I think it is pretty clear that some of those drugs are capable of masking problems without solving them. There are times that, especially for short-term situations, masking problems can be a good thing. For example, if one has a dental infection, oral analgesic problems may allow one to be somewhat functional pending a trip to the dentist. On the other hand, continued use of such products may be dangerous if it results in a serious condition going untreated.
My instinct (as a layman) is that it's important to develop diagnostics to ensure that when using various drugs there are no serious underlying problems that are being masked. Otherwise, whether or not the drugs cause underlying problems, they may allow the problems to fester until they become explosive.
You are so right about diagnosis! A huge problem is that the hours of discussion and careful analysis it takes to make an accurate diagnosis, and the thorough family history required, especially with any of the illnesses that can have psychosis as part of them, is very rarely done. A psychiatrist cannot determine bipolar, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, etc, in a 15-minute office visit.
I have worked with doctors and in clinics, and also have people in my family with mental illness —it took years to get an accurate diagnosis. Most patients don’t report the whole story, not on purpose, they simply don’t know what symptoms to report. They report depression and anxiety because those are the most uncomfortable and debilitating to live with. This drug “cocktail” sounds typical for someone with agitated depression, but clearly this man’s diagnosis would be something more serious than that. Strange his girlfriend of 2 years does not seem to know for what disease he was being treated. Was the doctor still guessing?
**lolz**