Time for reform... - Anonymous - Jan 19th 2007
My wonderful bipolar (but now ex) girlfriend was misdiagnosed for over forty years by psychiatrists, MDs and their PAs, endocrinologist, ER docs, on and on. When she was prescribed an SSRI, she went into a two-month long psychosis exhibiting disturbing psychomotor agitation, total lack of sleep, etc. I cared for her 24/7, as family and friends distanced themselves, not knowing what to do, and doctors continued judging wrongly. A little clinic finally properly diagnosed her as bipolar and helped but later she was again misprescribed then became manic, kicking me out of her life, even dragging me into court over her delusions of persecution. Another (long known) bipolar relative was recently misprescribed – doc didn’t read the medicine’s literature - an SSRI and caused a needless, destructive manic episode. I’ve come to see that most medical doctors are NOT educated enough to treat people with antidepressants. Equally deplorable are laws that allow the mentally disordered to wander the streets until they commit a crime. Every police officer told me, they don’t get proper help in prison. It’s time for serious reform of the American mental health system. I’m glad to see websites like this provide much needed information and education. And my wish is that soon everyone, the afflicted and family and friends too, receive the proper care they need to thrive.