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Comment by mtlmtlmtlmtl

Look.

It's not some earth shattering revelation that "SSRIs don't work for many people". This has been known since SSRIs first appeared on the scene. This is also true of any other treatment you can think of. The reason they became the first choice as far as antidepressants go is they were a lot safer and better tolerated than the older alternatives. Besides, there's a lot more to psychiatry than just SSRIs. But with people like you it's always about SSRIs. Can't shut up about the SSRIs. If you hadn't noticed, this new drug is not an SSRI!

Psychiatrists recommend therapy, they recommend changes in diet and they recommend exercise. Clinical psychology, though technically a separate discipline from psychiatry, not being under the umbrella of medicine, is very much developed, researched and practiced in tandem and cooperation withpsychiatry, and vice versa.

You're constructing an elaborate strawman here, where the only reason for using drugs is some evil financial motive. It's just not that simple. There bad apples, and perverse incentives, but not only bad apples. Most doctors do in fact care about helping their patients.

Therapy can't fix everything. Therapy alone is not always sufficient and can be just as hit and miss as medication. Not everything is some deep personal issue that needs to be analysed and resolved. Mental disorder is often genetic, even neurological in nature. All the therapy in the world won't stop a bipolar person from cycling between mood disturbances, or someone with ADHD from being unable to concentrate.

We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Medication, therapy, meditation, diet, exercise, sleep hygiene are all part of the psychiatric toolbox.

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