“A word is a promise; a failure to deliver a kind of betrayal. What does the language of mental health promise?” I wrote that. I wrote it because we’ve been promised something by psychiatry – namely, soul-healing – and we haven’t gotten it. We’ve gotten pain, poison, suppression, denial, defamation, and death. To live here,... Continue Reading →
This is a very brief video that addresses some common misconceptions about meditation.
Something that comes up quite often in discussions with my friends and readers who have been on meds and have come off of them is how many of the "psychiatric" symptoms they were being "treated" for disappear upon discontinuation of the medications. This is widely known and experienced among those of us who have decided to stop medicating ourselves.
FDA notified healthcare professionals that the Pregnancy section of drug labels for the entire class of antipsychotic drugs has been updated. The new drug labels now contain more and consistent information about the potential risk for abnormal muscle movements (extrapyramidal signs or EPS) and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers were treated with these drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy.
More than 450 people filled the Unitarian Church in Portland Oregon February 10th for the Rethinking Psychiatry event. Robert Whitaker keynoted the evening, followed by a panel with Beckie Child, Director of the Mental Health America of Oregon; Cindi Fisher, Movement of Mothers Standing - Up -Together: Taking Back Our Children; Chris Gordon, Assistant professor... Continue Reading →
Soteria House was a project that ran from 1971-1983. The staff cared for people who were diagnosed schizophrenic and compared outcomes with the local psychiatric hospital. It was a drug free rehabilitation. (drugs were used in just 3% of cases and only very temporarily) Soteria house was created for those diagnosed as schizophrenic, but it’s progenies have worked with all sort of people labeled “seriously mentally ill,” with similar startling results:
From Science Daily yesterday: New research shows people who have used amphetamines such as benzedrine and dexedrine appear to be at an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study released February 22 that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16,... Continue Reading →
"Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, the power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless." -- Salman Rushdie
"There is evidence in the published medical literature which supports causal links between many psychiatric drugs and thyroid hormone disruption: most notably, SSRIs, TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants), lithium, and Seroquel >> all of which are linked to hypothyroidism; however, some lithium patients have experienced hyperthyroidism."
Coping with Pain During Psychotropic Drug Withdrawal ~~ Getting well takes effort and time and listening to the body for most of us. These are some of the things I've done to help with pain.
There is a write up about Sharon Salzburg who just completed a new book in the LA Times this week. I’ve always liked her and have read two of her books. Her story is one that can make anyone with mental health issues pause and realize that what she did to sort out the trauma of her early life is accessible to all of us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.