An Open Letter From Psychiatric Medications

Regarding the allegation that we are a Quick Fix

Dear Readers,

I am writing to you today on behalf of all psychiatric medicines. My name is Prozac, and I’m the first of the SSRIs—that’s Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, to the uninitiated. It's time to address the allegation that we are some “quick fix.” This statement is both false and defamatory. Oral medications for psychiatric conditions work only slowly, and, most often, we do a 50% reduction in symptoms. We fix little and, with few exceptions, do not do much of anything quickly.

It's worth understanding what this frequently levied criticism is really about. It's about stigma. People with psychiatric conditions are shamed for seeking help. One of the ways that they are shamed is by accusing them of taking the easy way out. I would have been more successful if that had been true. I’ll use myself as a case in point. Flu…