hahaha

hmmm 1:4 people have a mental illness. I am in UK so it is different here. Fluoxetine is one of the most widely prescribed medications (at one point the most widely prescribed) in USA, despite it being virtually ineffective in mild to moderate depression.

@Amisja It is called Prozac here. I used to work with developmentally disabled adults, quite a few of whom were prescribed prozac.Valium was also common. Most of the folks I worked with took half a dozen prescription meds. Sometimes twice a day.

@davknight Why? (The brand name is prozac but in EU we tend to stay away from brand names). All benzos are harmful for long term use and SSRIs should be monitored, particularly in the young and vulnerable adults.

@Amisja I used to wonder that myself. But the non-profit agencies that take care of them are required to administer whatever medications their physicians prescribed.

@davknight Autonomous practitioners can always say 'no'. I did it often.

@Amisja By "autonomous practitioner", I assume you mean 'volunteer'? I was a paid employee; and refusing to administer medications would have been grounds for termination, or perhaps even an 'abuse' charge.

@davknight No I mean like me, I am a clinical practitioner (nursing background) as such I can decide (alongside my patients) the best course of action for my patients and either prescribe (if its on my list) or recommend prescriptions. Its not my fulltime job anymore but I still do it from time to time. If I make an error then that's up to me. No one tells me how to act. I just have to show I am acting in the best interests of my patients.

Does the discussion assume that there has already been an assessment of mental illness and only approved treatment methods should be discussed? Are alternative ideas acceptable? I can think of about of a lot of hindrances but having worked in the field, not a lot of enhanced methods to improve access...interesting.

@thinktwice Its 1500 words, I mean I am used to writing 80k+ This is a run on sentence for me. Its a poster. I am just sooooo far out of my comfort zone with this.

@thinktwice I think as long as the alternatives are evidence based and peer accessed they are acceptable. I don't think turmeric and cider wine vinegar as a treatment for schizophrenia count

@PalacinkyPDX hahaha

@Amisja I laugh because I, too, am quite verbose...I was just doing a mental exercise during my break and was wondering if I could even shorten anything to 1500 words! ha ha a

@thinktwice I am stuffed. You have to make it image deep and scarce with words.

Ok yer on (no piggin idea what that is like!)

@Amisja unfortunately, as it's concerning a nuclear reactor, there may be... ermmm... security and commercial implications to me farming out my work.

@MrBeelzeebubbles oh who'll know

@Amisja actual lol.

@TonyGriffin France, to be fair. Is that any better?

Haha do it

@maturin1919 What about a big priest?