hey daniella.

i'm interested in what this guy has to say as another perspective on the matter.

you have never had the opportunity to have some brief respite and care in order to get you through an episode medication free?

if you suddenly stop taking your medication then your brain kind of rebounds so that things are twice as bad for a time before your brain adjusts to being off the meds.

> Without it I have no doubt that I would be dead. And that I would have emotionally hurt many people along the way to that final outcome. But with my medication I have led a good and productive life and made a positive difference in many peoples lifes along the way.

you could be a poster person for the med companies ;-)

there isn't any way to know whether you could have received the same (or better) results from drug free alternatives. because... you were given the medications and if you stop taking them (as you say) you have to get through the rebound (which would result in your hospitalisation and the commencement of medication).

if you are doing alright then that is great and more power to you (really).

> Toxic psychiatry????? Only to those who have never truely experienced the before and after of a severe mental illness.

the specific claim is that psychiatry is toxic in the sense that neuroleptics (and maybe other drugs - i haven't read those sections of the book yet) cause neurological damage.

that is an empirical matter (whether they cause neurological damage or not is an empirical matter). it seems as though... they do...

but... maybe not in every single case.

or... maybe you would be even smarter and so on if you had never taken the medication... perhaps.

do you have any TD (movement) type symptoms at all?

'medication compliant'... compliance is an interesting notion...

his alternative account of mental illness (seems to be) one of 'psycho-spiritual crisis'. he focuses on the role of EE (expressed negative emotion) in the family and the exquisite sensitivity of people who become mentally ill. he looks for meanings and themes in 'psychotic' communications... and states that while medications might make people care less about those concerns... they also supress creativity and expression and the process of meaning creation...

if you are happy on your meds then more power to you. i guess these thoughts are more likely to be gratefully received by those who are tossing up the virtues of 'compliance'.