I think you make a lot of really good points. I think the medications pushed her over the edge, but they weren’t the only factor. This was a preventable tragedy. I hope people can learn from it.
Thanks for the kind comment. I am doing much better, but admittedly, it is still a process.
I’m sure that for some people, psych meds can be beneficial. Unfortunately, I know of more people who have been harmed rather than helped by meds, and I put myself in that category as well.
Thank you for sharing your program. Congratulations on your great success, and I hope that your program continues to positively impact people around the world!
Yes, it is extremely frustrating and disappointing. In my experience, psychiatrists tend to become very defensive if you bring up even very common side effects of medications.
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry for everything you went through, it’s absolutely appalling. I’m not sure that people who haven’t experienced the dark side of psychiatry truly understand how pervasive the dishonesty and gaslighting can be. And of course, if you talk about it, you’re just accused of being mentally ill. Truthfully, if I had never experienced the gaslighting myself, I might have never believed it. But here we are.
Thank you for the kind words, Malene. I just read your blog post, and I am appalled at what you went through. I am glad that you are doing better now, and I wish you continued success on your healing journey. I know how hard it can be.
Thank you for sharing your story, Maria. What you went through sounds awful! I’m so happy that the issue is resolved, but it should have been resolved so much sooner. I really don’t think that people who have never struggled with insomnia understand how terrible it can be.
Thank you for your comment. I am absolutely infuriated reading about what you went through! The lack of transparency around sleep medications is abhorrent. The fact that you will eventually build up a tolerance to the point where you can only sleep a few hours per night – and the fact that getting off sleep medications is brutally difficult, if not nearly impossible for some – is information that should be divulged BEFORE you take the medication, not after, when your body is already dependent on it.
If patients knew beforehand that sleep medications can cause insomnia far worse than the initial insomnia that led them to get on the drug in the first place, there’s no doubt people wouldn’t take them as often. I wish I had done my research before taking sleep meds, but honestly, I just always trusted my doctors. Now, I am far more cautious.
I hope that you are cancer-free, and that you are sleeping well again. Severe insomnia truly is a nightmare.
Thank you for the comment. I’m so sorry to hear about you and your husband’s experiences with psychiatry. I don’t know if many people realize how hard it can be to get off medications. I remain on a low dose of antidepressants to this day, not because I think they do much for me, but because I simply haven’t been able to get through the tough withdrawal phase. Interestingly, anytime I’ve ever gone to a psychiatrist to ask for help tapering off antidepressants, they seem either very resistant to the idea, or they insist that tapering off over a couple of weeks should be sufficient (which is obviously untrue, especially if you’ve been taking meds for years).
When I asked that question you referenced in the essay, I was mostly being rhetorical, because I completely agree with you – psychiatrists are in a strange position, because they have to defend their profession, and the only way for them to do that is to invalidate the experiences of their patients. I can’t tell you the number of doctors I’ve seen who are extremely skeptical when I tell them of the various side effects I have gotten from medications, such as vivid nightmares or anhedonia.
I always wonder how many psychiatrists have ever taken medications themselves, and if they have, perhaps they’ve been lucky to only have positive experiences. Maybe some of them truly do believe in the efficacy of psychiatry, and they just chalk up any side effects patients face as a result of worsening mental illness. I’m not sure. Regardless, psychiatrists tend to be very defensive regarding the safety of medications, like you said. It’s frustrating.
Anyways, I wish you and your husband continued healing.
Thank you for the kind comment. I’m sorry to hear about your experiences with psychiatry and I hope that you have found healing. Unfortunately, I have met more people who have had negative experiences with psychiatry than positive ones. Surely that says something about the psychiatric industry.
You’re right – the efficacy of psychiatry is definitely a huge part of this trial, and maybe I didn’t emphasize that enough in my essay. Interestingly, my initial doctor that I spoke about in this essay who prescribed me many medications over a short period was also a young, relatively new doctor. I have to wonder if inexperience is leading young psychiatrists to take a ‘shotgun approach’ with medication, whereas a more seasoned doctor would take a more measured approach.
I think you make a lot of really good points. I think the medications pushed her over the edge, but they weren’t the only factor. This was a preventable tragedy. I hope people can learn from it.
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Haha, very true!
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Hi David,
Thanks for the kind comment. I am doing much better, but admittedly, it is still a process.
I’m sure that for some people, psych meds can be beneficial. Unfortunately, I know of more people who have been harmed rather than helped by meds, and I put myself in that category as well.
Thank you for sharing your program. Congratulations on your great success, and I hope that your program continues to positively impact people around the world!
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Thank you for the kind words, k.
Yes, it is extremely frustrating and disappointing. In my experience, psychiatrists tend to become very defensive if you bring up even very common side effects of medications.
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Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry for everything you went through, it’s absolutely appalling. I’m not sure that people who haven’t experienced the dark side of psychiatry truly understand how pervasive the dishonesty and gaslighting can be. And of course, if you talk about it, you’re just accused of being mentally ill. Truthfully, if I had never experienced the gaslighting myself, I might have never believed it. But here we are.
I hope that you are healing.
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Hi Chris,
I agree with you. The details of this case are exposing the general public to how corrupt psychiatry as an industry can be.
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Thank you for the kind words, Malene. I just read your blog post, and I am appalled at what you went through. I am glad that you are doing better now, and I wish you continued success on your healing journey. I know how hard it can be.
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Thank you for sharing your story, Maria. What you went through sounds awful! I’m so happy that the issue is resolved, but it should have been resolved so much sooner. I really don’t think that people who have never struggled with insomnia understand how terrible it can be.
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Hi Rosalee,
Thank you for your comment. I am absolutely infuriated reading about what you went through! The lack of transparency around sleep medications is abhorrent. The fact that you will eventually build up a tolerance to the point where you can only sleep a few hours per night – and the fact that getting off sleep medications is brutally difficult, if not nearly impossible for some – is information that should be divulged BEFORE you take the medication, not after, when your body is already dependent on it.
If patients knew beforehand that sleep medications can cause insomnia far worse than the initial insomnia that led them to get on the drug in the first place, there’s no doubt people wouldn’t take them as often. I wish I had done my research before taking sleep meds, but honestly, I just always trusted my doctors. Now, I am far more cautious.
I hope that you are cancer-free, and that you are sleeping well again. Severe insomnia truly is a nightmare.
Report comment
Hi Judith,
Thank you for the comment. I’m so sorry to hear about you and your husband’s experiences with psychiatry. I don’t know if many people realize how hard it can be to get off medications. I remain on a low dose of antidepressants to this day, not because I think they do much for me, but because I simply haven’t been able to get through the tough withdrawal phase. Interestingly, anytime I’ve ever gone to a psychiatrist to ask for help tapering off antidepressants, they seem either very resistant to the idea, or they insist that tapering off over a couple of weeks should be sufficient (which is obviously untrue, especially if you’ve been taking meds for years).
When I asked that question you referenced in the essay, I was mostly being rhetorical, because I completely agree with you – psychiatrists are in a strange position, because they have to defend their profession, and the only way for them to do that is to invalidate the experiences of their patients. I can’t tell you the number of doctors I’ve seen who are extremely skeptical when I tell them of the various side effects I have gotten from medications, such as vivid nightmares or anhedonia.
I always wonder how many psychiatrists have ever taken medications themselves, and if they have, perhaps they’ve been lucky to only have positive experiences. Maybe some of them truly do believe in the efficacy of psychiatry, and they just chalk up any side effects patients face as a result of worsening mental illness. I’m not sure. Regardless, psychiatrists tend to be very defensive regarding the safety of medications, like you said. It’s frustrating.
Anyways, I wish you and your husband continued healing.
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Hi Ann,
Thank you for the kind comment. I’m sorry to hear about your experiences with psychiatry and I hope that you have found healing. Unfortunately, I have met more people who have had negative experiences with psychiatry than positive ones. Surely that says something about the psychiatric industry.
You’re right – the efficacy of psychiatry is definitely a huge part of this trial, and maybe I didn’t emphasize that enough in my essay. Interestingly, my initial doctor that I spoke about in this essay who prescribed me many medications over a short period was also a young, relatively new doctor. I have to wonder if inexperience is leading young psychiatrists to take a ‘shotgun approach’ with medication, whereas a more seasoned doctor would take a more measured approach.
Report comment