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I think antidepressants and the like are overprescribed but there are people who really, truly need them, and I’m happy that those medications are available for those folks.
The older generations of my family did live under the stigma of mental health issues and medication.
One of my extended cousins shot himself in the head in his master bathroom after his wife (my biological cousin) got mad at him for returning home drunk yet again. He was an alcoholic. She was a couple feet and one thin wall away from his suicide.
One of my aunts suffers from BPD and schizophrenia that my grandparents refused to fully accept as her reality. She would take medication and then stop, thinking that she was cured, not realizing that the feeling of being "cured" was simply the medication working. She cannot live independently. She had to move out from my grandparents' house after threatening them physically while in a psychotic episode and assaulting the police officers who responded to the incident.
Another aunt died from alcoholism in her 40s. I said goodbye to her while she was unconscious, intubated, and completely yellow. I am sure that the numerous traumas she suffered throughout her life contributed to her alcohol abuse.
Yet another aunt--my favorite and the one with whom I had the closest relationship--killed herself in her garage via carbon monoxide poisoning. She suffered from depression and very difficult relationships with her children. One of her children found her body.
I don't share the above for pure shock value. Mental health is something we need to take extremely seriously. The unfortunate reality is that prior generations either could or did not--perhaps psychological problems were beyond the grasp of most people 50 (or even 20) years ago. Part of mental health is addressing the problem. That can include medication. I have taken medication for my own mental health issues in the past and continue to do so.
My mother was on them, and they along with psychiatric therapy probabbly saved her life, and where one of the best things to improve her life.
I do think they tend to be overprescribed as a general rule.
But I also openly advocate for anyone who is struggiling with mental health issues to seek professional help. I look at it in the same vein as a physical injury, if you break your leg you should go to the doctor.
If your struggiling with mental health issues you also should go to the doctor.
There is absolutely no shame in it in my eyes.
I'm 52; I don't know whether you consider that older.
My wife and daughter both have clinical depression and anxiety. They take anti-depressants prescribed by their respective psychiatrists. They have been literal life savers.
This is an overly broad question.
It’s really case by case. Some drugs are overprescribed - but that doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary.
Some medications are used to subsidize for lifestyle changes - but that doesn’t mean no one needs them.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease and the side-effects are atrocious.
If you can accomplish a particular health outcome without medication, I think that's generally preferable. For instance, if sleeping well, getting enough to eat, and moderate exercise would get you the results you need, I think you should try to do that instead of medication.
However, I'm aware that 1. That isn't the case for everyone and every situation, and 2. There are absolutely struggles that require medication.
I think medication is a great tool, and when it's used the way it's supposed to be used and in the amounts it is supposed to be used, it can drastically improve quality of life for many many people. But it's not the only tool for the job in at least some situations.
I believe that using medication is often essential in surgeries, emergency accident/criminal injury/infectious disease related situations or to help people remain functional whilst coping with some very severe and noticeable symptoms.
Similar stance when it comes to known donor blood transfusions for people with life threatening injuries or very painful health problems.
But I'm not a fan of people pill popping over the counter meds or easily available prescribed drugs their doctors have issued them with as a matter of personal convenience and habit. Nor the use of weight loss infjections or regular doctors casually prescribing very addictive and powerful opiod painkillers.
Personally I don't use painkillers and would never accept a blood transfusion under any circumstances.
I’ve tried anxiety and ADHD medication, and I’ve been on antipsychotics. I have ASD and schizophrenia. Many of my friends are mentally ill and need medication. Medication isn’t fun to take and I’m not on anything currently because I’m stable. But it’s absolutely necessary in many cases. Anyone who is conservative and thinks medication is never necessary is living with their head buried in the sand.
Given how many in the older generation have clear unaddressed mental health problems, I think the divide between the generations is mostly due to stigma. A lot of people in my generation (<40 y/o) have a therapist or have had one, not because we are crazy, but because it's good to talk to someone who is objectively outside of your life to give you an opinion on your state of affairs. But our parents' generation? They thought going to a therapist meant you were insane, so they held in their emotions until they exploded at their friends, spouses or children. To be fair, the field of psychotherapy in the 60s was pretty woo woo, so the perception of going to a "shrink" was kind of laughable. However, simply having an outside person to talk to could've helped a lot of people. I guess many also used their Church leaders for that.
That said, there is something to be said for the stoicism of the older generation, even if it sometimes did go too extreme. The current young generation seems to lack a "grin and bear it" attitude, such that the victim mentality is way too high. Left wingers in particular love to self-diagnose themselves with any number of disorders, on top of their victim oppression labels. However, even among young right wingers, I notice a certain lack of... grit.
Medications are definitely overprescribed thanks to big pharma, and also because of the government gutting all mental health institutions from the 70s-90s. Medication replaced actual mental health experts, and now we have a mental health epidemic because nobody can afford private therapy. Big pharma also works overtime to suppress any discourse on other ways of thinking about human health, so people are corralled into the drug solutions, often with negative results.
The largest meta study of its kind done in the UK (published in 2018 I believe) showed that almost all antidepressant medications don't work. The only three that had proven efficacy were mirtazapine, citalopram, and an old school tricyclic depressant. That's it. None of the others showed clinical improvement in depression/anxiety after 6 months. Yet half of the population is on antidepressants. It's a scam really. The typical recommendation is an SSRI + therapy for maximum benefit. Well, it seems like the benefit actually comes from the therapy, not the drug.
Most conditions are environmental through that diet or other endocrine disruptors getting into our system.
Using drugs for an environmental problem is like trying to stop bullet wounds with bandages.
That said, I can see why they do it. It's incredibly profitable to prescribe drugs that cost $1,000 to use that cost $5 to make. This is because the drug industry is a racket that has lobbied all levels of every western government.
Big pharma collectively rakes in trillions, and it's odd that their solution to faulty or ineffective medicine is further medication. That's why I don't think there's a national spotlight on the recent case of Lindsay Clancy, who strangled her 3 kids to death and blames "postpartum depression" even though plenty of people with that, don't do that. An overwhelming majority of school shooters were medicated with XYZ and there seems to be a well-funded campaign protect the investments of big pharma, medicalizing every human condition from being traumatized by Climate Change, to children having short attention spans.
As for politics, we saw governors and even the president attempt to mandate Pfizer/Moderna shots to 100M+ Americans, entire countries like Australia and most of Europe were acting in the best interests of Big Pharma, rather than basic health, as evidenced by our current state and the questionable criteria for "Covid Deaths." What ever happened to Covid19, anyway? Did natural immunity naturally win, like we said it would?
we have an unfortunately pill-centered culture in this country. And we are increasingly learning many medications, from sinus pills to antidepressants, are not actually effective medicine and do not treat the conditions they purport to treat.
The problem is the real prescription, for both in fact, is moving your body more (exercise induced vasoconstriction is very effective at unclogging your sinuses). We demand our medical system give us solutions that require no effort on the part of the patient and we wonder why our health outcomes are so poor. Meanwhile unhinged "fat activists" are pushing the AMA to tell doctors they shouldn't weigh their patients at the office anymore because "weight-related healthcare trauma" is more important to their health than the fact their organs are suffocating and dying.
Obviously there are conditions for which medication is appropriate no sane person denies that. But we are increasingly learning that going to pills first and using drugs to avoid having to force a lifestyle change on people is not serving our society, and most of our psychiatric drugs fall squarely into two camps: either useless placebo or hideously dangerous addictive drug with lifelong side effects after use.
Please use [Good Faith](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskConservatives/comments/107i33m/announcement_rule_7_good_faith_is_now_in_effect) and the [Principle of Charity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity) when commenting. Gender issues are only allowed on Wednesdays. Antisemitism and calls for violence will not be tolerated, especially when [discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskConservatives/comments/17ygktl/antisemitism_askconservative_and_you/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskConservatives) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think antidepressants and the like are overprescribed but there are people who really, truly need them, and I’m happy that those medications are available for those folks.
The older generations of my family did live under the stigma of mental health issues and medication. One of my extended cousins shot himself in the head in his master bathroom after his wife (my biological cousin) got mad at him for returning home drunk yet again. He was an alcoholic. She was a couple feet and one thin wall away from his suicide. One of my aunts suffers from BPD and schizophrenia that my grandparents refused to fully accept as her reality. She would take medication and then stop, thinking that she was cured, not realizing that the feeling of being "cured" was simply the medication working. She cannot live independently. She had to move out from my grandparents' house after threatening them physically while in a psychotic episode and assaulting the police officers who responded to the incident. Another aunt died from alcoholism in her 40s. I said goodbye to her while she was unconscious, intubated, and completely yellow. I am sure that the numerous traumas she suffered throughout her life contributed to her alcohol abuse. Yet another aunt--my favorite and the one with whom I had the closest relationship--killed herself in her garage via carbon monoxide poisoning. She suffered from depression and very difficult relationships with her children. One of her children found her body. I don't share the above for pure shock value. Mental health is something we need to take extremely seriously. The unfortunate reality is that prior generations either could or did not--perhaps psychological problems were beyond the grasp of most people 50 (or even 20) years ago. Part of mental health is addressing the problem. That can include medication. I have taken medication for my own mental health issues in the past and continue to do so.
Prescripcion Medication is fine, you get prescribed your medication, follow the instructions, and there you go.
My mother was on them, and they along with psychiatric therapy probabbly saved her life, and where one of the best things to improve her life. I do think they tend to be overprescribed as a general rule. But I also openly advocate for anyone who is struggiling with mental health issues to seek professional help. I look at it in the same vein as a physical injury, if you break your leg you should go to the doctor. If your struggiling with mental health issues you also should go to the doctor. There is absolutely no shame in it in my eyes.
I'm 52; I don't know whether you consider that older. My wife and daughter both have clinical depression and anxiety. They take anti-depressants prescribed by their respective psychiatrists. They have been literal life savers.
This is an overly broad question. It’s really case by case. Some drugs are overprescribed - but that doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary. Some medications are used to subsidize for lifestyle changes - but that doesn’t mean no one needs them. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease and the side-effects are atrocious.
There's a huge difference between "I need this to moderate my blood pressure" vs "I need this to feel good about myself".
There is also a gap between "I need this to feel good about myself" and "I need this to not feel bad about myself".
That gap is the distance between two faces of an infinitely thin coin.
If you can accomplish a particular health outcome without medication, I think that's generally preferable. For instance, if sleeping well, getting enough to eat, and moderate exercise would get you the results you need, I think you should try to do that instead of medication. However, I'm aware that 1. That isn't the case for everyone and every situation, and 2. There are absolutely struggles that require medication. I think medication is a great tool, and when it's used the way it's supposed to be used and in the amounts it is supposed to be used, it can drastically improve quality of life for many many people. But it's not the only tool for the job in at least some situations.
I believe that using medication is often essential in surgeries, emergency accident/criminal injury/infectious disease related situations or to help people remain functional whilst coping with some very severe and noticeable symptoms. Similar stance when it comes to known donor blood transfusions for people with life threatening injuries or very painful health problems. But I'm not a fan of people pill popping over the counter meds or easily available prescribed drugs their doctors have issued them with as a matter of personal convenience and habit. Nor the use of weight loss infjections or regular doctors casually prescribing very addictive and powerful opiod painkillers. Personally I don't use painkillers and would never accept a blood transfusion under any circumstances.
I don't know or care what medications other people take.
I’ve tried anxiety and ADHD medication, and I’ve been on antipsychotics. I have ASD and schizophrenia. Many of my friends are mentally ill and need medication. Medication isn’t fun to take and I’m not on anything currently because I’m stable. But it’s absolutely necessary in many cases. Anyone who is conservative and thinks medication is never necessary is living with their head buried in the sand.
I think that medication can be lifesaving or can be abused and kill people.
Given how many in the older generation have clear unaddressed mental health problems, I think the divide between the generations is mostly due to stigma. A lot of people in my generation (<40 y/o) have a therapist or have had one, not because we are crazy, but because it's good to talk to someone who is objectively outside of your life to give you an opinion on your state of affairs. But our parents' generation? They thought going to a therapist meant you were insane, so they held in their emotions until they exploded at their friends, spouses or children. To be fair, the field of psychotherapy in the 60s was pretty woo woo, so the perception of going to a "shrink" was kind of laughable. However, simply having an outside person to talk to could've helped a lot of people. I guess many also used their Church leaders for that. That said, there is something to be said for the stoicism of the older generation, even if it sometimes did go too extreme. The current young generation seems to lack a "grin and bear it" attitude, such that the victim mentality is way too high. Left wingers in particular love to self-diagnose themselves with any number of disorders, on top of their victim oppression labels. However, even among young right wingers, I notice a certain lack of... grit. Medications are definitely overprescribed thanks to big pharma, and also because of the government gutting all mental health institutions from the 70s-90s. Medication replaced actual mental health experts, and now we have a mental health epidemic because nobody can afford private therapy. Big pharma also works overtime to suppress any discourse on other ways of thinking about human health, so people are corralled into the drug solutions, often with negative results. The largest meta study of its kind done in the UK (published in 2018 I believe) showed that almost all antidepressant medications don't work. The only three that had proven efficacy were mirtazapine, citalopram, and an old school tricyclic depressant. That's it. None of the others showed clinical improvement in depression/anxiety after 6 months. Yet half of the population is on antidepressants. It's a scam really. The typical recommendation is an SSRI + therapy for maximum benefit. Well, it seems like the benefit actually comes from the therapy, not the drug.
Most conditions are environmental through that diet or other endocrine disruptors getting into our system. Using drugs for an environmental problem is like trying to stop bullet wounds with bandages. That said, I can see why they do it. It's incredibly profitable to prescribe drugs that cost $1,000 to use that cost $5 to make. This is because the drug industry is a racket that has lobbied all levels of every western government.
Big pharma collectively rakes in trillions, and it's odd that their solution to faulty or ineffective medicine is further medication. That's why I don't think there's a national spotlight on the recent case of Lindsay Clancy, who strangled her 3 kids to death and blames "postpartum depression" even though plenty of people with that, don't do that. An overwhelming majority of school shooters were medicated with XYZ and there seems to be a well-funded campaign protect the investments of big pharma, medicalizing every human condition from being traumatized by Climate Change, to children having short attention spans. As for politics, we saw governors and even the president attempt to mandate Pfizer/Moderna shots to 100M+ Americans, entire countries like Australia and most of Europe were acting in the best interests of Big Pharma, rather than basic health, as evidenced by our current state and the questionable criteria for "Covid Deaths." What ever happened to Covid19, anyway? Did natural immunity naturally win, like we said it would?
we have an unfortunately pill-centered culture in this country. And we are increasingly learning many medications, from sinus pills to antidepressants, are not actually effective medicine and do not treat the conditions they purport to treat. The problem is the real prescription, for both in fact, is moving your body more (exercise induced vasoconstriction is very effective at unclogging your sinuses). We demand our medical system give us solutions that require no effort on the part of the patient and we wonder why our health outcomes are so poor. Meanwhile unhinged "fat activists" are pushing the AMA to tell doctors they shouldn't weigh their patients at the office anymore because "weight-related healthcare trauma" is more important to their health than the fact their organs are suffocating and dying. Obviously there are conditions for which medication is appropriate no sane person denies that. But we are increasingly learning that going to pills first and using drugs to avoid having to force a lifestyle change on people is not serving our society, and most of our psychiatric drugs fall squarely into two camps: either useless placebo or hideously dangerous addictive drug with lifelong side effects after use.