Psych med$ evolve so rapidly (thank you, big Pharma! /s) that Psychiatrists basically need to relearn their profession every six months.
We have an elderly family friend who was put on several psych meds years ago; presumably lifestyle meds with no end date. They didn’t help, and so the psychiatrist increased the dosage to the maximum allowed. He lost the ability to manage his life, his self care became almost non-existent. so we helped him sell his house and move into “independent living,” if only to get him regular decent meals at his convenience.
He began losing his balance when walking, even with the assistance of a walker, and fell and broke his hip five months after moving to independent living. That became assisted living after a failed rehab stay after hip replacement. He continued to decline, living in a mental haze and being completely unable to walk or eliminate in the bathroom. He was in security briefs from then on.
I agreed to be his medical power of attorney since his immediate family was gone and no one else was available. I finally had enough 4 months ago and demanded he be taken off everything, even the dementia medication he was prescribed a year ago that didn’t seem to help one bit.
Today, he is lucid, able to stand and walk at limited distances, and is interested in self care, going to the bathroom by himself, changing his own clothes, and showing interest in things that he used to be immersed in.
It is night and day difference.
I feel like bringing a lawsuit against all the “doctors” who caused him years of misery with their easy “fix,” but I know they’re corruptly kept immune from liability for the harm they caused.