EVERY drug can cause side effects. and it seems that drugs meant for treating severe conditions, also have the most severe side effects. e.g. take a look at cancer medication. these meds are for a very serious condition, and simultaneously come with some of the worst side effects i know of. but the thing is, they can help. they can save lives. the same is true for psychiatric medication. psychiatric conditions often show drastic mortality rates (25%-50% of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder attempt suicide at least once, with of course many succeeding[1]). and there are plenty of other such disorders with very high mortality rates.
In people with schizophrenia less than half (41%) showed any therapeutic response to an atypical antipsychotic, compared to 24% on placebo..
numbers like these may seem low, but looked at alongside the mortality rates of many psychiatric disorders, these numbers can save A LOT of lives.
As far as I know, almost all people taking medications for serious mental illness suffer serious side effects from them, that's just a fact. I am not trying to convince anyone to stop taking medication, some people might really be even worse off without them, I am just saying that it is a very difficult decision for a good doctor whether to put someone on psychiatric drugs or not, and whether to keep somebody on them. I speak from my personal observations of close family and friends who had mental health issues and were put on drugs, and from reading summaries of current research e.g.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipsychotic
Antipsychotics are associated with a range of side effects. It is well-recognized that many people stop taking them (around two-thirds even in controlled drug trials) due in part to adverse effects.
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In people with schizophrenia less than half (41%) showed any therapeutic response to an atypical antipsychotic, compared to 24% on placebo, there is a decline in treatment response over time, and potentially a biases in the literature in favor of these medication.
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If you have another opinion, I would love to hear where does it come from, do you have any kind of evidence that would counter what I said?