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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 12, 2022 8:15:13 GMT
Admin has me in his anti-psychiatry camp because of my critical stance on psychiatry. I insist I'm ambivalent , not fully accepting I have been labelled a 'mental illness denier' because there are aspects of psychiatry I am critical of. This follows my own experience of hospitalisations with a diagnosis of manic depression (back in the day) and my rejection of a suggested life time prescription of lithium based on notions of 'chemical imbalances. But I am also critical of some of the applications of psychotherapy. I've got by, some way or another, over many years, more or less with neither, but I'm posting this piece by John Crace, parliamentary sketch writer for the Guardian newspaper, because I'm actually ambivalent, not in any 'camp' . While 'symptoms' may be clear, understanding causes is another matter.(I would add that Crace probably has more access to treatments and therapy under his control than many other people ). amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/15/digested-week-its-good-to-be-back-after-recent-lows-with-mental-healthIt's great to be well enough to come back to doing digested week on a fortnightly basis. I’ve suffered with mental health issues throughout my adult life, but the last few months have been among the worst and it is only recently that I have been able to make a gradual return to work. Throughout this time I couldn’t have been looked after better as I have been supported by so many people from family, friends and colleagues at work to mental health professionals – I was lucky enough to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital at my lowest point – yet I am still unable to say exactly why I had such bad depression and anxiety at this particular point. When people ask, I’ve taken to saying that it was the result of being stuck at home and not seeing anyone during lockdown as that sounds a plausible explanation, though I have no idea if it is true. After all, I seemed to survive the first lockdown just fine. All I know for certain is that I had reached a point where I would wake up having a panic attack every morning and on some days be unable to leave the bedroom, except to go to the toilet, for the entire day. Recovery was painfully slow and I knew I was getting better only when I belatedly realised that I had gone several days without horrific nightmares and that my anxiety levels were not as high as they had been. Even then it took a while to trust that the improvement was permanent. I’m sure my mental health problems will return – they always have – but hopefully I will have a prolonged period of respite. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed, keep on taking the meds, doing as my therapist says and say thank you to everyone who helped me. Not least the readers who took the trouble to get in touch.
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 12, 2022 8:29:07 GMT
I would add that the Guardian has had other commmentators experiencing severe depression - one had to quit his column - so the Guardian is weighted towards supporting mainstream psychiatry without much questioning. Depresses me. An area where its reporting is unbalanced.
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Post by Admin on Apr 12, 2022 11:35:31 GMT
I would add that the Guardian has had other commmentators experiencing severe depression - one had to quit his column - so the Guardian is weighted towards supporting mainstream psychiatry without much questioning. Depresses me. An area where its reporting is unbalanced. What do you see as a solution to it all?
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 12, 2022 18:53:58 GMT
Resolution? To recognise the major components , as in Admin's integral model, have these explored in depth in particular by people with experience of them, but in the light/darkness of our current knowledge and evidence as to what is going on exactly when we experience 'symptoms' used to define mental health conditions, remain tentative in our claims (maybe, possibly, probably by a small margin...).Acknowledging also diversity of experience and opinion within these general and subjective categories.
And , if we feel more heavily committed to one 'component' look for links with others rather than competing to establish that it is us, with our explanation, who is absolutely right.
Crace had access to a psychiatric hospital and meds, to therapy (regular I think, paid for privately ?), a supportive family and colleagues and work,and recognised the possible impact of the covid lockdown, misse
and missing his now adult children (a previous column) .
But the Guardian stcks with the mainstream - seek psychiayric help, accept treatment, then add in some therapy and think.a little about what may have triggered a particular period of depression. But the main emphasis in the Guardian is, first of all, seek psychiatric help, accept treatment , add some therapy, recognise some possible triggers. There is no
But there is rarely mention of any of the exposure of the downsides of diagnosis and treatment, sometimes severe. Nor of the marketing of medications . Therapy gets a mention but more as an add-on with little discussion as to just what this therapy entails, or the concerns that have been raised about downsides and inadequacies. All the controversy that still rages is simply ignore
Of course, Crace is giving his own account here, fair enough, but there's a bias in the Guardian.I've responded on occasions but to no avail.
From this I'd say managing controversy is crucial but how are we to handle disagreement? All kinds of procedures (eg voting) and groundrules in meetings have been tried and compromises in policy . All have their limitations. But these things not static, innovation is happening all the time. Who knows what this may eventually produce? But if we don't try then its 'status quo' ?
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2022 11:15:48 GMT
Resolution? To recognise the major components , as in Admin's integral model, have these explored in depth in particular by people with experience of them, but in the light/darkness of our current knowledge and evidence as to what is going on exactly when we experience 'symptoms' used to define mental health conditions, remain tentative in our claims (maybe, possibly, probably by a small margin...).Acknowledging also diversity of experience and opinion within these general and subjective categories. There is the Third / Quarter recovery statistic - i think those people generally have less severe conditions / better support / more favorable circumstances. i do think that with better treatment / a better society & system more people could heal / recover better longer term probably medication free - But then it's back with all the same ideological, scientific & medical, political, legal, cultural, socioeconomic, religious & spiritual arguments that 'no one' can agree on. We are stuck with the way everything is.
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 13, 2022 15:20:27 GMT
For better or worse I've generally challenged what I thnk is wrong according to my situation and means and tried to get involved. Sadly I've seen successes unravel, and there have been failures (too many), but, as in my spring garden, new growth may appear.
But after decades of struggle with my own life I'm trying to hold on to a peace that has come my way. Live at a mindful pace, rest when I need to, take refuge when I have to , so long as I am able (no security ahead). Subdue any pesky brain chemicals 😏
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 13, 2022 15:46:44 GMT
Quoting admin. I think those people generally have less severe conditions / better support / more favorable circumstances.
i do think that with better treatment / a better society & system more people could heal / recover better longer term probably medication free - But then it's back with all the same ideological, scientific & medical, political, legal, cultural, socioeconomic, religious & spiritual arguments that 'no one' can agree on.
Yup. Agree. A tough task. It can be hard enough deciding on our own position and direction?
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Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2022 16:07:21 GMT
Quoting admin. I think those people generally have less severe conditions / better support / more favorable circumstances. i do think that with better treatment / a better society & system more people could heal / recover better longer term probably medication free - But then it's back with all the same ideological, scientific & medical, political, legal, cultural, socioeconomic, religious & spiritual arguments that 'no one' can agree on. Yup. Agree. A tough task. It can be hard enough deciding on our own position and direction? i came to my own conclusions with it all, but they are obviously personal to me.
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Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2022 18:06:00 GMT
For better or worse I've generally challenged what I thnk is wrong according to my situation and means and tried to get involved. Sadly I've seen successes unravel, and there have been failures (too many), but, as in my spring garden, new growth may appear. But after decades of struggle with my own life I'm trying to hold on to a peace that has come my way. Live at a mindful pace, rest when I need to, take refuge when I have to , so long as I am able (no security ahead). Subdue any pesky brain chemicals 😏 About 20 years ago i started posting on multiple mental health forums - i fully expected that the vast majority of people would be highly critical of the current society / system / biomedical psychiatry / pharma / mental health treatment & be in complete agreement with wanting comprehensive alternatives. How wrong i was. It was the opposite - the vast majority of people were not interested in being critical of the wider society / system / mental health treatment, or with wanting alternatives. The 'anti / critical / alternative' psychiatry areas are the minority & always have been, hence why Nothing ever intrinsically changes. i expected people to be largely in agreement with the peace movement & progressive / green / centre left politics & democratic socialism & global systemic alternatives to help address the growing global ecological & civilizational crisis & World war - Again, how very wrong & mistaken i was. What scares me now is that we're fast heading back to 19th / Early 20th Century realities, & worse. I suppose that's humans / civilization - it rises & falls, goes forwards & backwards, progresses & regresses. We appear to have been / are going into another regressive stage with Civilization.
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 16, 2022 23:12:41 GMT
I haven't had the same expectactions of people as you. Just felt there have been/are things that should be fought for. But any hopes are less in our current times than when I was younger.
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 16, 2022 23:37:58 GMT
Paying £130 million to Ruanda, landlocked in Africa, to take our refugees. How much lower can this govn sink. Or maybe I shouldn't ask.
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Post by Admin on Apr 17, 2022 9:02:04 GMT
Paying £130 million to Ruanda, landlocked in Africa, to take our refugees. How much lower can this govn sink. Or maybe I shouldn't ask. How much have your family’s gas and electric bills gone up by? Here in South London, the Topple household is now using over £5 a day in gas alone, with electricity bringing up the rear at £3. That’s over £220 a month, or £2,640 a year. Before the ‘eat dry pasta’ poverty know-it-alls chime in – we were already cutting back. We never put the hot water on. We restrict our heating use. I only take a shower once a week. The point being, we’re apparently living through a “cost of living crisis”. Except we’re not. Because for many people, the cost of living crisis is nothing new. It’s not new for chronically ill and disabled people who faced social security freezes for years in the last decade. Tell the 1,286 homeless people who died in 2021 that we’re now suddenly in a cost of living crisis after the government pledged “everybody in” in 2020. Or maybe you could tell the 3.6 million children already living in poverty over a decade ago in 2011/12 that it’s OK! They weren’t living in a cost of living crisis! So you see, people in the UK living in government-enforced poverty and misery isn’t new. It just suddenly got a whole lot worse. But if it’s not a cost of living crisis – then what is it? It’s class war. Pure and simple. For decades, governments have intentionally hit the poorest and most marginalised people with economic and social warfare. When those in charge repeatedly enact policies which they know amount to institutional abuse, it’s class war. They know the suffering they’ve meted out over many years - the suffering they maintain, right to this minute. Now, as more people than ever face a barrage of vicious, state-sanctioned attacks from all angles, we need to stop pretending this is some sudden cost of living crisis and frame it as the class war it is. Once we do, we’ll realise the enemy is the entire political and corporate class. Then, the fightback by everyone suffering under our failing political and economic systems can properly begin: you, me - all of us. How is this class war affecting you? Email me: steve.topple@thecanary.co and I’ll share your stories in an article. All the best, Steve Topple
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Post by Admin on Apr 17, 2022 17:52:12 GMT
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Post by flyingcarpet46 on Apr 24, 2022 19:09:53 GMT
Antidepressant withdrawal
NICE guidelines on antidepressant withdrawal in ‘urgent need of correction’, say researchers Researchers call for guidance to be “urgently” updated after finding that seven out of ten studies providing data on the duration of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms contradict UK and US withdrawal guidelines.
FC . NICE (National institute fir Clinical Excellence) in the UK is due to produce new guidelines on dependency and withdrawal of antidepressants , the evidence and severity have long been downplayed/denied.
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 19:31:21 GMT
Antidepressant withdrawal NICE guidelines on antidepressant withdrawal in ‘urgent need of correction’, say researchers Researchers call for guidance to be “urgently” updated after finding that seven out of ten studies providing data on the duration of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms contradict UK and US withdrawal guidelines. FC . NICE (National institute fir Clinical Excellence) in the UK is due to produce new guidelines on dependency and withdrawal of antidepressants , the evidence and severity have long been downplayed/denied. When will they / if ever get onto anti psychotic withdrawal?
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