Mad, Bad and (Quite Possibly) Dangerous to Know

'Don't tell people you have a mental illness,' s advice I've received more times than I care to remember. That's all very well but when you're depressed to the point of catatonia then someone is bound to notice. I feel the need to explain the context of yesterday's post. I became embroiled in a debate on *the forum* about anti-depressants. A poster responded by asserting that SSRI's are frequently prescribed to 'mask' problems that occur in everyday life. I tried to explain the difference between endogenous and reactive depression. Alas, I fear my efforts were in vain. I have no doubt that a minority of incompetent G.P's do prescribe anti-depressants inappropriately. Every medication has its side effects and every medication has horror stories associated with it. But the fact remains that they can and do save lives, regardless of the avalanche of media hysteria surrounding this issue.

On a lighter note, I wish to apologise for my shameless display of poor netiquette - i.e. my failure to respond to people who have the courtesy to comment on my blog. I will try to be a little less negligent in future.