Lady-in-the-window scribbled:

This is the report I would have writen had you not beat me to it. I do have to add though, that ALL antidepressants cause withdrawal and it is a hell unlike anything else in this world. Far too many people are told "your original symptoms are returning--better up your dosage! " rather than the truth that they are in AD withdrawal. What a sad state of the world when we are being doped up and left to hang out to dry when we want to stop the meds...

philthedill scribbled:

I concur with your comments, The drug companies make billions of dollars, and are not interested in our personal welfare. I have suffered Bi-Polar disorder for 47 years, However It went 30 years undiagnosed. It was not until I could bare it no more and tried to end my life that I was diagnosed. At one time whilst living in Australia My psychiatrist did not liase with my Medical doctor and I got Lithium poisoning and nearly died. When it came to drugs if a drug did me no good E.G. Prozac (May as well of chewed a piece of cardboard)I would tell the specialist to take me off it..Never "ask" if you can come off its "Your" body. However, as mentioned in this item "Never Ever" just stop taking your meds. With anti depressants it is largely a case of suck it and see, as what suits one person has no effect on another. Even with the same basic symptoms. Also with Bi-Polar for instance there is a range of Mild to severe. If you have attempted to end things it goes without saying that your level is severe. Almost any other illness people hang onto life e.g. Cancer etc, but with mental illness you want to die as it is so painful to cope with. As mentioned in the foregoing article some psychiatrists are indeed dinosaurs and I am confident that I know more about the illness than some do. If you are suffering a similar illness keep close in mind its not a sin to have mental illness, people with Cancer get sympathy as we can see their malady whereas often mental illness is not always evident. When I say mental illness, in my case it is merely not being able to cope with day to day things.Not a madness that most think of when hearing the term.In fact Here are some people who suffered with Bi-Polar Churchill, Van Gogh, Mozart,Beethoven, Modern Day Britney Spears, Margot Kidder, Frank Bruno, Robbie Williams, Robin Williams,Jim Carey,Jean-Claude Van Damme.Buz Aldrin,Jimi Hendrix Theodore Roosevelt,and the list goes on and on....If you get to the final level of depression, you cannot think of anything "Positive" all is negative and you reason that everyone including you will better off if you are not around. In 1991 when I was penshioned due to the illness it was hard to come to terms with the fact that I could no longer work fulltime, I had been in business at corporate level and now I couldn't cope with answering the telephone. Incidently, If anyone would like any advice on how to cope I will be happy to help in whatever way I can. I can of course only relate how I overcame certain things...My major episodes (Life attempts) are now few and far between, but I will always have that problem and I have come to terms with that. Often I am asked if there are triggers and in my case the answer is yes and no...At times I can identify what may have started the negative thinking in depth and at other times there doesn't appear to be any triggers... Over the years I have observed that Moon phases affect me I can get bad at full moon..when you think we are basically water and the moon pulls the tides, if we have an imbalance surely its going to affect us..I know it definitely does me anyway. Other things are not being able to let go immediately of things...To illustrate If I thought I had offended someone it would concern me, but then if they told me that in no way had I offended them, most people could let go but certainly with Bi-Polar that isn't so and it takes some time. There is of course much, much, more I could say. Philthedill.