Distress is a part of life and not a medical condition curable by drugs

“What is needed now is action and not just pious words.” Your concluding editorial comment on the urgency of response required for distressed citizens is right on the money (Irish Examiner, March 19). But what action?

Distress has complex roots in early development and/or overt traumatic experience and overwhelms the coping resources of an individual. These strands of experience must be addressed. Distress should never be considered a medical issue.

The overuse of anti-depressants, which your paper highlights, yet again, with compelling clarity and detail, has been parsed and probed to oblivion in so many articles, books, commentaries and, sadly, with so many well-publicised adverse outcomes.

Why, then, given this raft of exposés of fallacious classifications, diagnoses and medicated responses to life distress, is the talk still all about ‘psychiatric’ management of the situation.

Psychiatry is a ‘specialty’ grounded in medical science, to which is added the pervasive (and unhealthy) influence of ‘big-pharma’ and so, self-perpetuating distortions prevail.

‘Vision for Change’ was a squandered opportunity, but the psychiatric model usurped that policy before it ever got off the ground. Moving that tainted treatment philosophy to the community will change little.

It’s essentially the same system, without the high walls and locked doors.

Jim Cosgrove

Chapel Street

Lismore

Co.Waterford