The tide is turning…yes, psychiatry must face reality

From Mad in America today Bruce Levine talks victory:

After examining two long-term studies on schizophrenia and psychoses, Insel has come to what was previously considered a radical conclusion: in the long-term, some individuals with a history of psychosis do better off medication.

Insel finally recognizes what mental health treatment reform activists and investigative reporter Robert Whitaker have been talking about for years—the research shows that American psychiatry’s standard treatment protocol has hurt many people who could have been helped by a more selective and limited use of drugs, and a more diverse approach such as the one utilized in Finland, which has produced the best long-term outcomes in the developed world….

….The Harrow and the Wunderinks studies, Open Dialogue, and the lives of many ex-patient activists dispel the myth that people do not fully recover from psychotic states. The reality is that people can experience long-term recovery, and for many of these people, rejecting standard psychiatric treatment has been their salvation. It is good news for them and the rest of us that the director of NIMH has finally acknowledged this reality.(read more)

The tide has been turning for a while. I’ve watched great changes in the climate surrounding psychiatric care since I first started writing and editing Beyond Meds over 6 ½ years ago now. It’s easy to despair since people continue to be harmed in great numbers, so it’s also important to take note how much our work has helped change a good many people’s minds and the dialogue in the country and world. We must keep it up!

I wrote this a couple of years ago:

• Finally the tide is turning — drugs are on the way out

Let the tide continue turning. Turn Turn Turn.

May all those harmed by psychiatry find peace and wellbeing. May no one else be harmed. 

Look here to see how many other ways there are to heal and thrive:

• Drug free recovery from depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc…
• Psychosis recovery: stories, information and resources

You can read and watch more about Open DIalogue, the modality Levine mentions in the piece on Mad in America here:

• Open Dialogue: Alternative Care for Psychosis

There are as many paths to wholeness as there are human beings. For more ideas check out the drop-down navigation menu at the top of this blog.