completely abdicated on the entire notion of free will, and yes, I do find that disturbing.

I'm sorry you feel the need to do that, for whatever reason.

You do have control, if you think about it, even the decision to seek the treatment demonstrates an ability to interact with and assert yourself in your environment.

Flip it back to you: Is the idea that you have control scary or intimidating to you?

The responding posters seem absolutely terrified/enraged at the mere suggestion that they might not be ill, or, to put it more exactly, that each of the 80 million people on ADs might not be as ill as they claim to be, or that the language used to describe mood disorders might be inaccurate or loaded in some way. In fact, fear is the prevalent tone of the thread.

Fascinating. But very strange.

You each have given me some food for thoughts. Thanks for your responses.

because they are not the same thing, and you know it.

that'll make sure we cover all the bases.

Obviously, as Speeder says, if you even need to ask yourself if you need it, you do.

So we'll just do away with all the pesky doubters. Court-mandated ADs for everybody who goes against the grain will solve the problem.

I believe we'll get there before long.

I have now been ordered...commanded....by the posters to get therapy, get "help", and to "take something".

When faced with a nonspecific challenge to American notions of pathology (the subject of the article), AND after pontificating for 45 pages that the doubters are unqualified armchair experts, these people viciously pathologize in turn a person on the internet they have never even met....

The recurring word is "scary". I'm "scary", the subject is "scary", everything is scary. Unbelievably, I don't think the order to go take a pill was even meant ironically.

And there's something wrong with ME?

Beyond the extent that there is "something" wrong with everybody, I doubt it. On what basis do you think I need therapy or drugs? Because I dared to challenge your assumptions? Is that all it takes?

This is where we get where we are today. I had my doubts about the article when I started but now I believe the author is 1000% correct.

You have convinced me.

Now I have been armchair diagnosed as "crazy", as "nuts", as "disturbed", am now told NOT to take drugs, because all of you are better than me and you do not want me to be allied with you in the big Brotherhood of Pill Poppers.

Rupert has been told he is crazy and will have to wear a dunce hat, and like it. I don't agree with everything he says, but he sounds very informed. Brightstar is very extreme and is not helping the thread at all, but I would hesitate to call him crazy (some of his former posts on other issues notwithstanding). He's REALLY different, but certainly sane.

Another poster accuses me of being a religious fundamentalist and a bigot. I am not religious, nor is not agreeing with you the same as being sexist or homophobic. It's not. It's just not.

We are now getting to psychological core of the issue. The posters are revealing themselves as time goes one. The psychological motivation here is conformity.

Conformity. The doubters are not buying the party line, and this is sending the medication users off the deep end. They can't handle it.

Hmmm.

I said before that what bothered me was the lying, but I think also the issue that personally bothers me is the drug pushing, both by the drug companies themselves who direct advertising to my age and gender group and the people who are on these meds, who push them on everybody they are uncomfortable with.

FYI I have had both PTSD and depression. Like somebody else said, we're pretty much all depressed, so what's new?

If some authority figures held me down and forced a stupefying drug down my throat, the med users on this thread would cheer. I think some of you would do it yourselves. You all should think about that.