3 ms·

Is the chemical imbalance theory accepted by all the experts? I remember seeing an article that questioned it. It also pointed to a study which showed that a lo

by noctua 6y ago

Is the chemical imbalance theory accepted by all the experts? I remember seeing an article that questioned it. It also pointed to a study which showed that a lot of the antidepressant effect can be attributed to just placebo. I personally don't know much about the subject though so I don't know what sources to trust.

pessimizer 6y ago
It's not, but it's something that has been lobbied and astroturfed into being offensive to disagree with, and is about 2 years from being censored on twitter and facebook (if it isn't already.) There are millions of people who, in the middle of severe episodes, were given particular drugs. They eventually recovered from these episodes (or they didn't, but we don't hear from those people.) They've been told that they they will quickly end up back in the middle of the despair they were in if they cease taking them (lots do while continuing to take them, but we don't hear from those people.) Now you're questioning (and implicitly threatening) their lifeline. These people are fighting for their lives, and are taken advantage of by an industry. It also doesn't help that plenty of antipsychotics are crucial for people to take, but that's because those are drugs that actually make it difficult to think for people whose thoughts get out of control. They don't claim to be eradicating the chemicals or deficiencies of chemicals that cause all psychosis. The tactic of pharmaceutical companies creating patients' groups to get sufferers together and lobby "on their behalf" has been going on since the 80s. It's bulletproof, and impossible to attack. In the case of antidepressants, they've also guided them into defending these drugs as a class, rather than on an individual basis. Funded patients' groups also played a huge part in the prescription opiate epidemic; it doesn't matter how much science says that long-term opiates aren't helping chronic pain, you have to be heartless to dismiss someone with a known painful condition or injury when they're pleading for opiates. Even though you know that people who had nothing wrong with them before going on opiates would plead just as intensely.
- profile53 6y ago
  I am in agreement with a fair amount of what you said about overprescription, the lack of scientific backing for the chemical imbalance theory, and the less than stellar effectiveness of antipsychotics. But the way you're presenting it makes it sound like a conspiracy theory and truthfully comes off somewhat illogical and paranoid. That takes a lot away from your argument. Maybe there is a conspiracy, but if there is, then you need to back it up with proof or sources. On another note, there is one thing you are absolutely incorrect about: antipsychotics are not ineffective managing many mental health disorders. Large clinical trials are done before these drugs are even approved for the sole purpose of proving they are better than no treatment.

by noctua 6y ago

pessimizer 6y ago

It's not, but it's something that has been lobbied and astroturfed into being offensive to disagree with, and is about 2 years from being censored on twitter and facebook (if it isn't already.) There are millions of people who, in the middle of severe episodes, were given particular drugs. They eventually recovered from these episodes (or they didn't, but we don't hear from those people.) They've been told that they they will quickly end up back in the middle of the despair they were in if they cease taking them (lots do while continuing to take them, but we don't hear from those people.) Now you're questioning (and implicitly threatening) their lifeline. These people are fighting for their lives, and are taken advantage of by an industry. It also doesn't help that plenty of antipsychotics are crucial for people to take, but that's because those are drugs that actually make it difficult to think for people whose thoughts get out of control. They don't claim to be eradicating the chemicals or deficiencies of chemicals that cause all psychosis. The tactic of pharmaceutical companies creating patients' groups to get sufferers together and lobby "on their behalf" has been going on since the 80s. It's bulletproof, and impossible to attack. In the case of antidepressants, they've also guided them into defending these drugs as a class, rather than on an individual basis. Funded patients' groups also played a huge part in the prescription opiate epidemic; it doesn't matter how much science says that long-term opiates aren't helping chronic pain, you have to be heartless to dismiss someone with a known painful condition or injury when they're pleading for opiates. Even though you know that people who had nothing wrong with them before going on opiates would plead just as intensely.

profile53 6y ago
I am in agreement with a fair amount of what you said about overprescription, the lack of scientific backing for the chemical imbalance theory, and the less than stellar effectiveness of antipsychotics. But the way you're presenting it makes it sound like a conspiracy theory and truthfully comes off somewhat illogical and paranoid. That takes a lot away from your argument. Maybe there is a conspiracy, but if there is, then you need to back it up with proof or sources. On another note, there is one thing you are absolutely incorrect about: antipsychotics are not ineffective managing many mental health disorders. Large clinical trials are done before these drugs are even approved for the sole purpose of proving they are better than no treatment.