2 ms·
> That's a nice slogan, but it isn't actually realized anywhere. It's always your choice when there's a clear advantage -- that is, when the state doesn't "know
by duaneb 11y ago
> That's a nice slogan, but it isn't actually realized anywhere. It's always your choice when there's a clear advantage -- that is, when the state doesn't "know best" about your body. And it absolutely reserves the right control your body for the greater good.
That's true legally, and in theory, but if someone tries to medicate me without my permission I'll leave the country. I can't trust the government with my health given its track record on drugs, the tuskegee experiment, the whole nasty eugenics business, the miserable mess that is psychiatric drugs, and doctor assisted suicide laws, and visitation/commitment rights. It's extremely clear the government does not have my health in its sights but is rather driven by a paternalistic morality supporting existing social and industrial entities. Even paternalistic forces must earn respect before the subordinate cooperates.
NOTE: I was on Risperdal (risperidone) for two years. It made me lactate painfully (I'm male) and I couldn't work well. My thoughts were scattered. I never should have been prescribed it; the positive effects of the drugs I was taking was mostly from the SSRI stabilizing my emotions. Even that is hard to justify given the subtle nature of the perceptual change, its low effect on my actual depression, and the large physical side effects.
- Retra 11y agoWell, one might agree with you were they able to distinguish between paranoia and an actual problem. I highly suspect that your experiences with that drug weren't a result of a government mandate that you could not exclude yourself from. An adverse reaction to medication is exactly the kind of information that is needed to circumvent its use. Nobody is arguing against that.
- duaneb 11y agoNo, but it's a sign that we need drug reform that it was on the market at all. If they can't even validate the psychiatric drugs we're giving to people, how can we expect them to make sweeping decisions for an entire population? It's not paranoia at that scale, it's just kicking the tires to see if our government actually has the wherewithal to make these kinds of decisions. It seems extremely obvious to me they don't, and we've only seen positive change on this front in the last ~seven years at the NIH, FDA, and DEA in terms of recognizing and resolving these past issues. And it's not so much that there was a mandate to prescribe risperidone, more that they prescribed me a very, very shitty medication when I was a ward of the state. It's their responsibility to ensure the doctors and RNs have accurate, up to date knowledge of the medication they're educated to prescribe by the FDA. IMHO they failed with risperidone.