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This is a really old debate in psychiatry. My father studied it in the 70s and said that the establishment of his day were suspicious of all medications and all
by yung_steezy 5y ago
This is a really old debate in psychiatry. My father studied it in the 70s and said that the establishment of his day were suspicious of all medications and all the academic literature suggested drugs should only be used as a last resort. There was apparently a lot of animosity between the pro and anti-medication faction.
Since then the pendulum has swung the other way and the pro-medication camp are now the establishment. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle but for better or worse academic literature always takes a thesis/antithesis approac.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- kongolongo 5y agoA major reason for the rise of the medication side is because for many acute mental health episodes medicines, like lithium for example, are extremely effective at treating the episode. Even the most anti medication psychiatrist must acknowledge that for a lot of acute mental conditions, the evidence is overwhelmingly in support of medication even if we don't understand very well their mechanisms of action. The interesting push back that is happening against medication I think is because for more chronic and long term mental health conditions, the medications we have aren't as clearly effective for everyone and as a result of their chronic nature, the types of evidence we can collect and analyze will be further limited.