IT WAS a shocking and painful sight to see angry demonstrators outside a psychiatry conference in Brighton today.

Heartbreaking pictures of children who had died while taking antidepressants or ritalin were displayed.

As a practising psychiatrist, a mother of a child with a disability and someone who has experienced a medical family tragedy, I would like to say this: I chose this profession because I believed, and still believe, it is possible to help those with mental illness.

Training is tough, learning is life-long, patients come first and many patients get better.

Some patients sadly do not get better, but my compassion, knowledge and experience is given to people and I do my best.

I urge these protesters to look at the evidence for the benefits of treatment and believe us when we say we’re trying to reduce mental distress.

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