Pro: Shannon Elliott
This, however, is not as easy as it sounds. Illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are far more complicated than emotions one can just shake off. In the case of schizophrenia, one has to deal with highs and lows as well as visual and auditory hallucinations. Now, I know what you’re saying, “Hey that sounds fun, it would be like taking acid”…but hey, would you like to be on acid for the rest of your life? With medication and therapy, one can learn ways to live and cope with this disorder. With dealing with bipolar disorder, one suffers from rapid mood swings; one day, the person will be feeling fine, and the next, they will feel like they can’t even get out of bed. The next day, they may feel like they are filled with so much energy that they can’t even sit still or control their thoughts. Again, with proper therapy and medication, one can learn to live with this disorder.
I do not see how some people can oppose the use of medication in cases of mental illness. What is the difference between getting help and medication through therapy for your anxiety and chilling in the woods and smoking a bowl for it? I know from personal experience that going to therapy and taking medications can truly help. It does not change who you are, it just gives you more control. Emotions are something that people have some control over, but sometimes one loses control or gets sick. You would not tell someone with pink eye not to go to the doctor and get a prescription for it. Also, for those of you who say, “Hey it is only a bad mood, you can just snap out of it.” Well, you would not tell someone to snap out of the chicken pox would you? No, you would tell them to take their time and do what they need to do to get better.
At the same time, I feel these meds are not to be taken lightly. One should consult their doctor before going on anything. In addition, I feel that meds are not for everyone. If someone you loved just kicked the bucket, there is no reason to run to your doctor to get a prescription for Prozac. It is normal to feel some depression after such an event. I also do not believe that one should dope their four-year-old up on Ritalin because he cannot sit still for an hour while their parents are trying to watch Deal or No Deal.
Psychiatric drugs can be a great help when used properly, and in combination with therapy, under the supervision of a doctor. Anyway, would you want a bunch of crazies running around unmedicated? I know I would not.
Con: Kyle Chidester
So what makes one kind of drug acceptable and another illegal? Are they not both addictive and dangerous if used incorrectly? The fact of the matter is, they are all drugs and all hold the potential to be very destructive.
For some reason, doctors feel they have the right to decide who should and can take what drug. Yet oddly enough, many prescription drugs mimic the effects of other street drugs. In fact, many illegal drugs were originally developed to be used as prescription. Take Ritalin and Methanphetamine for example. Meth was once used as a treatment on patients with hyperactive disorders, and once it was outlawed, doctors developed Ritalin merely as a slightly milder version, hoping it would show less adverse side effects.
Unfortunately, there is no way to develop a drug with no side effects, including chemical dependency. As soon as a doctor prescribes a drug to someone, they are fully aware that the patient is most likely going to become addicted, and in fact, both the doctor and the manufacturer are hoping they will, because that means more money in their poor little pockets. And in this nation, it’s all about making more money.
Now I understand that there are many people who “need” to take certain drugs in order to stabilize themselves. Depressants would not be able to function without their precious Prozac, but what about that poor crack-head on the street? Doesn’t he also “need” his fix in order to function? Well, I say they are both mere addicts and need to check into rehab. Prescription drugs are just as much addictive as cocaine or heroin, and so should be treated the same.
In certain cases, especially with anti-depressants, the prescriptions are said to keep one from becoming overwhelmingly melancholy. But do they ever warn you about the chance of not being able to feel extreme joy? The sad fact is that most prescription drugs deny you the ability to feel any dramatic emotional change. They keep you sweetly copasetic, calm and content without a worry or hope in the world. Personally, I would rather take the really bad with the really good, instead of living a life void of emotional variety.
I feel that prescription drugs and their users are no different than the drug abusers that occupy the majority of cells in the prison system. I say that there should be no delineation between the two. Both prescription and street drugs affect people, and society, in the same way. They create desperate addicts, who will do anything to get their fix, and they should all be put behind bars.