Rybee
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 29, 2013
- Messages
- 1,305
Hi Peeps,
After dipping in and out of chapters over a long period of time, I've just finished reading a book titled:
The Myth of The Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment - written by Joanna Moncrieff, a Psychiatrist and University Lecturer.
It was a very interesting read, particularly regarding 'antidepressants' which echo's Dr. Ron Leifer's (M.D. Psych) view, which is:
'There is not one shred of credible evidence that any respectable scientist would consider valid, demonstrating anything that Psychiatrist's call 'mental illness' are bio-chemical imbalances of the brain.'
I've taken numerous 'antidepressants' (TCAs/SSRIs/SNRIs and other bits and pieces) for the treatment of 'Major Depressive Disorder' and 'General Anxiety Disorder.'
The book critiques a lot of areas of psychiatry, but it was the antidepressant chapter that I found most interesting. I remember going to my doctor and explaining that I felt very depressed and had done so for a long time, within a 10 minute consultation I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and told that there were certain chemicals in my brain that were causing it, because there was an imbalance. I needed to take a pill (Citalopram) that would help re-balance these chemicals and my depression would alleviate.
I was told that this re-balancing act would take about 2 months and needed to hold on in there. Which I did, though it was intolerable. The side effects were abhorrent.
After 3 months I went back to my doctor and told him I felt no change, if anything - worse. To which he told me that, that is completely normal and expected, that I just needed to increase my dose so these magic pills could do their balancing trick.
6 months down the line I was taking the maximum dose (60mg though recently it's been dropped down to 40mg) and still felt very depressed. I was told that perhaps the drug wasn't right for me 'after all everybody's different and this isn't an exact science'. Was this ever a mater of science I questioned...
'You need to switch to Prozac, it does the same thing but may be better suited to you.'
Prozac! That's what loonies take don't they? I didn't know much about Prozac other than what I'd heard in the media. I took it anyway, I was desperate for a 'cure'.
Different drug, same story. 'Perhaps it's not just Serotonin that's depleted' he mumbled to himself whilst flicking through medical charts.
'Uhuh! Here we go, here it is! Venlafaxine is what you need! You see, in your case it seems like there are a number of transmitters that need rebalancing, at a high enough dose, Venlafaxine will help restore the levels of your Serotonin, Norepineprhine and Dopamine. After 3 months of treatment, gradually increasing your dose every 2 weeks, your brain chemistry will have changed and you will be feeling much better' I was told. 'The chemicals will have been re-balanced' he mumbled once more...
This kind of story went on and on for 2 years, from doctor to doctor, psychologist to psychiatrist. I began to understand that there wasn't a one-size-fits-all antidepressant and I just had to see what worked for me, to help re-balance those brain chemicals.
Lost my long-term girlfriend.
Lost my job.
Flunked my degree.
Lost myself.
Lost the will to live.
Things took a turn for the worst last July when I started drinking heavily and abusing opiates everyday. I was in a horrible place and ended up going to quite a famous rehab clinic in London called The Priory for help. I saw an excellent Psychiatrist and unravelled my story to him. As I was telling him my past, my mission to balance these damned chemicals, he shook his head in such a manner that I thought he'd heard this story before.
'Bullshit' he said, 'You've been fed a lie of absolute bullshit. The medications you've been drugged to death with are no better than a sugar pill in treating depression, but with much worse side effects. There's a book you should read, The Myth of The Chemical Cure that will explain why. For now, lets get you off of this nasty stuff and in a better place, you're very unwell. I can't guarantee a cure, there isn't one, but with all my patients, I try to aim for a 50% improvement in symptoms within 6 months. I can help you.'
So I withdrew from the Duloxetine at a rapid rate, with lots of Diazepam to help the withdrawal symptoms and brain shocks that were literally torture. This was following by lots of one-to-one counselling, and help with the opiates too.
6 months after my first consultation with him and I no longer have 'Major Depressive Disorder' or 'General Anxiety Disorder.' Admittedly, I do have moments of bad anxiety, but I don't believe it to be a mental health problem. It's a part of living a stressful life in a not so great environment, but it's getting better and better.
I was confused, a Psychiatrist that didn't believe in 'antidepressants' - that's what they're for though, aren't they? To prescribe you psychiatric medicine for your psychiatric condition? Apparently not, in this case.
Both him, and the book showed me a very different side to Psychiatry, quite a dark one, shrouded in controversy.
Now, I can't talk for everyone, but I can talk for myself from my own experiences. I never have had, don't currently have, nor will ever have, a 'chemical imbalance of the brain that causes depression.' I think it's important to state that I believe there to be several types of depression, some of which may be genetic, some of which may be environmental, but none of which that may be caused by a chemical imbalance of the brain. What do I believe in?
The myth of the chemical cure.
Thoughts?
After dipping in and out of chapters over a long period of time, I've just finished reading a book titled:
The Myth of The Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment - written by Joanna Moncrieff, a Psychiatrist and University Lecturer.
It was a very interesting read, particularly regarding 'antidepressants' which echo's Dr. Ron Leifer's (M.D. Psych) view, which is:
'There is not one shred of credible evidence that any respectable scientist would consider valid, demonstrating anything that Psychiatrist's call 'mental illness' are bio-chemical imbalances of the brain.'
I've taken numerous 'antidepressants' (TCAs/SSRIs/SNRIs and other bits and pieces) for the treatment of 'Major Depressive Disorder' and 'General Anxiety Disorder.'
The book critiques a lot of areas of psychiatry, but it was the antidepressant chapter that I found most interesting. I remember going to my doctor and explaining that I felt very depressed and had done so for a long time, within a 10 minute consultation I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and told that there were certain chemicals in my brain that were causing it, because there was an imbalance. I needed to take a pill (Citalopram) that would help re-balance these chemicals and my depression would alleviate.
I was told that this re-balancing act would take about 2 months and needed to hold on in there. Which I did, though it was intolerable. The side effects were abhorrent.
After 3 months I went back to my doctor and told him I felt no change, if anything - worse. To which he told me that, that is completely normal and expected, that I just needed to increase my dose so these magic pills could do their balancing trick.
6 months down the line I was taking the maximum dose (60mg though recently it's been dropped down to 40mg) and still felt very depressed. I was told that perhaps the drug wasn't right for me 'after all everybody's different and this isn't an exact science'. Was this ever a mater of science I questioned...
'You need to switch to Prozac, it does the same thing but may be better suited to you.'
Prozac! That's what loonies take don't they? I didn't know much about Prozac other than what I'd heard in the media. I took it anyway, I was desperate for a 'cure'.
Different drug, same story. 'Perhaps it's not just Serotonin that's depleted' he mumbled to himself whilst flicking through medical charts.
'Uhuh! Here we go, here it is! Venlafaxine is what you need! You see, in your case it seems like there are a number of transmitters that need rebalancing, at a high enough dose, Venlafaxine will help restore the levels of your Serotonin, Norepineprhine and Dopamine. After 3 months of treatment, gradually increasing your dose every 2 weeks, your brain chemistry will have changed and you will be feeling much better' I was told. 'The chemicals will have been re-balanced' he mumbled once more...
This kind of story went on and on for 2 years, from doctor to doctor, psychologist to psychiatrist. I began to understand that there wasn't a one-size-fits-all antidepressant and I just had to see what worked for me, to help re-balance those brain chemicals.
Lost my long-term girlfriend.
Lost my job.
Flunked my degree.
Lost myself.
Lost the will to live.
Things took a turn for the worst last July when I started drinking heavily and abusing opiates everyday. I was in a horrible place and ended up going to quite a famous rehab clinic in London called The Priory for help. I saw an excellent Psychiatrist and unravelled my story to him. As I was telling him my past, my mission to balance these damned chemicals, he shook his head in such a manner that I thought he'd heard this story before.
'Bullshit' he said, 'You've been fed a lie of absolute bullshit. The medications you've been drugged to death with are no better than a sugar pill in treating depression, but with much worse side effects. There's a book you should read, The Myth of The Chemical Cure that will explain why. For now, lets get you off of this nasty stuff and in a better place, you're very unwell. I can't guarantee a cure, there isn't one, but with all my patients, I try to aim for a 50% improvement in symptoms within 6 months. I can help you.'
So I withdrew from the Duloxetine at a rapid rate, with lots of Diazepam to help the withdrawal symptoms and brain shocks that were literally torture. This was following by lots of one-to-one counselling, and help with the opiates too.
6 months after my first consultation with him and I no longer have 'Major Depressive Disorder' or 'General Anxiety Disorder.' Admittedly, I do have moments of bad anxiety, but I don't believe it to be a mental health problem. It's a part of living a stressful life in a not so great environment, but it's getting better and better.
I was confused, a Psychiatrist that didn't believe in 'antidepressants' - that's what they're for though, aren't they? To prescribe you psychiatric medicine for your psychiatric condition? Apparently not, in this case.
Both him, and the book showed me a very different side to Psychiatry, quite a dark one, shrouded in controversy.
Now, I can't talk for everyone, but I can talk for myself from my own experiences. I never have had, don't currently have, nor will ever have, a 'chemical imbalance of the brain that causes depression.' I think it's important to state that I believe there to be several types of depression, some of which may be genetic, some of which may be environmental, but none of which that may be caused by a chemical imbalance of the brain. What do I believe in?
The myth of the chemical cure.
Thoughts?
). I have been hospitalized in the past and I am thankful every single day that it was the distant past because if it were today I would have been condemned to see myself as sick with a "chemical imbalance" and in need of medication for the rest of my life. I am not anti-medication for everyone and I recognize that it is actually life-saving for many people. I need to make it clear that what I am against is this mass hysteria that has taken over the medical field and is being handed down to the rest of by the "experts" from pediatricians to school counselors. We now have