medication for treatment of mental illness

NLG commenting to mentalblog.com: Jews and pills: till death do us part:

There's no question that anti-depressants can be extremely risky for certain populations, including those suffering from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. But don't make the ignorant mistake of attacking all use of medications to treat mental illness. Most psychiatrists today understand that for a person suffering from bipolar (which is what reports say Mr. Kanovsky suffered from) they don't prescribe anti-depressants. They prescribe other medications that have demonstrated incredible efficacy at reducing mood swings and psychosis.

Not to mention the innumerable lives saved, and quality of life improved, for chronic depression sufferers who working with their doctors find the right antidepressant.

The problem is not with medications per se. The problem is with irresponsible prescribing of medications without proper diagnosis or comprehensive monitoring.

Nor are most people who suffer from depression "hooked for life" if they take them. I know from personal experience with more than a half dozen people close to me who have suffered from depression that it is possible to use them only for severe episodes, and to stop taking them after the severe depression lifts and use other therapies and modalities to deal with the more moderate symptoms.

It's silly, at best, and at worst terrible ignorance, to rant in broad generalities about the use of medication for treatment of mental illness. Lots of people suffer horrible side-effects from chemotherapy, for example, but nobody seriously argues that all chemo should be stopped.