Kirstie Alley goes on an anti-psychiatry Twitter rant, likens meds to ‘slavery’

Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley really needs to step away from the social media with her crazy Scientology bias against psychiatry. Everyone’s favorite Xenu puppet of delusion took to her Twitter account after she happened to catch a television commercial for the Abilify antidepressant. I think I’ve seen the ad spot she’s talking about, which is one that shows a bouncing happy face. Well, Kirstie seems to believe that children will see this commercial and want to take this drug, you know, just for fun. Say what?

Just for a second, let me backtrack and say that I don’t agree with Kirstie when she says that psychiatric drugs are the devil, but I don’t think that kids should take them unless it’s absolutely necessary. I don’t doubt that there are some children whose parents will medicate them because it’s easier than dealing with behavioral problems. One of my friends went through a big custody battle in court and won sole custody of his daughter because the mother kept doctor shopping, and the poor little girl was on all kinds of meds because, well, let’s just say that the mother had issues of her own. In that case, the court-appointed doctor determined that (just like the father suspected) this little girl did not have any psychiatric problems, but this was a very extreme case where the mom just kept insisting that her kid take these drugs to be “fixed.”

In contrast, there are kids who do genuinely benefit from drugs for depression, ADHD, and other mental-health maladies. Some kids (and adults) really need such such medication, but Kirstie doesn’t see that, of course. She’s conditioned to follow the L. Ron Hubbard-dictated doctrine that holds psychiatry out as the root of all evil — including the Holocaust and the Xenu volcano debacle. As such, we can’t expect any common sense from Kirstie in this department, and here are some of the bizarro things she said on Twitter about pharmaceutical companies and their eeevil drugs:

Kirstie Alley

“HOW is it legal to INTICE people to down TWO mind altering drugs by using cartoon characters to depict the DRUGS? ABILIFY. Big PHARMA not marketing to youth? ABILIFY… Talking umbrella, cute little smiley pill, while lethal side effects like suicide r rattled off. I have a great name for a psych drug NOT targeted at children…Broccoli-ifi. At least when that dirty creep across from the campus is selling smack we see the intensity of it. Same dude on TV Drug ads…just bathed. You can hate me for my viewpoint .but on this it won’t change..some things are just not right..a ‘little bit of slavery’ is not acceptable”

[From Kirstie Alley on Twitter]

Does anyone else find it ironic that Kirstie is likening psychiatry to the promotion of slavery when the CO$ itself runs on slave labor? From young children in the Sea Org to Tom Cruise’s mechanics and housekeepers, the entire cult relies on slavery. Yet all of that is easy for delusional celebrity members to ignore when pushing their cult’s wacky ideology. L. Ron Hubbard hated psychiatrists because he felt that doctors at the Veteran’s Administration had failed him.

Somehow though, traces of psychiatric drugs were found in Hubbard’s system after his death, but celebrity members will never acknowledge such truths. Remember how Tom Cruise famously jabbed his finger at Matt Lauer and gave him a profound lecture on “psychiatric abuses” while promoting War of the Worlds? Tom insisted that poor Brooke Shields didn’t need antidepressants for postpartum depression because “there’s no such thing as a chemical imbalance.” That’s basically the same deluded point of view that Kirstie is presenting in her silly Twitter rant. How unfortunate.

Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet

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115 Responses to “Kirstie Alley goes on an anti-psychiatry Twitter rant, likens meds to ‘slavery’”

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  1. brin says:

    Broccoli-ify?

    • Amelia says:

      For a minute I thought she meant that meds turn people into passive vegetables, but I think she seems to think that a medication named after a veg is going to put kids off, because of course all kids hate eating greens.
      Well, Kirstie, tell that to the kid down the hall from me who verges on turning into the Hulk when he doesn’t get his French beans.
      But still; when have you ever seen an ad for a medication and then seen kids asking their parents for it?
      Bitch, please. Kids are far more interested in making their own fun than getting a medication to do it for them.

      • MoxyLady007 says:

        I think she is trying to say veggies cure mental issues but kids don’t like to eat them. It’s in line with what the COS spouts off. Yes?

      • Erinn says:

        @MoxyLady
        That’s the conclusion I got from it… though I definitely ran through all the possibilities Amelia posted prior to that.

      • Pandy says:

        Agree – food as medicine.

  2. paranormalgirl says:

    As a psychiatrist, this annoys me to no end. Is there an over dependence on the prescription of psychotropic medications to attempt to “fix” people and issues? Yes, there is. Is big Pharma making money off the backs of gullible people and irresponsible doctors? Yes. BUT there are many people out there who benefit from a therapeutic level of medication and there are many doctors out there who attempt to seek the root of the problem before simply writing a scrip. There are people whose lives are made infinitely better by that therapeutic dose of Geodon so they don’t hear the voices any more. There are people who can get up in the morning and face the day because of their therapeutic dose of Abilify. Everyone is different and chemical imbalances DO exist. And people medicate in different ways. Kirsti apparently medicates on burgers and condescension.

    • Launicaangelina says:

      Thank you. This issue is much more complex than what Kirstie and her cult try to present.

      There’s a major issue with Rx drug abuse in this country but it’s not all bad. As you explained earlier, with the right treatment plan and medication level, many people are aided by these meds.

    • Green is Good says:

      Thanks for your insight, PNG.

    • Amber says:

      “Kirstie apparently medicates on burgers and condescension.”

      This^^^all day. It blows my mind how Kirstie credits Scientology with curing her cocaine addiction with no sense of irony towards the fact that she traded cocaine for another addiction problem that’s gone on for nearly 30 years and Scientology, along with Jenny Craig, couldn’t help her with it. (For years she hinted that she was an obsessive dieter while she was on Cheers too.) Just looking at some of the celeb Scientologists, if they weren’t raised in the group, they are all looking for a way to fix something. Which Scientology appears to address by suppressing or ignoring it and building up the person’s ego. Tom Cruise, his daddy issues and his hatred of weakness… and maybe some other thing. John Travolta and maybe that same thing Tom Cruise might have going on. Oh and they all seem kind of loony, narcissistic, deluded, highly emotional and reactionary to the point where they seem almost incapable of intelligently expressing themselves without making idiotically erroneous comments in a patronizing manner.

    • lucy2 says:

      Great post.

      Also, she’s still a heavy smoker – guess she has no problem with Big Tobacco and those brain chemistry affecting chemicals, huh?

    • Merritt says:

      This. One of my closest friends, needs psych meds, just to be able to function.

      Also I’m so tired of people trivializing slavery by comparing it to things that are not even remotely close.

    • Dinah says:

      Ironic that if Kirstie herself would be medicated, she’d likely have success with her compulsive eating +/- food addiction.

      Try some Wellbutrin, Kirstie. It has helped smokers, as well as depressives.

    • MonicaQ says:

      As a PTSD sufferer, thank you. Thank you so much.

    • princesslizabeth says:

      +1

    • bluhare says:

      If you saw me at Christmas and saw me now, you’d know medications work. The difference is night and day, and we just lost our dog very unexpectedly last Friday and I’m still functioning,albeit not quite as well, which is . . . well, it’s normal!!!

      So shut the fcku up, Kristi. Go eat your broccoli and leave the rest of us alone.

      And thanks to people like you, Paranormal Girl.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        When I went through my divorce, as amicable as it was, I needed a short term course of Cipralex to help me through. It helped. In conjunction with a bit of therapy I am back to being prescription free.

      • bluhare says:

        I’m unemployed on top of everything else, Paranormal Girl, and the doctor said something at Christmas that stuck. She said “No one would hire you now. Look at you!”. I was shocked. I’ve always been anti medication thinking that they change my personality and I am who I am. I’ve now come to the realization that they change my brain chemistry so I can BE who I am. I couldn’t take Abilify (made me nauseous as heck all day) which was my dr.’s preferred anti depressant as I’m bipolar 2, and I got a subsidy for it and everything. It costs $400 to $600 per month for those of you with insurance who just pay a copay. Now I’m on another antidepressant which is working very well, plus a mood stabilizer and feeling much better. My living area shows the difference too. I have an office now instead of a pile of crap!

      • paranormalgirl says:

        Bluhare, sometimes all it takes is a chemical reaction to jump start the brain. As long as the medication is the lowest dose necessary to be therapeutic, it doesn’t change who you are. It’s when you end up on doses that are past therapeutic that those kinds of changes occur. Sounds like your doctor isn’t afraid to be honest with you and has listened to your concerns. Congratulations on rejoining the land of the living!

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        ‘Intice’, huh? Looks like her spelling is as archaic as her attitude. I’m definitely dropping out of bipolar-1 to walk the Earth and study at her feet because again and again I am reminded that she certainly knows what she talks about.

    • ol cranky says:

      thankyouthankyouthankyou

      I’ve worked on the development of neuroleptics and, for a patient with schizophrenia who needs these meds, they can be an absolute godsend.

      The problem with overmedication with psychoactive drugs is similar, but not quite the same, as the general American mindset that everything can and should be addressed with a drug in order to get the quick fix or a definitive and quick cure. The problem with the psychoactive drugs is that way too many docs prescribe them as first-line, stand alone therapy and, to make matters worse, they do so without setting realistic expectations. That lack of realistic expectations, coupled with a lack of appropriate counseling is probably the biggest reason the post-marketing suicidality data looks so bad. The poo-pooing of psychiatric/psychological issues and the idiotic attitude that some vitamins and auditing (or other religious process) is all you need to get better doesn’t help anyone and has lead to significant exacerbations to the point that people have died, killed others or been killed by others (in the name of religion and refusal to acknowledge psychiatric ailments, of course).

    • Lithe says:

      “Kirsti apparently medicates on burgers and condescension”

      You were doing great up until you said this. Not something I would expect a psychiatrist to say.

      • A~ says:

        It is a fact that people often treat their own neuroses with food and by turning their self-loathing outward. A psychiatrist certainly might say such a thing when she is not in a professional setting. Like, y’know, a gossip site.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a nun. I’m not on the clock, not on your billable hour, and I am perfectly fine saying whatever I want on a gossip site without compromising my professional life. I don’t treat Kirstie Ally.

      • F5 says:

        Totally something I would expect a psychiatrist to say..

      • paranormalgirl says:

        and I medicate with Starbucks and sarcasm.

    • Lisa says:

      Thank you Thank You Thank You!

      several years ago I was hospitalized when the combination of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds I was taking reacted badly. I had moved across country, was working from home and completely isolated after 20+ years of working in corporate america. I was not doing well. After a week in the hospital I ended up with a reduced dose of welbutrin (I was at the max), and the dr put me on ability in the place of my anti anxiety med. It was like night and day – a door opened!

      3 years later I am only on my welbutrin due to changes in my drug plan – yes it went up to a co-pay of $350, and I could’nt afford it. But that medication got me through a very bad time in my life. Should everyone be on it??? NO, but some people need alternatives when a certain med doesnt work for them.

      These scientology folks really need to focus on themselves, and STFU about other peoples lives!

    • Joy says:

      This all day. I LOVE YOU.

    • Miss Jupitero says:

      I worry a lot more about people who don’t get help for depression because of the stigma and who fear taking medication that can really help them. People like her do not help.

    • Beatriz says:

      Thank you so much for your post! It irks me when ignorant celebrities spew off such statements, because of their notoriety someone might believe it. My mother is bipolar and after 20 years miserable years, which included several psychosis and trips to the mental hospital, she’s finally stable and happy and all thanks to being on medication. Yes, substance abuse is bad, but that doesn’t mean that psychotropic medication is bad altogether.

  3. Samantha says:

    Just another example of the absurdity that is called ‘Scientology’.

  4. dorothy says:

    Does anyone take this nut seriously? She’s a cult member of Scientology. Just another ignorant, gullible celebrity. Move on to someone with credibility.

  5. Amelia says:

    “#1984Orwell” . . .
    What’s the betting she’s never picked up a copy of that book in her life?
    Oy. The crazy is strong in this one.

  6. andy says:

    Psychiatric medication would help her tremendously.

    • Bored suburbanhousewife says:

      My exact reaction!

    • BengalCat2000 says:

      I would love for her to spend a day in my un-medicated brain. That would change her tune real fast.

    • Hautie says:

      I have long suspected Kirstie is bi-polar.

      She has always been either way way up… or way way down.

      And probably would benefit from a little help, from a professional.

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        It’s not like St. Science here has anything else going on. She has no influence on me though so I can’t be bothered to muster up more emotions about this.

    • c'est la vie says:

      Yeah I think she is protesting too much.

      God they’ve got them good and brainwashed over at the scientology celeb center.

      Obviously they need professional help.

  7. Daahling says:

    Dr. Kirstie Alley, tell me more about your knowledge of pediatric psychiatry from your time at John Hopkins. Sorry, St. Jude’s. Apologies, what children’s hospital do you work for? What was your dissertation regarding? Oh, riiiiight.

  8. SydneySpy says:

    Paranormalgirl put this issue in the correct perspective. There certainly are doctors who take full advantage of the perks of pushing certain medications, but the majority investigate long and deeply before prescribing psychiatric drugs in particular, knowing that these types of medications, when genuinely required, need to be carefully allocated and monitored. These pusillanimous Scientology twits, with little or no scientific training or experience, simply parrot their drivel as a way of bolstering their cult. Is it a coincidence that this mob is (fairly currently) getting bad press in several countries, so Ms Alley uses this opportunity to have a rant? On the other hand, I do agree with our Australian government not permitting the advertising of prescription-only medications.

    • gg says:

      Yes, Kirstie always pipes up anytime there is more than one piece of negative press about $cientology.

      I totally agree about the long drug ads and having to listen to the litany of bad side effects – it seems rather self-defeating for them. These ads are as bad as the US TV ads touting hiring a lawyer for a big payoff to take a vacation. Reprehensible. However, nobody can get Abilify without an Rx and it’s not an opioid so I disagree with Kirsty’s stance (as usual). She is nothing but “dillusional” hot air. typo intended. Lern 2 spel Krystty …

      • iheartjacksparrow says:

        @gg

        Those ads amaze me. “Do you have itchy skin? Then try ‘StopItch.’* Side effects include thoughts of suicide, collapsed lungs, heart attacks, broken bones, and loss of hair.” (*Completely made up.) Why would someone want to trade one problem for 20 possible new problems?

    • bluhare says:

      My doctor is actually annoying me with the amount of times she wants me to come in as we don’t have insurance right now, but she wants to make sure dosages are correct, and for that I thank her, as well as tell her any push back is only because of money and I’ll be in eventually.

      • Mich says:

        Shame, darling! All the times I interact with you on these threads and I had no idea you might be suffering!

        Do you have a good support network around you??

        p.s. Are you making sure to eat your broccoli? 😉

      • Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

        Are we twins or are we having a mind-meld moment? It’s spooky how similar our experiences have been; we should go bowling.

  9. anneesezz says:

    It seems like the people against psychiatry are always those who need it the most.

  10. Rai-rai says:

    English might be my second language but isn’t it spelled ”Entice”? Intice is an archaic form, I know, but I doubt that she knows that.
    She also doesn’t know what she’s talking about. So brainwashed… it’s sad.
    ”Broccoli-ify” sounds like a Harry Potter spell!

  11. janie says:

    Well you know her & Tom Cruise should open their own practice? Cruise has so much knowledge on the suject…

  12. JL says:

    When she can show she’s stable and loses those 3 slaves she’s carrying around call me.

    Drug addication, Food addiction it’s all the same.

    Take two doughnuts and call me when the sugar crash kicks in.

  13. MCraw says:

    While she sounds absolutely crazy about chemical imbalances not existing, the manipulations and abuse of big pharma and prescription meds are also true. While I don’t think it was an ad directed at children, the use of animation makes it “non-threatening” while the side effects are very disturbing. Seizures, deteriorated motor skills and, yes, suicidal thoughts. Just cuz drugs are legal doesn’t mean it isn’t abused and therefore deadly. That’s why weed should be legal. No deadly side effects, helps you sleep AND is a pain reliever. Big pharma doesn’t want to be X’d out for a natural drug tho. They’ll stay the drug dealers.

    • Sarah says:

      Yeah, pot is always the answer… Rolls eyes

      • Lolly says:

        Get over your self Sarah. Most “acceptable” drugs are way worse for you than pot will ever be. All drugs are xenobiotics & are therefore poisons. There isn’t one single “harmless” drug. I used to have an irrational fear of weed until I did my research. A lot of the purpoted side effects of weed are completely blown out of proportion by the pharmacuetical companies so who don’t use weed which is natural & continue to guzzle down their poisons.
        #blowsweedsmokeinyaface!

      • Zoid says:

        Wow Lolly. That was super rude of you.

    • Sam says:

      Uh, you’re aware that weed has THC in it, right? And THC has been linked to psychotic episodes in people with pre-existing conditions, right? Something tells me you’re not aware.

      I worked in a counseling center. One of our biggest problems was people with disorders that can have psychotic features (bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia) self-medicating with pot. The THC basically sent them on psychotic trips that we then had to deal with. But you don’t exactly come across as a Rhodes Scholar, so maybe I’m being too harsh.

      • Lolly says:

        @zoid: sorry if I came across as rude but I get really riled up when people make snotty comments like sarah did. I’m afraid I trying to inject a lil hoodrat with my last statement..
        *sheepish grin*
        The joke’s on you sam. I’m a second year resident in family medicine & believe me some of the drugs I see dispensed here like candy I wouldn’t even prescribe to a goat. I take herbal medications & avoid drugs from Pfizer & their ilk like the plague. I’ll just take my non Rhodes Scholar self away from this post before I become even more “rude”

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        Yes the best way to disparage someone who criticizes others for doing what’s right for THEM is to then turn around and criticize others for doing what’s right for THEM. *eye roll*

        Ugh. Y’all need to let people decide for THEMSELVES. In the end it’s all about quality of life. I don’t take prescription pills but I smoke weed at night to help me sleep. I don’t begrudge others who need medications to stabilize or help them function normally, just like I don’t expect them to get on my ass for smoking a bowl or organic green in the safety of my own bed before I go to sleep at night.

        Man, so much judgment all the time around here..it’s seriously exhausting.

  14. jessica says:

    Is she levitating off the ground in that last picture?

  15. lucy2 says:

    I don’t like all the drug advertising these days, but that doesn’t change the fact that many people are helped by those drugs. Kirstie is just brainwashed and ill-informed, and perpetuating the stigma of mental illness.
    If someone had a heart condition and a pill a day helped them, we’d never shame them for taking that pill. I don’t know why it’s any different with a brain condition.

  16. Sam says:

    It’s nasty and cruel and bitchy to say, but she sorta has earned it:

    She does know that now food can be used as a drug, right? I’ve never gotten how she can be so open about her own issues with food without getting that that same stuff can also “enslave” you. It makes her seem hypocritical.

  17. Nonny says:

    I wish all these crazy Scienwhackjobalists would just Piss Off!

  18. Renee says:

    Kirstie, where’s Shelley?

  19. mel says:

    She is so completely out of touch…I do medicare sales and see folks every single day in all sorts of scenarios (rich, poor, middle class, urban, rural) and lets just say if some of these folks were not medicated the world would be a very scary place.

  20. erika says:

    well, i heard smoking does wonders for mind/body balance! right Kirstie?

    i thought you said CO$ cured you of smoking but methinks otherwise.

    Oh, babe, remind me again, just what do you do for a living these days…???

    meds work for some, for others no. ideally, one will have an honest relationship w/ their Dr who can monitor their effect and make adjustments as needed. done.

    i can’t w/ CO$ now. ironic thing is if any of the CO$ members were to be put on the appropriate anti/depress. they just might build enough emotional tolerance to get themselves the F*** away from CO$ but that would mess things up now right?

    don’t lecture/preach to me if i have NO oppy to hit ya back.

  21. Tapioca says:

    1. The drug advert states that it is over-18s only. Presumably any doc prescribing to a child would be liable for a sh*t load of money – cartoon or no cartoon?

    2. Anti-depressants are lifesavers. I do write that from personal experience (although it did take a bit of trial-and-error to find the right drug and dose, so they’re not always magic bullets).

    3. The three highest profile Scientologists are a three-time divorcé, a (alleged) masseur-molesting closeted gay and, as far as I can tell, a whale that swallowed another whale. If they’ve got the answer, my mind can only boggle at the question…

  22. MonicaQ says:

    1) Every time I’ve seen her down around the Bellaire/Downtown Clearwater area and I see her, she’s eating at some Organic Cafe or other with a pack of Newports. I mean, really? Talk about a contradiction.

    2) Look, some of us would like to function. Some of us don’t like having flash backs and night terrors and sitting completely immobilized in the shower for hours on end. Or letting the violence that happened to us not just stay with us–because it always will–but affect us. We like being productive members of society. I like going to work and providing for my brother. Without what I take, I am 99.99% sure that I would not be able to. I worked at not taking medication for many years…it did not end well.

    And lady, Orwell was talking about organizational control, the insatiable thirst for power, how big a lie can get, and how people can sit by and let it happen because it makes their lives comfortable. Sounds like any church that starts with “Scie” and ends with “full of fuck-ntology”?

  23. yeahright says:

    I agree with her. There are people out there with serious mental disorders that do benefit from psychiatric drugs without question. However, there are A LOT of people (children included) who are taking these drugs who should not be taking them. I find the entire industry disgusting.

    Good lord I never thought I’d agree with a scientologist.

    • Sam says:

      Uh, she’s not saying what you read. Scientologists are not against meds except for the sickest people. They are anti-meds, period. They flat out deny that mental illness even exists. Read the Village Voice’s blog about Scientology to find out what they really believe.

    • TrustMeOnThis says:

      Google Lisa McPherson to see how Scientologists deal with medical conditions.

      There are many other examples. They think auditing can cure cancer and many of them have died as a result.

    • april says:

      Yeah right – I agree with you. A lot of psychiatric conditions (i.e., depression) can be caused by imbalanced hormones, thyroid problems, sleep apnea, and other medical conditions. Typically placing one on antidepressants just masks the real problem.

  24. Katy says:

    She needs to put down that coolaid and maybe stop stuffing her face!! Stupid bitch.

  25. Ginger says:

    Thank you so much Bedhead for talking about this. Mental illness runs in my family. I have suffered from bipolar illness for many years and rely on medication in order to function properly. This is an illness like any other much the same as a diabetic who relies on insulin. To say that all psych meds are evil is an injustice. My son had GAD but his father and I have not put him on meds and instead rely on counseling and coping skills for panic and anxiety. So I agree completely about children sometimes being over medicated. Thank you so much for approaching this subject from a rational point of view!

  26. SusieQ2 says:

    What if one of the ‘big pharma’ companies was owned by a member of the CO$? I bet Miscavige would have NO problem accepting $$$donations from THAT source.

    Typical double standards of the cult.

    As for the smoking thing, why the cult founder L Ron Hubbard said smoking cured cancer!! And according to the cult, good ol Elron never lied.

  27. Ruth says:

    Much as I dont understand why the US food and Drug Administration allows direct marketing of drugs to patients (I am a UK medical student and I have to study sixty hours a week for five years to be able to give people these things, even then on much much more expert advisement- how are people supposed to know what they are from thirty seconds of bouncing faces?) I dont understand more why she is so messed up. Every other body system can and does go wrong with sometimes tragic results. Why cant your brain?

    • Shannon says:

      Big Pharma has a very powerful lobbying group that spends tons and tons of money on our politicians. As a result, they get to do things like direct marketing to patients and shower doctors with free stuff. There are both good and bad things about this setup. On the one hand, it’s stupid to think that patients should get to pick their medications after watching cartoony commercials. On the other hand, a lot of these companies have manufacturer coupons on their websites made available to low-income people, allowing them to take medications they couldn’t otherwise afford. We don’t have universal healthcare like you do over there, even with Obamacare, so there are people who slip through the cracks.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        I get some cool staff from pharmaceutical companies. I may not prescribe their products, but I will use their pens!

  28. Shannon says:

    She’s right about Abilify, actually. I just went to see my own psychiatrist because my anti-depressant wasn’t working well enough and we went over the options I might take. He listed several of the side-effects of Abilify, which were horrifying, and informed me that they get worse over time. You can develop permanent issues from it even if you stop taking it, including Parksinson’s-like symptoms.

    Obviously the $cientology mindset of being anti-psychiatric medications across the board is complete nonsense, but I do think that some medications should never have been approved by the FDA, and that a lot of the time parents agree to put their children on meds without understanding some of the long-term risks. I say this as a person who has been taking medication for ADD and depression since the age of 9. And yes, I DID need them from that age and still do. My brain chemistry is just whack. I accept this. But I am very wary of some of the side effects of many drugs out there, and I think it’s important to fully research what you’re going to take, and to hold off on trying new “wonder drugs” for a couple of years because they often turn out to be really terrible. That said, many SSRI’s and ADD medications are safe for long-term use, and no one should discriminate against all psychiatric medications.

    It also annoys me that some people think no child should ever be medicated, and that kids are always the victims of drug pushing docs and parents. If I hadn’t been on medication at 9, I would have killed myself. YES, it’s possible to be depressed and suicidal before you’re a preteen. It sucks. What sucks even more is people condescendingly telling you there’s nothing wrong with you and that your parents must just be lazy.

    • TrustMeOnThis says:

      Well said, and I am glad to hear you were helped. They can make such a huge difference. My mom was also a suicidal preteen but they didn’t have anywhere near as many options to help her.

    • paranormalgirl says:

      Abilify is one of the meds I don’t prescribe if I can help it. There are a couple I prefer not to use. Any reputable doctor will carefully go over the side effects of any med prescribed, ESPECIALLY psychotropic meds, which can have so many side effects and contraindications. Deciding on a course of any medication should be the result of a careful dialogue between doctor and patient.

      • Mich says:

        Totally off topic but do you know if anti-depressants (like, say, wellbutrin) can cause thyroid storms?

      • paranormalgirl says:

        Bupropion (Wellbutrin) doesn’t have thyroid storm as a side effect, even in the rare side effects. BUT, if you have untreated hyperthyroidism, that can lead to thyroid storm. Before starting a course of antidepressants, you should have a full thyroid screen. A lot of what appears to be depression can be caused by the thyroid and that should be ruled out before starting an antidepressant. When that is the case, you treat the thyroid and not the depression symptoms.

  29. Izzy says:

    Kirstie Alley, on behalf of depression sufferers (like me) who have been helped by psychiatric medications, I am sending you the BIGGEST BITCHSLAP THE UNIVERSE HAS EVER SEEN. That’s right bitch, I’m COSMIC.

  30. Jayna says:

    They are overprescribed and too many people run to their general practitioner getting an anti-depressant when maybe just getting out an exercising would do the trick or counseling needed. But antidepressants can and have been a godsend for those truly clinically depressed. My father was suicidal after my mother died. I was scared to death for him and hated watching him spiral down as time went on. His heartbreak was destroying him. It was unbearable. After two that didn’t work, the third one was like a miracle. It brought him a little peace.

    My neighbor after a year of grief and still crying every morning over her husband, her doctor begged her to try another antidepressant as she couldn’t go on that way. She worked, had her grandchildren over to visit every week. She wasn’t isolated. She didn’t like the one she tried after her husband died, so was against antidepressants. But her pain was huge. Her husband was her best friend in life and inseperable. So after a year of depression, she agreed to try the one the doctor offered her. The second antidepressant she called a miracle when it began working, the first time she awoke with any semblance of inner peace and wanting to get up and enjoy life a little. She told me before that she didn’t care if she lived or died.

  31. MAC says:

    What does she suggest “coke” and “cult”. How closed minded of her to say that.

  32. HK9 says:

    Look, until she stops self-medicating with food and cigarettes and deals with her own issues~yah I said it~SHE NEEDS TO BE QUIET.

  33. SamiHami says:

    I guess I should just stop taking my meds now, huh? Even though if I were to quit I’d have to quit my job…I cannot function well and certainly cannot drive without them.

    People with varying issues, including my own depression and anxiety (which are near-crippling unmedicated) have real, serious conditions and we shouldn’t be shamed for getting the help we need. Because my drs have found the right balance of meds I can now live a reasonably enjoyable and productive life. It deeply offends me that some celbutard would dare say that I, and others like me, don’t really need our medications. Sorry, but I like having an improved quality of life, and my husband likes having a wife that isn’t crying and depressed constantly.

  34. May May says:

    Speaking as someone who’s been taking antidepressants since I was twelve, and have had really bad reactions whenever the dose has been lowered, she really needs a dose of reality.

    And some duct tape over her mouth.

  35. KellyinSeattle says:

    I hate it when people go on a platform to “inform” us when they don’t have much experience in the subject. I’ve strugged with SEVERE depression since age sixteen, and I’m not ashamed to say (not “admit”) there were times it’s been so bad that I can’t get out of bed or lift my head, so I’ve had ECTs *shock therapy. Medication has helped tremendously. In fact, I’m PROUD to say that I’ve been a real trooper and very stong to get through this. Shut up Kirstie. That I should feel shame for all of this = I refuse to.

    • Izzy says:

      +1,000,000!! Antidepressants saved my life. Literally. And I refuse to feel ashamed of it.

  36. Ruyana says:

    If Kirstie doesn’t like slavery why is she a Scientologist?

  37. Turtle Dove says:

    Uh-oh… somebody needed some attention.

  38. april says:

    FYI – on Dr. Oz tomorrow the show is about antidepressants and whether or not they are helpful or dangerous.

    • Izzy says:

      Dr. Oz is a hack. He takes an all-or-nothing approach to decision-making about the practice of medicine, when any competent doctor would recognize that each situation – and patient – is different.

  39. Deeana says:

    “However, there are A LOT of people (children included) who are taking these drugs who should not be taking them.”

    Where, I wonder, are those who are spouting this line getting their information? I am serious. Think about this.

    Have there been any peer-reviewed studies done with results published in a medical journal that showed “a lot of people (including children) taking drugs they should not be taking”?

    And if not, then how exactly would this be determined?

    I think this is just another “urban myth”, so to speak. Along with there being myriads of doctors out there who are “pushing” medications on patients. I’ve never had a doctor “push me” into taking a medication in my life. Have you?

    I have had a doctor suggest a medication that I decided I did not want to take. Not EVERYONE in America running around seeking out “magic pill” for everything.

    I hope to see more actual thought before mouthing the same old erroneous platitudes that are out there regarding medication usage. And yes, there is a prescricption drug problem in our country. But I don’t think the problem is antidepressants and Abilify.

    Kirstie Alley is a dedicated $cientologist. Need anyone know any more?

    Oh, and Hubbard didn’t like psychiatrists because he went to a psychiatric group with his dianetics theories and they rejected him and his ideas. (He was treated psychiatrically through the VA earlier – when he was trying hard to get OUT of the service.)

    There are several really good books out nowadays, written by legitimate authors, that fully document Hubbard and the founding of his “religion”. Much of which documentation was not available prior to things like the Freedom of Information Act.

    $cientologists themselves are forbidden to read any of these books, of course. So they would have no idea that they could actually read letters their exalted founder wrote to various folks way back when.

    And yes, he was a friggin’ nut case too.

  40. SydneySpy says:

    Wow, this thread has been one of my favourites, ever. I’ve loved reading PNG’s informative contributions. To all of you in distress and pain, I hope you continue to have the strength to keep hanging in there. It’s been so enlightening reading such personal stories. Let’s all be more charitable, understanding and I compassionate, because none of really knows what others are enduring, mostly without complaint.

  41. Maritza says:

    Alternative medicine has been proven to be effective in many cases.