Dear Quiet

I also have a family that has experienced horrid side effects from incorrect drug application. I am deeply sorry for your loss and suffering.

However, there are also members of my family who can only get through life because of the intelligent and appropriate prescription of their meds. I understand your feelings. However, because I have experienced both sides of the ‘prescription drugs’ syndrome, I feel we must be careful not to publicly damn all drugs because of the errors made by uninformed doctors. Your family is certainly a case in point.

Unfortunately, many of these so-called mental disorders are very new to medicine and are difficult to diagnose. In some cases, as you know, very little is known about them. I have had to sit by while my wife was a guinea pig as her doctors tried drug after drug and failed to solve her problem. In some instances, the side effects rendered her catatonic.

We are writing a book about our experiences. If you are willing, I will contact you and ask to include your story (unedited if you like) to help explain as much about these problems as possible.

In general, the press likes to attract readers any way they can, and the ‘prescription drugs’ issue is always a big draw. But the stories they tell are usually anti drugs. I would not wish that anyone suffer from something that could be helped by the judicious application of a prescription drug. If all we hear from the media is that “drugs are bad” many people in pain might not seek the help that could give them happy lives.

Sufferers should be encouraged to seek help – not run from it. See help until they find the right doctor with the right prescription.

You're spot on about the need for more of a team approach, AKA Smith. One of the greatest frustrations of my career (and, heck, my personal life too) has been dealing with the need to coordinate information between psychiatrists, family doctors, therapists, emergency rooms, hospitals, insurance companies, pharmacies, social workers, public guardians, and on and on and on. And the more disabled a person gets, the more the system gets involved, the more cooks there are in the kitchen, the more potential for abuse there is when the cooks aren't paying attention and overseeing each other. Health care is only as helpful as the caregivers who provide it; as the number of interested parties grows, the chance of happening upon a dud or worse expands exponentially. And the more the system is taxed, the more burned out caregivers get, the more likely even the best of us are to cross ethical lines. It is truly exasperating. This is where family members, like the parents in this article, can play such a crucial role, because they are often the only people who have all of the history and are aware of all of the pertinent information. And the worst sufferings by far are reserved for those psychiatric patients whose family members do not take an active approach, or are flatly counterproductive (like the young woman I know who periodically winds up unemployed and homeless, every time her mother takes away her antipychotic medications because she'd rather her daughter be psychotic than fat).

What really causes me to despair is knowing that the self-advocacy and self-education that is so vitally necessary in our underfunded, structurally flawed system means that those who are poor, undereducated, or lacking in social supports are likely to get far inferior treatment. It is truly a travesty. I have a feeling that we both have war stories to share. The only thing that keeps me from throwing my hands up and walking away from the issue entirely is the hope I gain from doing serious advocacy for better funding, better organization, and more empowerment for mental health clients.

Thank you ann Bauer. An honest story.

There's no scientific or medical evidence required for a psychiatrist to diagnose a mental disorder--no blood or urine test or bran scan. Psychiatrists prescribe mind-numbing drugs and electroshock to cover up the fact that they have no idea of what is wrong with a person and have no cures. The more than $100 billion spent on psychiatry each year worldwide is a waste, not only financially but also in wasted and damaged lives.

Just follow the money. Anyone who defends it DOES have financial ties.

I am trying to understand the meaning of the following statement by you in your reply to me:

"Take a deep breath, put your feet up, have yourself a non-alcoholic beverage (‘cause alcohol’s a drug too, you know) and then consider signing up for Pop Warner. I think it’s the appropriate league under the circumstances."

I don't know who Pop Warner is. Do tell me please.

And was your comment about about alcohol being a drug you're way of telling me that you believe that I am drunk? Please do elaborate.

Thank you for providing more information that you have gleaned through your experience.

In the recent past, I worked as a government contractor in vocational rehabilitation. It was a strange experience because I actually returned to the same PSR where I had felt almost imprisoned and helped people with mental health problems find jobs or obtain funding for self-employment. The staff was not very accepting of me. I don't know if it was because I had been there as a consumer or because I worked for a completely separate program.

Almost all the people I attempted to help had been abandoned by their families. Some came from very abusive families. Because I had experienced both of those circumstances, I was acutely aware of how alone many of them felt. I would say family support is the single most important factor in recovery.

Mostly, good and sincere families have a very positive influence. Occasionally they are a detriment. Families spend so much time making certain that their loved ones are medication compliant that they get upset if it turns out that the best chance for higher functioning is to reduce the dosage slightly. Naturally they are afraid the consumer will decomp.

I don't know about you, but I am a real believer in the recovery movement. I believe you used the word empowerment. That is a favorite word of mine. No one gets well (if wellness is possible) without making decisions.

I am not sure everyone in this thread understands how many people get to the point where they cannot make decisions or in anyway advocate for themselves. Maybe next time someone sees one of those stinky, homeless people they will get a clue as to how people become homeless and hopeless in the first place.

Bauer's story illustrates how families can literally save their loved ones' lives. Sadly, it also illustrates that the power of Google can be a lifeline when doctors will not listen. Such should not have to be the case.