One thing I must say is I'm rather glad I Live in the UK. Up until very recently it was a case of psychiatrists and doctors relying far too much on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. Thankfully, last I was in the loop, it mostly was coming to an end.
It's mostly down to a lot of concern over SSRI's and SNRI's. Most have heard the concerns about Prozac but less in the light are Cipramil/Citalopram and Effexor/Venlafaxine. I've had experience with both of these, mostly negative so i'll admit i'm somewhat biased, so let me dig out some growing concerns about them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venlafa...ation_syndrome
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3122360.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3582368.stm
A quick search on google will reveal some news-reports on the drugs. I could post more (I have a bookmark folder full) but I'd rather not deluge you all
As you can probably tell I'm an advocate of counseling and other non-medication forms of treating depression and mental illness, it helped me no end more than any drug. Anti-depressants/psychotics do have their place, a step on the ladder to recovery, it's just that they should be more thoroughly tested. My love for the pharmaceutical companies is up there with my love for Bill Gates when running Windows ME.
Hopefully the medication prescribing gold rush has passed over here.