A 23 year old women tells of her nightmarish experience with the psychiatric and addiction treatment system. She was prescribed 15 different drugs over a period of 5 years and, surprise, surprise, when treatment failed, she was blamed. The story ends with her being presumably correctly diagnosed and treated, but it’s hard not to wonder if she has a chronic mentally illness at all.
Aside from the iatrogenic harm that professional hubris can cause, this story illustrates the hazards of a system that encourages rapid diagnosis.
Published by Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
View all posts by Jason Schwartz
Recovery Review 
I feel sorry for her that it took so long to figure this out, doctors don't listen to patients, my experience is shorter term but I bet she can handle anything life throws at her now!Experience with Lexapro:Lexapro is a permanent life long cure for any depression if you survive treatment. I was told by a marriage counselor to request drugs for my OCD symptoms (probably caused by my father’s suicide in 1981 while on imipramine and many other psych med’s) I went to a pcp who never met me before. He diagnosed me with depression, prescribed Lexapro & Rozerem since I had insomnia. Then decided kissing me and grabbing me in his office was a good idea. The Lexapro did such a good job getting me up & doing things. It also made me nervous raising my blood pressure from it’s usual 120/80 to 145/110. I was really up! I could drink twelve shots of liquor & still be walking around for hours. This was the busiest year of my life! 2 DUI’s, 4 drunk in publics & an involuntary commit for suicide. 2 rehab’s, a hypnotherapist, weekly ASAP programs. I worked full time the whole time! 3 psychiatrists 4 doctors & many counselors gave me more drugs Busbar, antibuse, campral. The side effects of all these-full body tremors and falling down. After the second DUI (I was also charged with a felony for pinching a police officers butt,)I decided maybe I should stop Lexapro b/c I had some obsession with alcohol was becoming delusional. While in jail I requested no more medication for and was able to stop although the depression side effects of the withdrawal lasted three months. I met other women in jail for DUI’s on Zoloft, Lexapro and Abilify & for shoplifting on Zanax. My depression is 100% cured. I never feel sad about my life. I never killed anyone driving drunk, didn’t kill myself. Didn’t get my kid taken away from me. I'm not in a mental institution, and don’t have a lethal diastolic blood pressure of 110. No matter what happens in my life now, I am hopeful, never depressed.
LikeLike