Month: July 2010

Informed consent: drugs and medications in mental health

Informed consent: drugs and medications in mental health

Informed consent is necessary when it comes to drugs and medications -- I say all the below having been gravely harmed by prescribed psychiatric drugs. I am drug free today but I am not free from the harm the drugs wrought in my life. I am very motivated to help people find options that they might not feel forced to take drugs. Feeling forced, is not really a choice at all, is it? Until the time we have a sane infrastructure of care, we must be both pragmatic and compassionate about the reality on the ground.

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Today in Ireland John Hunt’s story of psychiatric abuse captures the nation…

The incarceration of John: Free John, Psychiatric Prisoner. He has family who love him and have many resources to help him. There is quite a bit of back story here on this blog Today Grainne's hard work campaigning for her partner has resulted in the story reaching the front page of the international paper in Ireland.... Continue Reading →

Good parents planting bad seeds? and Label a kid an addict, so he becomes? — Monday news and blogs

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater -- Holistic Recovery -- I actually noticed  this New York Times  article  Accepting that Good Parents Can Plant Bad Seeds but avoided posting it because it was problematic in my mind and not something I was currently able to take on with commentary. I'm very glad that Rossa... Continue Reading →

Daniel Carlat MD on Fresh Air — by Giovanna Pompele

view of leaves against blue sky with white clouds got Daniel Carlat MD on fresh air

Here is a summary of the hair-raising things Carlat said. Some pertain directly to his own beliefs and practices, while some pertain to the state of the profession, though clearly there is no exact line between the two, as he is a fundamentally uncritical practitioner of his profession: He diagnoses people in the course of very short sessions basing his judgment solely on the DSM; to Carlat, the patient represents, not a complex human reality, but a cluster of symptoms. His job is to match these symptoms directly to those listed in the DSM in order to come up with a diagnosis. This diagnosis is, to him, a fact about the patient. Check out the following statements:

APA’s description of a psychiatrist

adhd text

"A psychiatrist is a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance abuse and addiction. Psychiatrists are uniquely qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological disturbance. Their medical education has given them a full working knowledge of the many causes for a patient’s feelings and symptoms. Armed with this understanding, psychiatrists can make a complete, accurate diagnosis and then recommend or provide treatment." That paragraph struck me as blatantly delusional. I've not met a psychiatrist who knows or practices anything akin to preventive psychiatry. It's rather laughable to suggest that anything they are trained to do today being that it's all pharmacological has anything to do with prevention. Funny except it's tragically wrong.

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Robert Whitaker’s new book is an essential for anyone concerned with mental health — Examiner

This is another review of Whitaker's very important book. It's a meticulously documented book complete with countless studies that back up the argument. I've now bought one for both my parents and a couple of friends as well as lending my copy out. I will continue to do this as I think of who might... Continue Reading →

Researchers inject the mentally ill with dangerous impurities after warnings from FDA: Sunday news and blogs

Studies Halted at Brain Lab Over Impure Injections -- NYT -- Injecting tpeople labeled with mental illness with impure substance. Columbia University has quietly suspended research at a nationally prominent brain-imaging center and reassigned its top managers after federal investigators found that it had routinely injected mental patients with drugs that contained potentially dangerous impurities.... Continue Reading →

Your brain needs vacation, meditation, and prescription drug addiction soars: Saturday news and blogs

Why Your Brain Needs a Break | Psychology Today We need vacations. They recharge us, allowing us to be more efficient. The trouble is, too many of the vacations we take these days aren't vacations at all. -- Americans work more than anyone else. In fact, we work 100 hours more per year than the... Continue Reading →

Disclaimer

I had an email correspondence from someone, most of which I couldn't even read as my cognitive functioning and ability to read blocks of dense writing is greatly challenged. I do feel I need to make a response however, without having fully grasped or read his complaints. He has some sort of science background and... Continue Reading →

Are sleeping pills addictive?

That should have been a rhetorical question with a loud of course they are addictive ringing in the heads of whoever was meant to answer. But instead these ignorant and dangerous MDs went on to say how wonderfully safe these drugs are. Are Sleeping Pills Addictive? - Consults Blog - NYTimes.com The most inane BS... Continue Reading →

Madness Radio: Buddhist Meditation and Schizophrenia Ed Knight

Recovery leader and survivor Ed Knight talks about Zen, Insight, and Christian meditation and "schizophrenia," including discrimination against people with psychiatric labels at meditation retreats, the link between spiritual awakening and madness, and living beyond "managing symptoms." Recovery Circles Listen above or to download program visit Madness Radio.

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