Lack of TV programmes on mental illness phychiatric drugs

[embleton]

Last year for a couple of months around June and July several programmes were aired on BBC 3 concerning mental illness, but this trend hasn't continued. It does surprise me that such programmes were aired about the true realities of psychological distress and mental illness, but society is still not addressing such matters on mainstream TV channels, truthfully. Even cyberspace doesn't truly represent those with a severe mental illness, its heavily biased towards those with just depression and taking only antidepressants or those not willing to reveal their true identity for fear of retaliation from their friends, family or society locally to them generally.

I keep reading that those living with bipolar affective disorder can live a productive life with appropriate treatment. What they mean is take the tranquillisers and keep quiet and take a lowly position in society, surely that is stigma and discrimination at its worst. There is no cure or even successful method of even managing the condition when severe episodes occur.

If anyone challenges the psychiatric establishment and drug companies concerning their findings it's just brushed under the table. I found out that if I continue to stop taking the drugs slowly as I've done in the past then I'll be put on a community treatment order and injected with older tranquillisers for my disobedience last year.

My findings are that those with severe bipolar affective disorder relapse every 12-18 months whether they take the drugs or not. And I have not exceeded that period of the slightly better functionality of major relapsing during the last 17 years, but they think they know better or have better research, nonsense they don't. This is the case as I've relapsed 4 to 5 times majorly since my last admission and gone through and currently am going through a major episode.

To improve my condition mental health services have me almost addicted to diazepam in addition to two tranquillisers. I've made reductions to the dose of diazepam and one tranquilliser, as they're as required, but am having the severe withdrawal that is showing up in my sleeping patterns, basically I'm unable to sleep for more than three hours a night currently. And the episode continues, clicks, bumps, paranoid delusions, hallucinations and poor uncontrollable mood. I've even climbed the spectrum scale and been diagnosed with bipolar with schizoaffective disorder features during the previous year and a half.

My research shows that using tranquillisers, whether major or minor, for the shortage period possible results in a better outcome for the individual in overall life skills. My research also shows that you're likely to live longer taking this approach to the drugs prescribed for severe mental illnesses, as one's life expectancy is reduced by 10-20 years taking older tranquillisers. The second generation tranquillisers are unlikely to improve that situation, but time will tell.