Mental illness must be treated seriously

Marlene Dallatore, Las Vegas

Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.

The letter “Psychiatrists are a drain on taxpayers” from Edward Loughlin really got my dander up!

He wrote mental hospitals, psychiatrists and psychotropic medication plus antidepressants are all basically useless, based on two magazine articles he said he had read.

This attitude takes us back to the prehistoric ages and maybe Archie Bunker. I don’t know. As an advocate for mental health, I would like to remind your readers (who probably thought these rantings were as absurd as I did) that good mental health precedes good physical health and ensures able and capable contributors to our society.

No one asks for physical illnesses such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. And no one asks for mental illnesses, which are chemical imbalances in the brain.

We need doctors and medicines for our brains sometimes, as well as for the rest of our bodies. There are famous ballplayers and movie stars with mental illnesses who function very well with their medicines and must be appalled when ignorant statements like this are made.

Placebos? I think not! Next time Loughlin goes to his doctor, maybe he should see what a placebo does for his perceived illness.