Blood on their hands

The sad case of the divorce barrister Mark Saunders caught my attention this week. It sounds like he was a really troubled man; booze, depression, and drugs.

A report in the Daily Telegraph stated Mr Saunders had seen a psychiatrist in 2006. I've taken this paragraph from that article to point out something:

"A psychiatrist who examined him in 2006 warned that if he did not “abstain completely from all mind-altering substances” he risked being killed in a pub fight. Doctors were also concerned he would commit suicide if a period of depression and an alcohol binge coincided. To stabilise his mood swings, he was prescribed the antidepressant Prozac. "

If he was told to abstain completely from all mind-altering substances, why was he given antidepressants? The last time I checked, antidepressants were mind-altering, with a list of side effects as long as my arm, including violence.

I expect there's some psychobabbly answer, that 's supposed to satisfy the lemmings' curiosity, but I really don't care what the psychobabblists say. They have blood on their hands and it's time they answered up.

Children at risk before they're born

Shrinks from Yale University have issued new professional guidelines on antidepressants and pregnancy. On the uk.reuters.com website, it was stated as follows, "There are both pros and cons to using antidepressants during pregnancy, the report states. The drugs can effectively treat mom's depression, which has been linked to problems in the newborn. However, there is also evidence tying them to birth defects and reduced birth weight."

That's such a difficult statement to reconcile. Is it right to put an unborn child's health at risk by using antidepressants? Moms having a tough time of it have been taking antidepressants during pregnancy. Moms don't have it easy, but to take a drug that can cause birth defects just aint right.