For the best of medication, I would like to nominate the anti-psychotic drugs that were introduced in the 1950s and are used with great effect in the treatment of a variety of conditions such as schizophrenia, mood disorder and delusional disorder.

As a former social worker, I dealt with many individuals who suffered from severe and enduring mental health problems. Although many would argue that mental illness is socially constructed, I believe that this is, at best, a one-sided understanding. I do not dismiss the fact that societal factors impact negatively on people and I do believe that more can be done in terms of enabling those with mental health problems to integrate better into society. But my social work experience has lead me to accept the imperative for a multi-faceted approach to the treatment of mental health problems. I guarantee my students who wish to work in mental health services that, at some point in their career, they will be sat opposite a service user imploring them to take their medication.

Why is this? In short: medication does work. Not for everybody and not all of the time, but anti-psychotic medication has done much to enable people to remain stable, avoid hospital admissions and to function in the community.

The large-scale closure of psychiatric provision in hospitals and the introduction of care in the community saw the need for a variety of means to assist people’s continued stay in the community and one of these means was the increased use of medication.  The arguments postulated against anti-psychotics can be seen as political and financial arguments in terms of strategies for care rather than vilification of the drugs themselves.

Consider the plight of Noel (pseudonym), who had a good flat in a desirable area, a supportive family and had positive experiences in terms of occupation and leisure. Socially, Noel was quite stable but he was besieged by unwanted thoughts and hallucinations. Noel was apprehended by the police on a busy suburban road because he was completely naked. The explanation he offered to this was that his clothes were impregnated with explosives and he had to jettison them for his own safety. Although this was not the case, Noel truly believed it and this caused him some considerable distress.

The argument here is that until it is socially acceptable for individuals to walk down busy suburban, or indeed any streets naked, Noel is going to have to be stopped from doing so.  If we want to enable Noel to continue to thrive in the community avoiding hospitalisation, as he is capable of doing, then he will need anti-psychotic medication, along with the support of other people, to help this cause.

Chris Yianni is senior lecturer in social work at Manchester Metropolitan University.