Info on medication

[JollyBarton]

http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Anatomy%20of%20an%20Epidemic.html

I advise anyone that takes any type of medication for a mental illness to check this out. It is written on actual research on medications that alter brain chemical activity. It seems that these medicines may actually disrupt normal brain functions and cause damage to the brain instead of help by regulating brain chemical functions. I do not at all advise anyone to just stop taking prescribed medication. I do advise being aware and researching and talking to a medical health professional to find their opinion and if you so choose, to help you lower dosages or get off the medication, whilst introducing other methods such as psychotherapy or alternative treatment such as meditating and a healthy diet etc. to help with the problem.

[xXJust Jump ItXx]

http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Anatomy%20of%20an%20Epidemic.html

I advise anyone that takes any type of medication for a mental illness to check this out. It is written on actual research on medications that alter brain chemical activity. It seems that these medicines may actually disrupt normal brain functions and cause damage to the brain instead of help by regulating brain chemical functions. I do not at all advise anyone to just stop taking prescribed medication. I do advise being aware and researching and talking to a medical health professional to find their opinion and if you so choose, to help you lower dosages or get off the medication, whilst introducing other methods such as psychotherapy or alternative treatment such as meditating and a healthy diet etc. to help with the problem.

I always get iffy bout those books... But what meds exactly does it say do this to you? Im curious, being we cant all buy the book haha.

[JollyBarton]

I always get iffy bout those books... But what meds exactly does it say do this to you? Im curious, being we cant all buy the book haha.

I just read some articles he posted that Robert Whitaker posted online (madinamerica.com) and I will soon be getting some of his books and books by others on this topic from my school library. I also watched a few documentaries.

It talks a lot about anti-psychotics. Thorazine was mentioned a lot. Anti-depressants in general are under scrutiny as well because they all are "said" to work in the same way. By "fixing" the chemical activity in the brain Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft. These are just a few examples.

I can't say much more as my knowledge on the subject is still limited, but I should know more soon. My term paper will include a lot of this information.

I just thought I should get a warning out there for people to research and decide for themselves as it is serious.

[Gigablue]

This website isn't really that accurate. It points out all the dangers of psychiatric medications, but ignores the benefits. Psychiatric medications, like all other medications, have risks, but there are also benefits. There are numerous studies that show their effectiveness. Only looking at one side to the argument gives a false impression.

It is written on actual research on medications that alter brain chemical activity. It seems that these medicines may actually disrupt normal brain functions and cause damage to the brain instead of help by regulating brain chemical functions.

The point of these medications is that they alter brain activity. That's how they work. If they didn't change brain function, they wouldn't do anything.

They don't disrupt normal brain function. When someone has a mental illness, their brain function is, by definition, abnormal. Medications are designed to help restore normal function.

I do not at all advise anyone to just stop taking prescribed medication. I do advise being aware and researching and talking to a medical health professional to find their opinion and if you so choose, to help you lower dosages or get off the medication, whilst introducing other methods such as psychotherapy or alternative treatment such as meditating and a healthy diet etc. to help with the problem.

While it is good to be aware of the risks of a medication, this website doesn't really provide a reason to change anything. People should talk to their doctor and make a plan, and they need to trust their doctor more than some person with a website.

Psychotherapy is effective, but is even more effective when used in combination with medication. There is no reason that they can't be used together. There is no evidence that meditation or diet changes can alter any psychiatric disorder, though it is a good idea to have a healthy diet anyway.

[JollyBarton]

This website isn't really that accurate. It points out all the dangers of psychiatric medications, but ignores the benefits. Psychiatric medications, like all other medications, have risks, but there are also benefits. There are numerous studies that show their effectiveness. Only looking at one side to the argument gives a false impression.

I realize that both sides of the argument is necessary. That is why I've started to research both sides and I told people that they can research on their own. This is only a warning on on what one side of the argument says.


The point of these medications is that they alter brain activity. That's how they work. If they didn't change brain function, they wouldn't do anything.

They don't disrupt normal brain function. When someone has a mental illness, their brain function is, by definition, abnormal. Medications are designed to help restore normal function.

This research done to say that mental illness is abnormal brain function is not complete. It is actually only a theory. This research points that out and say it MAY actually damage how the brain functions. For example, Thorazine is an anti-psychotic, correct? Well it has been used in schizophrenic patients. When it was first created and studied, the doctors said that it only made the patients unaware and uncaring of their surroundings and that the symptoms did not go away but the patient stopped caring about them so they became unaware of the symptoms. The percentage of people that develop chronic depression has risen since the use of medications became prominent. Studies have been done that show that out of those subjects that are treated for depression, half on medication, the other half just been treated with other therapy, more of the ones on medication develop chronic depression after being taken off of it and those without meds usually recover and have more time inbetween depressive states or don't have another depressive state. only a few of those without meds developed chronic depression. This is simply the other side of your argument. Both are based in young science that doesn't have the complete answers.



While it is good to be aware of the risks of a medication, this website doesn't really provide a reason to change anything. People should talk to their doctor and make a plan, and they need to trust their doctor more than some person with a website.

It is only one website in many and there are research books that have won awards for the research done in them. Documentaries. interviews. studies. In my first post I said that people should not just stop their medication but should talk to their doctor to see what they say as well. And that person with the website is a published, awarded, medical science researcher and writer. He has credentials. Don't just write off this side of the argument so you can believe in yours. It is best to see both sides. I have. I have been on medication before. I have studied and I am researching more to figure this out.


Psychotherapy is effective, but is even more effective when used in combination with medication. There is no reason that they can't be used together. There is no evidence that meditation or diet changes can alter any psychiatric disorder, though it is a good idea to have a healthy diet anyway.

Studies have shown that the medication may help the patient with symptoms short term but in the long term it can damage them significantly. Psychotherapy has been shown to be very effective on its own if the correct form of therapy is used. There are various types of therapy out there. Actually there is evidence that meditation and diet can help a psychiatric disorder. It depends on the patient.

Please, before you discredit a post, read it well. This was simply a warning so that people can know the other side of the argument that is rarely mentioned. I said to talk to a doctor and research more extensively. It wasn't a post saying that medications are DEFINITELY horrible and everyone should just stop taking them.

Documentaries , Generation Rx , The Medicated Child

[georgiamay]

I use my mum as an example for psychiatric medication a lot, but I think it's pretty relevant here. Depression can be caused my a problem with chemicals/electrotransmitters in the brain. Yes, there are other factors too, which is why therapy can help for those whose depression is caused by external factors. For my family, it seems to be genetic. My mum had a lot of therapy, which helped her overcome her eating disorder, but her depression never went away, because it wasn't caused by external factors, as much as people tried to tell her it was. After her behaviours got better, people thought she was cured. She wasn't doing anything "abnormal," but she was still depressed, the therapy just have helped her cope with it better without turning to an eating disorder. So yes, therapy is very useful for things like that. But talking to someone isn't enough to change the chemical imbalence that causes depression. Not all the time anyway.

After a lot of shit went down, my mum eventually attempted suicide, because she just didn't want to live anymore, her depression was that bad. But then she went to hospital, and they put her on antidepressants. She admits and the first few she tried gave her horrible side effects. That's common though, it's well known that antidepressants can have nasty side effects. But now she's found one that works for her, and she hasn't had a depressive moment for a good few years now. She says she feels completely normal. She's capable of feeling sad like everyone else, but she can tell that it's not depression.

I know this isn't proper evidence, but I think it's a pretty good example. If a persons depression is caused mainly by biological reasons rather than psychological, then I don't see why altering a persons brain chemistry wouldn't be a good thing. It's worked for quite a few members of my family.

It isn't the answer for everyone, I understand that, it depends on the cause of the depression as to what treatment should be given.

[Bath]

This has turned into a debate, and shouldn't really be in a section of the forum made for venting and support.

Depression, Loss, & Grief :arrow: ROTW

[JollyBarton]

I know this isn't proper evidence, but I think it's a pretty good example. If a persons depression is caused mainly by biological reasons rather than psychological, then I don't see why altering a persons brain chemistry wouldn't be a good thing. It's worked for quite a few members of my family.

It isn't the answer for everyone, I understand that, it depends on the cause of the depression as to what treatment should be given.

That is a really good addition to the discussion. For some people medication may be the only thing that works for them if they have severe chronic illness before taking meds.

I just say that it isn't actually proven why people have these illnesses. Nothing in the psychological realm of brain science has concrete proof yet. It is such a young science that people are still theorizing and conducting research. Plus big pharmaceutical companies can influence the results of experiments conducted to see how meds work so we don't always get the truth because sometimes the scientists can get corrupt and just want money.

I'm glad your mother is doing better and I hope the medications keep working without any of those nasty side effects showing up. They can be helpful to people who really need them.

They are just so carelessly over-prescribed these days and the general public is largely uninformed about them.

[Gigablue]

This research done to say that mental illness is abnormal brain function is not complete. It is actually only a theory. This research points that out and say it MAY actually damage how the brain functions. For example, Thorazine is an anti-psychotic, correct? Well it has been used in schizophrenic patients. When it was first created and studied, the doctors said that it only made the patients unaware and uncaring of their surroundings and that the symptoms did not go away but the patient stopped caring about them so they became unaware of the symptoms. The percentage of people that develop chronic depression has risen since the use of medications became prominent. Studies have been done that show that out of those subjects that are treated for depression, half on medication, the other half just been treated with other therapy, more of the ones on medication develop chronic depression after being taken off of it and those without meds usually recover and have more time in between depressive states or don't have another depressive state. only a few of those without meds developed chronic depression. This is simply the other side of your argument. Both are based in young science that doesn't have the complete answers.

The research that mental illness is a product of brain activity is fairly conclusive. Obviously some mental illness can have other causes, mainly environmental causes, but it is undeniable that brain activity is highly linked to mental illness.

You mention several studies in your post. Can you provide the sources?

The study that you mention with therapy compared to antidepressants is flawed. It is not blinded, since patients know which treatment they are receiving. It also compares two already proven therapies. A better study would be comparing antidepressants to placebo, and giving both groups therapy. This would show whether therapy and antidepressants is better than therapy alone.

It is only one website in many and there are research books that have won awards for the research done in them. Documentaries. interviews. studies. In my first post I said that people should not just stop their medication but should talk to their doctor to see what they say as well. And that person with the website is a published, awarded, medical science researcher and writer. He has credentials. Don't just write off this side of the argument so you can believe in yours. It is best to see both sides. I have. I have been on medication before. I have studied and I am researching more to figure this out.

You say that you don't want people to stop taking medication, but your post is quite alarmist. Documentaries and interviews are not the most reliable, and large well designed studies show that medication is effective for psychiatrist disorders.

Also, what are his credentials? I didn't see any.

Studies have shown that the medication may help the patient with symptoms short term but in the long term it can damage them significantly. Psychotherapy has been shown to be very effective on its own if the correct form of therapy is used. There are various types of therapy out there. Actually there is evidence that meditation and diet can help a psychiatric disorder. It depends on the patient.

Psychotherapy is effective for some mental disorders, such as depression or various anxiety disorders, but worthless for others, such as schizophrenia. Also, in most cases when psychotherapy is effective, psychotherapy and medication are more effective together.

Having a good diet is important in general, but unless some diet problem is causing the mental illness, changing diet won't change anything. Meditation can be helpful for anxiety disorders, since it helps with relaxation, but isn't really useful for much else.

I just say that it isn't actually proven why people have these illnesses. Nothing in the psychological realm of brain science has concrete proof yet. It is such a young science that people are still theorizing and conducting research. Plus big pharmaceutical companies can influence the results of experiments conducted to see how meds work so we don't always get the truth because sometimes the scientists can get corrupt and just want money.

We don't know the exact mechanism of mental illness, but we do know a fair amount. There is still research to be done, but our current evidence shows that medication works fairly well. I'm not defending pharmaceutical companies, but they do produce useful medication.

They are just so carelessly over-prescribed these days and the general public is largely uninformed about them.

Do you have any evidence that they are overprescribed? Even if they are, that doesn't mean that they don't work, just that doctors aren't being carful enough in using them.