Three 5's and a Jack has just pointed out what I was about
to, that the original thread question was about
the effect, if any, that the usage of psychotropic meds may have on the negative mental states that having and dealing with PCa may bring: anxiety, depression, etc.
That the discussion has self-expanded to include psychotropic med use in general is perhaps not surprising, since, whatever the reason for starting these meds, their use once started produces larger questions, some already being raised in this discussion.
There are a good number of opposing articles on the web, some favoring, others against the use of such meds. And then there are some which try to present a more objective picture. Here, for example, is one that seems to do that, approaching the issue objectively:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/psychiatric-medicines-are_b_8990770.htmlFrom this article:
"More than 20 percent of Americans are on at least one psychotropic drug (sometimes several)"
"One side are medication fanatics — some of whom are psychiatrists but also many primary doctors who prescribe 80% of psych meds. On the opposing side are die-hard anti-medication crusaders who try to persuade everyone, including those who really need meds, that they are globally unhelpful and globally harmful."However,
"There will never be one right decision on psychiatric medicine that applies to everyone. In the US, there has been far too much acrimony and far too little cooperation among providers, families, and disaffected users — as if there were one right answer. This results in bad treatment and ineffective advocacy for the mentally ill." So, as the article suggests, some overuse such meds to escape normal, to be expected, unpleasantness of living. But then there are others who are seriously mentally ill, whose situations are indeed dramatically improved by their taking of mind medications.
Perhaps the words in boldface above best summarize how to view this matter.