Category: psychiatry

Psych drugs can strip folks of caring about hygiene & home environment

In the world of social services they refer to them as your ADLs. Activities of daily living. ADLs encompass more than care of self and home but I'm referring to those two things here as they are the most visible dysfunction quite often. If you've been part of the mental health system you'll know that mental health professionals quite often check in with you to see how well you're functioning but asking about your ADLs. And people who've been highly psychiatrized quite often know the acronym. ADL. What they don't tell you and seem to not realize is that gross impairment in these things are quite often caused by the psychiatric pharmaceuticals that the folks in care are being prescribed. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

When Psychiatry Retraumatizes

by Laura K. Kerr -- Before I became a psychotherapist, I often wrote, lectured, and blogged about damaging aspects of psychiatry. I am more hopeful now — not about psychiatry improving, but about truly helpful mental healthcare for people who might otherwise be labeled “chronically” mentally ill and forever take medications to tranquillize their internal demons. Since I began combining Sensorimotor Psychotherapy with CG Jung’s growth-focused theory of human nature, I have witnessed meaningful, lasting change happen without medications. I have also heard others talk about improved outcomes (both providers and clients) when trauma becomes the focus of care and joined with faith in lasting transformation. But hope can be blinding (although it sure feels good). The following poem by Franz Wright, from his collection Wheeling Motel, reminds me the problem with psychiatry goes beyond pushing dubious drugs. … [click on title to read more]

Antidepressant info

To refer to SSRIs as no better than placebo is misleading because while it's technically true in clinical trials -- they are also very different than placebos...they are NOT inert...they are very active and they make EVERYONE feel differently. People who are very depressed like to feel differently. Different can sometimes feel better even if only for a while. Sometimes different feels much better and sometimes different feels really bad and even dangerous (think homicidal and suicidal--SSRIs are associated with both). They are not inert and they will act in all manner of ways in different people. And, then of course, yeah, they also cause iatrogenic damage...often severe... … [click on title to read more]

The Myth of the Chemical Cure: The Politics of Psychiatric Drug Treatment

an interview with Joanna Moncrieff

This won't contain new information for long time readers of this blog, but gratefully, Beyond Meds is always finding new readers. This contains a good synopsis of a lot of the issues surrounding the high prevalence of psychiatric drug use in the mental illness system and why it's not good medicine. … [click on title to read more]

The tide is turning…yes, psychiatry must face reality

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 and the dialogue in the country and world. We must keep it up! … [click on title to read more]

Psychiatric drug withdrawal in tweets

Part of informed consent is telling patients they might not ever be able to come off psych drugs without getting seriously ill. If you're the MD handling a withdrawal it's important that your patients know at the outset how gravely serious withdrawal syndromes can be. (and first the doctor has to understand this as well) [click on title to read more]

The Mental (Illness) system and empowering thoughts on alternatives

sun design The Mental (Illness) system and empowering thoughts on alternatives

For World Mental Health Day: The "mental health" system is not healthy. Thus it's more appropriate to call it a mental illness system. It''s important that we  do things completely differently if we want to help not only the most vulnerable people in our society, but also society itself. We create one another. None of this happens in a vacuum.

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People are told they are “disordered” when in fact, it is in society that true disorder lies

To tell a person they are “disordered” for life, when in fact, it is in society that our true disorder lies, is one of our gravest, most perpetrated acts of existential violence. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

This is how mental health professionals argue against informed consent

Graphic reads the worst thing about being lied to is kinowing you weren't worth the truth informed consent

MHP: It can be questioned as to whether this was the best forum for such a speech as family members and patients were present. Would this be better served to have been presented only to professionals to prevent patients from grasping onto this view as a reason to stop their medications? ME: yeah...lets keep on infantilizing everyone...they can't handle the truth, right? Can't make analytical choices or listen to debate? This is exactly what has been wrong with mental health treatment as currently practiced....the truth is routinely withheld and people cannot make informed choices. It's nothing short of criminal when considered from that stand point. Some of us have been gravely harmed because we were not given choices. That's why we're motivated to share the whole truth...then people can decide what risks they want to take or not. MHP: Monica, some people really can't handle the truth, make analytical choices or listen to debate precisely because of their mental illness. On the other hand, many can despite any mental illness. That is what makes balance in this field so difficult to achieve. ME: I was a social worker for many years in social services with the "seriously mentally ill." The only people I routinely dealt with who couldn't handle the truth were some of my colleagues and the administrators...that was my experience. And it continues to be my experience now. Mental health professionals are often terrified of the truth to the detriment of those they serve.

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The Chemical Imbalance, Genetics & Biology of Bipolar Disorder: Myths of Psychiatry

Most, if not all of what most people think about the relationship between genetics, chemical imbalance theory and bipolar disorder is pure myth. This video explains why. (and a collection of links to posts on the chemical imbalance myth) … [click on title for the rest of the post]

The conversation has begun! NAMI has Robert Whitaker speak at convention. NAMI member responds…

The conversation has begun!

Kathy Brandt, a former President of NAMI, write of her experience listening to Robert Whitaker at the NAMI convention. YES!! NAMI had Robert Whitaker speak at the convention. This is very very good news....It's clear that it's a very scary process for many people who are first encountering the power of his research. Those of us who have been living the truth of his research for so many years have a hard time understanding what it's like to encounter such truths for the first time. Some of us who've found much more wholesome ways to heal were able to avoid the harm psychiatry causes so many completely and don't really know what it's like to have gone down the road of taking drugs that harm. … [click on title for the rest of the post]

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