Which medication(s)? SSRIs? Have you actually looked at the pre-marketing “studies” of the most common drugs prescribed by psychs? I have.
By no stretch of any imagination are those studies replicable. And the diagnosis process is even worse —- no quantitative blood test, no scans, no nothing. Just ask the patient for verbal self-assessment, and prescribe. It’s a massive joke from start to finish.
When I was 16, I was sexually assaulted by a Pharmacy Technician who was 20 years old at the time. She knew exactly how to ply me with alcohol and contraceptives. Of course I was totally into it, but being unable to consent, it was rape (the statute of limitations ran out definitively 2 months ago.)
She was a class-A scammer. She cheated on everything. She took me to Disneyland and tried to reuse the tickets. I took her to the Prom and she tried to return the wrong dress to the rental store. Walking around town, she would walk me into lamp posts. She mocked me and ridiculed me and I kept coming back for more.
I'll never forget her profession as a Pharmacy Technician. There is no coincidence that her status as a legal drug dealer and scammer brought her into my life. Every day she dealt with leeches, IV bags, PRNs, and Scheduled drugs. Every night she handed me a wine cooler or two and put an art film on the VCR. Unfortunately my parents and teachers were powerless to intervene at that point.
Many psychiatrists I've met are apt to make a diagnosis merely on the patient's affect and demeanor. Since I have White Coat Syndrome, my affect and demeanor are always adverse in clinical settings. Since I was abused by my mother, the majority-female psychiatric clinic being very paternalistic and patronizing does not help one iota.
In the hospital the other day, the nurse asked "how are you doing" which is an essay question. I didn't feel like answering essay questions, so I just stared at her awhile. Later that day, I was diagnosed with 'catatonic schizophrenia' and earned an increased dosage of Ativan because the doctor said I didn't answer the nurse satisfactorily.
By no stretch of any imagination are those studies replicable. And the diagnosis process is even worse —- no quantitative blood test, no scans, no nothing. Just ask the patient for verbal self-assessment, and prescribe. It’s a massive joke from start to finish.