Tom Cruise and mental health

Runing for the Right points us at this The San Diego Union-Tribune article defending Tom Cruise and his statements about antidepresants:

Instead, Cruise kicked off a debate over a subject that a lot of people don't feel comfortable discussing: whether Americans are too quick to turn to prescription drugs and whether their doctors are too quick to prescribe them. Cruise zeroed in on 'drugging children' with Ritalin, which is supposed to treat hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder. That's a hugely important discussion, and it shouldn't matter who gets the ball rolling. Even if the push comes from a – gasp – celebrity, and one who has links to – gasp – Scientology. So far the public isn't buying it. According to an online poll by MSNBC, 69 percent of viewers said Cruise was 'just plain wrong' on the role of doctors and the use of drugs to alleviate mental distress. Those people are naive. My friends who are doctors tell me that they are constantly being lobbied by drug companies, trying to convince them to prescribe some of this and more of that.

I am conflicted on this issue. I strongly believe that their are people who at various points absolutely need medicines to regain any measure of control. Our brains are influenced by chemistry and there are points at which no amount of willpower or other things can 'fix' the problem without some chemical intervention. I am concerned though that we are too quick to rely on this method, especially with children. Psychiatry and brain chemistry are still very poorly understood. Cruise is also correct that exercise can be a powerful tool in combating mental illness. It may not be a coincidence that we are seeing a lot of ADHD and a lot of obeisity in children at the same time.