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Should we really be taking drugs to regulate our moods?

Bipolar, chronic depression, ADD, ADHD, "I'm off my meds." Is the answer to these "problems" really in the medicine cabinet? If it is, then why is it taking steroids and HGH to function at the desired physical level looked down upon? If it's a question of side effects, "mild dependency" seems like a pretty serious common side effect in these candy perscriptions. What's your take and why? Thanks for your answers. Here's a point I forgot to add. Many are citing "chemical imbalances" or for lack of better words "mis-wired brain.. stuff) If these actually exist then wouldn't the identification of these "conditions" be more a more controlled? chemical, MRI, brain wave pattern measurement based type examination? And wouldn't cutting on the brain, or adding the regulated missing level of "hormone X" be more appropriate than a blanket lobotomizing drug with dependency side effects? Again I admit I have no idea what I'm talking about. Also, (4th post) I'm not presenting an argument. I'm asking a question. Thanks for your answer.

Public Comments

1. we should let darwinism out of the bag a little bit and keep most of these people from procreating. Take em off their meds and nobody will be interested in sleeping with them. Solve all these issues in a couple of generations.
2. As a cancer survivor, I suffered from extreme depression after diagnosis, during and long after treatment. Without some major anti-depressant meds I almost certainly would have committed suicide and not lived to see six years cancer free. I am still clinically depressed, but am med free at this point. Most certainly I am open to to medical treatment of what are medical issues, up to and including mental illness.
3. A couple of the disorders you mention are seriously over-diagnosed, but they are all (when properly diagnosed) debilitating without lots of therapy and at least some meds. I wish that we could come up with cures, as opposed to treatment and that therapy was used as much as the drugs. My brother has ADHD. He has never taken meds and has only in the last few years, in his 50s, gotten to a point where he's pretty functional in something approaching normal society. One of my nephews is bipolar, and without medication he's potentially dangerous (his determination). Having dealt with mentally ill and sometimes violent family members all my life, I am definitely a proponent of better mental health services. That would include being able to lock someone in a psych ward for treatment before they hurt someone. One of the problems with steroids is that they are used to create a very different desired physical level and can cause a dangerous personality disorder, rather than treat one. Not the same thing. And, treatment for the disorders you list is not a matter of "mood regulation." Someone who is bipolar doesn't just get happy or sad, they can't think clearly. ADHD isn't about moods at all. Young children with it who are not treated don't learn right from wrong, let alone academically, and they can develop personality disorders. That means they can become psychopaths and sociopaths. I don't believe in popping a pill for every little thing, but I think sometimes meds are the best option available, for now.
4. Mental illness is a combination of bad brain neurochemistry, and poor behavioral controls (bad thought cycles, impulse control issues, etc.) Medications enable the brain to function normally, like a diabetic needs insulin to have a normal metabolism. This enables you to think in a rational manner, to address those issues which trigger the depression, the mania. In some cases, like schitzophrenia, you need the medications just to silence the psychotic affects of this neurological disorder, so that you can react appropriately to reality, and not the delusions. The ideal situation would be that everyone who is mentally ill would be able to succeed to wean off medication after a period of time with behavioral and cognitive therapy. But, the sad case is that some people's neurochemistry will never self-correct, and so they need medications for life, just like those diabetics I mentioned. Steroids and HGH are used to 'enhance' the normal physical performance of athletes, they are not to correct a defect in this case. The potential for permanent side effects is there with any medication, but moreso with steroids, which can cause diabetes, kidney and adrenal problems, and HGH, which may predispose abusers to blood cancers. The argument you present are apples and oranges. One is a question of maintaining a good quality of life for a medically significant condition. The other is a 'cheat' to enhance personal glory.
5. I say no. But I'm certain that someone can argue and say there are people in this world who really needs those type of medications, and they are probably correct. Still, if you look at the statistics, sometimes these drugs causes more problems than they are worth, because in certain cases of non-compliance, the patient becomes unpredictable. So I'm an advocate for healthy living: eat right, exercise moderately, surround yourself with people and things that make you happy.