[andypea]

I completely agree with you. I know many people who's lives are made much easier because they have access to medication. The last fifty years have also seen a massive improvement in the lives of people with severe mental health problems (in europe at least).

However, support for people with mental health problems is still severly underfunded. The improvements we have seen say as much about the terrible treatment of the past as they do about how well we are doing now.

Almost all studies I have read find that a combination of medication and other therapies provide for the best outcomes. Most people can only get funding for medication, which is often better than nothing, but it really falls short of what society could, relatively easily, provide.

It is really a tragedy, not just to the individuals suffering from mental health problems, but also to society as a whole which misses out from all the untapped productivity and creativity.