There is a lot wrong with this article

[Flewda]

For whatever reason reading some of these posts gave me this ominous (possibly tin-foil hat, sorry) feeling that *part* of the big push for forcing pharmaceuticals on any and every person they can justify is that it's yet another thing to stack up against someone when buying a gun. Haha I know, way out there, but at the same time nothing would surprise me anymore.

Joking aside, it's really disturbing how much this stuff is pushed. It's a legal, profitable, drug addiction. And when you see commercials for these types of medicines so non-nonchalantly as if you would be taking them for heartburn, you know there is a real problem with the gravity of the issue. We should be looking at these medicines as a LAST RESORT to treating issues. And if you do use it, it should be monitored carefully in a way that would help you get through issues for the short term, but making sure you are working to get off it ASAP and in a controlled manner.

I've been so stressed in my career before that I thought I was going to need to go talk to someone, and though I was much more ignorant about meds and such back then I still didn't want to take them if I could avoid it. But it got to the point where I would have considered it. But before I could even see a doctor I was able to make some changes in my life that solved the problem pretty much entirely. No medicines required. But had I gone to see someone first? Would they have given me meds immediately and possibly gotten me addicted? Who knows. But with the way they pass those scripts out it would have been a very real possibility.

So much of the stresses and anxieties in life can be dealt with in a much more constructive manner than dealing out medication. I dunno, maybe it's just another example of how fewer and fewer people are willing to actually work for what they need in this country. Instead of taking a lot of time, effort, and hard work to solve the problem, they want the quickest and easiest fix. It's like seeing large cracks in your drywall, and spackling over them instead of checking the foundation.

 

[M. Sage]

It's not tin foil hat, it's actually dead on.

 

[steve-o]

I agree, I know more people that are on meds, than aren't. Every time I'm at a dr office, I always see a pharmaceutical reps waiting to get in to put in samples of the latest stress candy. It's all about money, not health.

 

[beaner]

There is a lot of truth to the push to pills, but there are doctors out there who do not subscribe to throwing a pill at everything. You just have to find them since I will admit the numbers are probably getting smaller by the year.

 

[Dragunov]

So, wanting to get potentially dangerous, mentally unstable people off the street is a bad thing? Or did I misinterpret you/the article?


As for court-ordered drugs; If those drugs help to keep a person from doing stupid/dangerous shit or from having a psychiatric break, and the person refuses to take those drugs, they become a threat to the public as well as to themselves, and need to be taken care of, for reasons that should be pretty damn obvious.

No shit! People complain about screwballs getting hold of firearms and bitch when someone actually tries to do something about it that doesn't infringe on their 2A rights.

 

[Charlie]

Good thread! Lot's to think about. After observing many students in the Alt. School, I came to the conclusion that some needed meds (Ritalin, etc.) but some did not. Over-medication was not necessarily blatant but it did exist. I think it would extremely difficult to determine how much, if any, medication should be administered, even by a knowledgeable physician. It's just something we all have to live with as there is no easy, black and white answer. Just my two bits.

 

[winchster]

No shit! People complain about screwballs getting hold of firearms and bitch when someone actually tries to do something about it that doesn't infringe on their 2A rights.

I'm actually more concerned that there may be some 4A infringement in there. Also it becomes a 2A infringement when they put your name on the "list" because some dr thinks you need meds to be "normal".

 

[Younggun]

Lot of people in this country feel a fondness of firearms constitutes abnormality. Many of whom are in positions of power in NY.

 

[M. Sage]

Good thread! Lot's to think about. After observing many students in the Alt. School, I came to the conclusion that some needed meds (Ritalin, etc.) but some did not. Over-medication was not necessarily blatant but it did exist. I think it would extremely difficult to determine how much, if any, medication should be administered, even by a knowledgeable physician. It's just something we all have to live with as there is no easy, black and white answer. Just my two bits.

I'm going to say that at least some of them are in that school because of meds, or at least because of the culture that has bred the over-medication problem. Teachers and mental health professionals alike share the blame for not finding the root of these kids' problem and doing what needs to be done to fix it.

Little Johnny is having trouble in class? Can't be that the teacher sucks, just give the little bastard some Ritalin!

 

[M. Sage]

Lot of people in this country feel a fondness of firearms constitutes abnormality. Many of whom are in positions of power in NY.

There's also this problem right here...

 

[Charlie]

I'm going to say that at least some of them are in that school because of meds, or at least because of the culture that has bred the over-medication problem. Teachers and mental health professionals alike share the blame for not finding the root of these kids' problem and doing what needs to be done to fix it.

Little Johnny is having trouble in class? Can't be that the teacher sucks, just give the little bastard some Ritalin!

I won't necessarily disagree with that but many times (not always) I discovered the root of the problem when I met the parents at intake interview. There are many contributing factors. We (the staff and I) found that that most of our students were successful in that atmosphere. Once the students learned it wasn't a threatening atmosphere from us or the other students, the majority did very well. We became just facilitators while they were away from the pressures at the regular campus. We even had a few volunteer to return so they could get their credits and move forward.

 

[M. Sage]

I won't necessarily disagree with that but many times (not always) I discovered the root of the problem when I met the parents at intake interview. There are many contributing factors. We (the staff and I) found that that most of our students were successful in that atmosphere. Once the students learned it wasn't a threatening atmosphere from us or the other students, the majority did very well. We became just facilitators while they were away from the pressures at the regular campus. We even had a few volunteer to return so they could get their credits and move forward.

Oh, I didn't mean to leave the parents out. They're the biggest influence on that kind of thing.

That said, I'm very disillusioned by our educational system...

 

[JColumbus]

This is scary stuff. This was a drive behind some countries ethnic cleansing, last century. I'm not saying it will happen here, but this is a good platform to lead to that. There is no telling what wicked things could come if this country is disarmed. Well, they are trying to disarm us and the mentally ill have been taking just as bad a rap as gun owners lately, if not worse. Like I said, I'm not saying this is where it's going, but it has gone that far before and I never thought it would be as bad as it is now.