Some of us have been on the front lines figuring out this stuff years before anyone was publicly acknowledging it. I am sharing this info and collection in response to the two recent @nytimes articles.
By Robert Whitaker When I was researching Anatomy of an Epidemic and sought to track the number of people receiving a disability payment between 1987 and 2007 due to “mental illness,” I was frustrated by the lack of diagnostic clarity in the data. The Social Security Administration would list, in its annual reports on the... Continue Reading →
Mind-boggling to me that this isn’t a no-brainer. When my psychiatrist started asking me when I’d have children I told him it was ridiculous to consider having children while on drugs…I knew even 25 years ago that it was a high risk I wouldn’t impose on an innocent life. Never mind that the Risperdal also rendered me infertile (by nature of the fact that I did not menstruate for 15 years) Harmless drugs, NOT. … [click on title to read and view more]
This is a repost and a public service announcement. I think this cannot be appreciated enough and it's a very difficult topic for folks on any sort of mind altering medication which are certainly not limited to psychiatric drugs. The classes of drugs being discussed here are SSRI and SNRI antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and the z-drugs like Ambien and Lunesta. I know from having taken them that neuroleptics (antipsychotics) too are egregiously guilty for making people NOT ALERT. I don't think this should surprise anyone as they are also call MAJOR TRANQUILIZERS. All psych drugs that effect mood and affect can dull response time, so that includes those drugs that get called mood stabilizers too. This is something I've written about several times because people on these medications are rarely aware or honest about how impaired they are on these medications. I know that even though I knew I was impaired the thought of not being able to drive was too frightening for me to deal with the situation responsibly, though I did choose to stop driving towards the end of my withdrawal as I became more and more aware of the risk I posed. This is something people who take meds want to stay the hell away from. I understand that completely. Not being able to drive is tantamount to losing freedom. Yet understanding all the negative ways meds impede us is extremely important when we make choices for treatment.… [click on title for the rest of the post]
Psychiatrists don't generally tell you about this when they prescribe them, do they? if it happens to anyone it should be part of informed consent. That it's happening to many thousands of us, we now know. We talk to one another. We're here and we've experienced this. It's important to know what is happening to people who take psychiatric drugs and not just to those who perceive their experience as helpful. It's always nice when national newspapers dare to tell the truth about psychiatric drugs. The below article is about antidepressants. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
this post includes a collection of links to additional information about antidepressants and antidepressant withdrawal.
Results: Eight of the 20 adverse effects studied were reported by over half the participants; most frequently Sexual Difficulties (62%) and Feeling Emotionally Numb (60%). Percentages for other effects included: Feeling Not Like Myself - 52%, Reduction In Positive Feelings - 42%, Caring Less About Others - 39%, Suicidality - 39% and Withdrawal Effects - 55%. Total Adverse Effect scores were related to younger age, lower education and income, and type of antidepressant, but not to level of depression prior to taking antidepressants. … [click on title for the rest of the post]
Please respond to the survey in the Guardian. It includes questions about withdrawal. We can let people know how gravely harmful these drugs are to so many people: LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD!! … [click on title to read and view more]
Everything matters 
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