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Hmmm.....
SSRIs are prescribed when people are at the point where they struggle to function. Doctors are advised to not prescribe them for situational stress, depression and anxiety.
Many people who are prescribed psychoactive medications would struggle to perform IBD duties at the point when diagnosed and prescribed medication. When I was depressed in late 2016, I could not remember anything, couldn't read, couldn't proofread. I almost lost my job (thank god I swung out of that episode just after a performance review). It's not really the same as "OCD investment banker." Mental health issues are diagnosed because they pathological: they stop you from functioning. I wish I would worry about my work and be able to pay attention to detail, but it's hard when your mind is racing and you feel numb and you are obsessing about where you left your passport, despite not having any travel plans for years.
SSRIs and other psychoactive medications have side effects. I've been on around ~15 medications and I only recently found a combination that I can function on, but it's had a huge effect on my memory. On other cocktails though, I've been unable to pass standardized tests because I am so sluggish. This is much better.
tl;dr: Using many psychoactive medications is unlikely to improve your performance unless you have an underlying need for it. It could even have a detrimental effect on your cognition. SSRIs can induce suicidal thoughts in healthy young people, and if you have underlying undiagnosed bipolar, they can make you manic. I wouldn't touch psychiatric medications if I could hold down a job and stay sane without them.
Very interesting points, thank you for sharing.
I'm coming off paxil now. My energy levels were decreased and my cognitive abilities declined. Withdrawal is a bitch from it too. I'm getting pulses in my brain which interrupt my concentration and increased irritability.
No more brain zaps thankfully. Feel pretty normal. Another side effect was that I started bruising crazy bad (paxil can adversely affect platelets which clot your blood). This is what necessitated the timing of me coming off (plus a psychiatrist who convinced me I could be a brain surgeon if his old stoner ass graduated med school). Needless to say I declared myself cured by a miracle in the new age of Trump and told the doc to fuck off.
Happy New Year! #2017goals
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