The Emergence of the Concept of an “Antipsychotic” Drug (2013)

There definitely is a strong focus in psychiatry to just "throw stuff and see if it sticks", rather than actually understanding the mental pathways patients go towards.

I got diagnosed with bipolar-like symptoms and was initially given anti-psychotics. Nothin'. Then, lithium - lost most of my creativity and any sense of passion (for what that's worth). Now, clozapine. All very, very different medicines where I honestly don't see an end to the spaghetti slinging. It doesn't help that wen trying to bring up things that would lead to discussions of thought structure that could lead to legitimate treatment usually has the buck sent to pyschologist, which then sends it back.

The only way I've found to actually get a discussion going on related to brain/thought structure is through taking part in research programs. Those guys don't like to share their findings until after the study or individual participation is done, though. It's a long process, but hopefully it's worth it.

These days, I'm finding that stronger treatment comes from understanding and paying attention to "the map is not the territory". It's incredibly effective, but it has the adverse effect of "thinking too much". :)

The NIMH has a nice blog post that says patients do much better when they are taken off "antipsychotic" medication sooner rather than later.

"Director’s Blog: Antipsychotics: Taking the Long View" - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/antipsychotics-t...