I agree with most of the sentiments and especially the root cause one. However, medication is by no means unfashionable - antidepressant medication is one of the greatest money spinners for pharmaceutical companies. Controlled studies established that they are useful to around 40% of sufferers. Medication is usually the first line of treatment and almost never addresses the root cause. ECT is very controversial, especially as there are very few controlled studies and the side effects such as memory loss can be horrendous. Some patients never recover from the effects of ECT. It certain parts of the world it is banned altogether.
However, medication is by no means unfashionable - antidepressant medication is one of the greatest money spinners for pharmaceutical companies. Controlled studies established that they are useful to around 40% of sufferers.
Most medications have side effects. It's about balancing the possible risks with the possible benefits. Perhaps your statement should read “And also that some such medications may increase suicidal tendencies in young people”? I don’t think this has been shown conclusively. I am not involved in this area and have no first hand experience in this area but I don’t like the sensationalist way in which these topics are covered in the media.And also that some such medications increase suicidal tendencies in young people.
“And also that some such medications may increase suicidal tendencies in young people”? I don’t think this has been shown conclusively.
The question how many lives would you save by highlighting cases of drunk driving, and asleep at the wheel, and suicide in one vehicle collisions.
Chances are the reporting of such accidents will precede the carrying out of a post mortem that would establish these details so it may be a moot point.Forget about suicide for a minute. The blood alcohol level of any driver involved in a fatal accident should be reported, even if the driver was one of the fatalities. Similarly any other drugs found in their system.
There is strong reason to believe that increased coverage of suicides has prompted more people to take their own lives.
I do not have the figures but I suspect that the HSE spends a lot more on mental health treatment than most people would guess. The issue is how much do they spend on mental health education.
Tell that to the families of thoes who are left at least in a road death the family will know what/why death was causedDangerous drivers are a hazard to themselves and to others, potential suicides are usually more hazard to themselves alone.
My point was that dangerous drivers are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists, children, passengers and other drivers, and they kill and maim people others than themselves.Tell that to the families of thoes who are left at least in a road death the family will know what/why death was caused
After all, the road safety spend is not just about road deaths, but about all of the road injuries; A far greater number of people are at risk on the roads than are ever at risk of suicide (though of course the risk for each person is much smaller).
For a number of reasons I have to be very careful in choosing my words on this topic. All I will say is that personal experience has led me to conclude that depressio can be a root cause of, or a contributing factor towards, a wide spectrum of destructive and anti-social behaviours. Not being a medic myself, I don't want to delve too deeply into the issue of use or misuse of anti-depressants, except perhaps to say that certain medications may have unanticipated, and (what I would limit myself to describe as) unpleasant, side effects.