[QUOTE=grayarabpony;6526262]
The nonsense that family practitioners shouldn’t be allowed to prescribe anti-depressants and other mood-altering drugs. …Some pyschiatrists will prescribe benzos, btw. Freely. In fact since all they do is prescribe meds they love to prescribe meds to counteract the effects of other meds. There are good psychiatrists but imo overall there are many patients who are no better off from having seen one.[/QUOTE]
totally agree with this. I am a psychologist. I work with FPs all the time and most are excellent in the arena of psychotropics. I also work with psychiatrists, some are outstanding and a few are not. The important thing is to feel like you have ally with whom you feel you can discuss your situation freely and comfortably, and who works WITH you to address your concerns. Some side effects are tolerable to some and totally unacceptable to others.
Depression, however, certainly does NOT have to be a lifelong condition. For some, it is. For others, it is not. Some find antidepressants extremely helpful, others do not. It depends on a number of variables but one just can’t generalize.
And as for benzos, like anything else, they are great tools when used appropriately. So are methadone and morphine. When NOT used appropriately, they are not so helpful, but they certainly work for many and that (that they work) is the important thing.
