Lovely Little Pills

I just sent an email to a boob. His name is Allen Darman, and he sent an email to an online discussion group about treating bipolar disorder and depression with vitamins and minerals. Don't trust doctors pushing poisonous pills, he advises us, and instead eat your vegetables and think positively. Actually, the article he wrote is to his mentally ill son, "Willy." He ends his article with the advice to heal thyself, and tells his son, "You can heal yourself, Willy. I know that you can." What a fantastic way to fuck up another human being. Tell him or her that the need for medical assistance and drug treatment is a sign of weakness and ignorance. Excellent.

Personally, psychiatric medications saved my life. I regret only electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), which for me just wiped out many a memory. But Effexor, Zyprexa, lithium, lorazepam, Lexapro and levoxythyroxine (thyroid) have done a lot to reduce the racing thoughts, sleepless nights, self-injury, suicidal ideation and depression. I'm still a wreck a lot of the time, but I think I'd be a dead wreck if not for these medications. It's so asinine to ignore doctors and researchers and embrace an romantic approach that has no evidence of working.

As a socialist, I share his hatred of corporations, and drugs are almost certainly over-prescribed. But his advice is just plain dangerous for his son, and for anyone who knows anything about mental illness it's frustrating to hear such potentially hurtful nonsense.

Anyway, enough of that. I broke out my $12 Hawai'ian shirt today. Boo-yah!