2009-02-20, 04:36 AM
♥Ji Wrote:how can the discerning patient even begin to be convinced that medication is a completely safe option for mental health? the research isn't even conclusive for some of these things.
I don't think you can ever be convinced that medication is a completely safe option. It is not 100% safe and the decision to start a medication is much more a balance of potential benefit over harm. Trying to convince someone a drug is 100% safe is a pointless exercise, since you cannot be assured it is 100% safe in all circumstances. You can only weigh the benefits versus the risks.
While no, you can't just insert probes into someone's brain to measure neurotransmitter levels, I do not think that is as good an indicator of drug effectiveness as an evaluation of the person on the whole. The real goal of drug therapy is not focused on quantities and levels, but on the resulting changes that occur in the person undergoing the therapy, and if these changes are indeed what you desire.