Silencing psychiatric survivors: let us count the ways http://wp.me/p5nnb-aco

[GiaK]

 

Someone in a linked in group responded to this post on the nature of protracted withdrawal syndrome with what I call an “aggressive positivity” comment. They suggested those harmed by drugs are doing no one a favor by telling the truth. They are in fact being “negative” and should instead concentrate on healing.

I responded with these comments which have been slightly edited:

If people don’t understand the grave risks involved they don’t come off psych drugs carefully. we can pretend people don’t get sick, but the fact is the disability can be so serious to not talk about it is plain irresponsible. My work covers neuroplasticity and our body’s wondrous capacity to heal as well, but first we need to try to avoid making people so gravely ill!!

 

A couple of weeks of illness is nothing…I know folks who end up bedridden for months and in some cases years. This is not something to give short shrift.

 

Once it’s understood what the risks are safer protocols will be shared…right now most doctors are criminally harming folks and they don’t even know it.

And perhaps you might want to think what it’s like to be told that people who’ve been gravely harmed shouldn’t talk about it…that is exactly the sort of thing that keeps these egregious injuries in the dark and doctors continuing to harm…not to mention retraumatizing the injured party.

 

 

 

 

A psychiatrist chose to leave comment at this point. He too seemed to want to silence me. He instead said that he’d never had any trouble weaning anyone off psych meds and that we must see different people. He later, also, denied that neuroleptics have killed far more people than Vioxx (which has been removed from the market) ever did and when I offered him documentation he had nothing to say. The abject refusal to acknowledge the well-documented harm these drugs cause it simply mind-boggling and frankly, criminal.  I responded to him with these comments:

Most MDs don’t know what they’re seeing when they encounter severe withdrawal issues…most of those harmed in the withdrawal process have to leave the system and get care outside of it because the denial is so widespread and dangerous…most psychiatrists think withdrawal issues are the resurfacing of the “underlying” illness…that means that psychiatrists try to further medicate and thus further harm folks…anyway, these are the people I see…those harmed by psychiatry and those whom psychiatry denies having harmed.

And there are some psychiatrists who realize this is going on…they’re just not in the majority and it’s hard to find those folks when 1000s are coming off meds…so patients just help each other out instead.

Also, I’ve worked side by side psychiatrists in the system and I’ve worked outside the system as I do now…people are not aware of much other than that which is in front of their faces…unless they’re willing to learn about what happens to all the people who leave their standard of care, never to return. The people I work with are invisible to those in the system.  I might add it can go both ways…from either side people find what is right for them on the other side…we need to remain open and trust individuals to find the care they need and not deny anyone their experience.

 

 

 

So, yeah. The fact is those who are still in the system can conveniently believe that those of us harmed don’t exist because those of us who figure it out LEAVE the system. We STOP getting care in the system. We cease to be part of the picture, the data, the statistics and this fact allows those in the system to conveniently deny we exist. Those remaining in the system, even if also victims, are often (no, not always) not aware of how much they’ve been harmed and so continue to support the status quo.

 

So from Beyond Meds psych drug withdrawal page, as a reminder:

 

In the course of my work with those coming off psych meds I’ve learned that there are few people, even among critics of psychiatry that have a clue at the potential severity of psychiatric drug withdrawal syndromes. That also means there are virtually no professionals that can offer meaningful support when people encounter serious issues. We remain dependent on each other.

 

Other than those who’ve directly experienced protracted withdrawal or those who have lived with those who have experienced it, it simply remains under appreciated and therefore under treated and under recognized even, as I said, among critics of psychiatry. It’s rather horrifying for those of us who find ourselves struck by such illness. While perhaps a minority, we are not an insignificant minority. I alone have had contact with 1000s of us.

 

The other thing to consider is that we are perhaps not even a minority because the fact is so many issues with withdrawal are not recognized at all and are instead considered and then treated as the “underlying illness,” many folks simply get sicker and sicker on meds and never even know why they’re ill. Those people never come to understand that all the multiple trials of drugs and the numerous times of coming off and on them has actually been the cause of their illness.

 

I’m putting together a collection of withdrawal links for the navigation menu since the drop-down menu has become rather long. I will post it as a new post and then it will be accessible permanently from the top of the blog. (read more)

 

 

 

Please do not attempt to discontinue psych drugs without first very carefully educating yourself on the risks involved so that you might minimize the chances of developing grave iatrogenic illness if you decide to withdraw: Psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted withdrawal syndrome round-up

 

original link http://wp.me/p5nnb-aco

 

[Marie]

Twenty-five years ago, I had occasion to speak with a well respected neuropsychologist who told me that mental health treatment processes were structured to fit 80% of the population, and thus that left the large minority of 20% basically unserved by the process. And at the time, we were speaking of a specific treatment protocol for families and their teens and focusing on the family dynamics of those involved.And it seems to me that not much has changed, and we've gone more so in that direction with the rapid increased introduction of numerous medications, the automatic prescribing of these for just about every supposed "mental health problem," and the assumption by the medical community that everyone will react to them in the same way. Sort of a "one size fits all" mentality, when in fact we are individuals who have unique brains just like we have unique personalities.So 25 years ago, my husband and I were dealing with our out of control teen in a large, expensive counseling program, and we didn't find it worked as well for us as it did for many of the other families, and we were naive, did not know how to speak up for ourselves and get what we needed for our money, and went with the program, making the best of it.Since that time, I became a social worker myself, and have worked for years in government agencies observing this all from that point of view. But I'm also a psychiatric "person" myself as I've taken benzos now for 12 years. I don't know that I can call myself a survivor as I've yet to be able to come off them, but I've struggled mightily to do so for over 3 years and met with a lot of mistakes and mishaps by myself and my doctors along the way.But I am not naive now, and I do speak up in what I'll call "assertive advocacy" to protect myself and my brain. I have found this requires a polite but firm stance on what I will or will not do. My doctor has been pretty open minded about my chosen way to taper, and when I found I needed to hold on this, she herself had already suggested the possible need, and I did not listen until it was posed here on SA as a possibility. So I am learning to "connect the dots" as I know I have not done this all correctly myself.But I have had to put myself in the hands of the "experts" who made their share of mistakes also. And now I don't feel I have the time or the stamina to tolerate more of this, so besides using careful consideration of information and knowledge, I also speak up for myself and have rejected out of hand attempts to get me to take ADs, Neurontin, and seroquel. And I did this by using my acquired knowledge through work and my own reading and experience of the effects of these drugs, and in consideration of my own circumstances as far as past negative experience trying to take Ads years ago, and my own breathing trouble. I recently found that I had to do this with my doctor who appeared to respect my concerns and not allow this to develop into adversity. But I did take her suggestion to meet with a therapist to more thoroughly discuss my fears and concerns.While the guy is qualified in many therapeutic techniques including EMDR, after our first session, he took a somewhat aggressive and confrontational stance with me. And while I was initially perplexed by his attitude, I quickly assessed that this was kind of an ego trip for him in that he was more interested in subduing me to his will than helping me deal with my necessity to hold on my benzo while dealing with the desire to taper it, and cope with the undesirable side effects of it. He turned that session into a "pissing contest" between me and him, and I found it necessary to put the man in his place quickly as far as his knowledge of what was good for me, and his knowledge of tapering procedures and benzos in general.I did not enjoy this situation, but I was not going to allow him to bully me to do what he wanted whether he was doing so for my good or his ego (which I felt it surely was) just because I was the client and he was the "super qualified therapist" simply because he's so used to compliance or because most people do well with his techniques. Well, he was pushing me to detox, telling me I would never make it off klonopin without doing that, and that Valium was the most addictive and strongest benzo there was. With this and other discussions we had, and after using reason with him, I felt I had no choice but to "slam him down" on his beliefs, and I did, and I left him perplexed and flummoxed, and not certain that he wanted to see me again. And I later told my doctor that I thought he was the epitome of a male chauvinist. She smiled at this remark. And now I have a new therapist who has also smiled knowingly at this story. I forgot to add that is a large practice facility, so these professionals do know one another.Well, this is long, but I wanted to say it. Ive found that "shutting up" at times has hurt me greatly, and so now I'm careful to assess before speaking up, but sometimes i find that's in my best interests, and I have to live in this body.

 

Marie

[Meimeiquest]

Great post, Marie!

[Marie]

Thanks Meim!

 

I appreciate that!

 

Marie

[mammaP]

Well said Marie and Gia, you are both inspirational! 

[Marie]

Thank you mamaP!

 

I feel "fire" inside me on this subject.

 

Marie

[Zoe]

Thanks everyone- and you Gia for the links on neuroplasticity.