day of rants.

The more and more I learn about mental health the more and more interested in it I find myself and the more and more controversial it is. Like I actually can't believe it. We're learning about ECT versus anti-depressants and the placebo effects for both and it's just so fascinating. I mean there is some great arguments with supporting evidence for all of them. I can't even believe it.
My biggest issue with it all is jumping into such intense and invasive and permanent treatments right off the bat. I think there needs to be a progressive movement from counselling to drug therapy or ECT based on the patient. I think the biggest issue is that family doctors can prescribe these drugs while psychologists cannot. I get that psychologists don't go to med school, but they still have a doctorate degree in PSYCHOLOGY. Not general medicine. Which means that though they didn't go to med school to learn about how to treat the common cough or a broken foot or birth control, they know a whole lot more about the brain, the mind and how it works that doctors that did.
I am especially sensitive when it comes to children. I've read about children 34 months old have ECT. And that rates of this treatment in 5-6 year olds are growing faster than any other population. As well as feeding kids anti-depressants at such young ages. Worst of all is ADD and ADHD medications. They are so incredibly over-prescribed. I mean think about it this way. When you get a new puppy, they're considered a puppy for 2-3 years which allows them to be disciplined but still get away with chewing things they shouldn't, sometimes peeing when they're not outside, having too much energy etc. But at the end of the day we go, oh they're just a puppy give them a break. If you think about their age in dog terms that means they are somewhere between the ages of 14-21 for how long we allow them to "be a puppy".
Look at a child. Maybe a 6 year old acts out in class, has trouble focusing, is interruptive or energetic, etc. Immediately the kid is labelled as ADD or ADHD and we tranquillize the kid. I was a child and I know there were days my parents should have smacked me up the side of the head for being such a shit disturber but instead they went, "b this is unacceptable behaviour, discussed why it was unacceptable and told me to go do something more productive or that required fresh air or positive physical/mental stimulation". They didn't tranquillize me. And worst of all, I had a pretty good childhood. I wasn't dealing with my parents ignoring me or not wanting me etc. The children that are acting out probably want attention because they're being neglected at home or there's some sort of bigger issue going on.
Even now I can't focus some days and I have too much energy and I'm disruptive and chatty etc. I bet if you put me on a depressant I'd be less disruptive and more focused too. Of course I would! You'd be tranquillizing me.
I've always thought about counselling after my ed degree. And the more and more I learn in this class, the more I want to get a counselling/psychology degree. I want to be able to talk to these children, get to know them, find out where this behaviour is coming from. Don't get me wrong, I know that medication IS the answer for some people. It saves lives and it drastically improves others. But it also increase suicide rates in certain populations, it's got terrible side-effects and major withdrawal issues. I just think that there needs to be more involvement of treatments OTHER than drugs. And sure that's more time-consuming and less cost-effective. But isn't these people, these children's lives more important? Shouldn't we care more about their well being than the few dollars made or saved?
If we want our society, our country to succeed, these children are our future. And I mean we all fit at least 10 diagnoses on the DSM. We have to take the time and effort and money to help these people become productive members of society so that we have a future.