they said, "Better safe than sorry." This...despite the fact that the drugs made me more suicidal. Despite the fact that I lost motor control and skin pigment. Other victims of my sojourn into the world "meds" (which included anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, "mood-stabilizers", amphetamines, and anti-anxiety drugs) were/are my ability to think clearly, the feeling in half of my face, and a cell phone that I microwaved. I was worse off than I had been before I began treatment. My story is not unique in any way. I've found countless lunatics with stories just like mine. The side-effects may vary.