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Hi Spiritual emergency...
Hello Lenny
As usual you do your homework.
I think it's important when making these kind of decisions for ourselves, and sharing our discoveries and experiences with one another that we do our best to provide factual information. This is part and parcel of the reason I prefer to quote physicians as well as consumers.
I personally believe it oversteps our access to information and qualifications,,thus jeopardizing the progress of therapy and potentailly the safety of our member.
My opinion would differ Lenny. In this instance, we have a young man who has shared his diagnosis of psychosis and his desire to
not take medication. In my opinion, he is seeking support so I can best support him by sharing some information related to recovery without medication. If I were to tell him, "Oh no, you shouldn't do that," or, "You should take whatever medication your doctor says you should take," I am no longer offering the support he requested. What's more, I couldn't possibly ignore the overwhelming evidence and my own experience that paints a very different picture of psychosis and successful treatment than that embraced by mainstream psychiatry in this culture.
As a general rule, when it comes to the issue of medication I believe that people are entitled to know the following...
- The risks and benefits of their prescribed medication.
- Alternative treatments that have been helpful to others and may be helpful to them.
- That others have recovered without medication.
- To make their own decisions regarding treatment as much as possible.
The truth of the matter is that some people identify medication as being helpful to them; some don't. Some people identify medication as being instrumental to their recovery; some don't. Some psychiatrists believe that medication is necessary in all instances; some don't.
If we are to insist that we hold to professional opinions we will have to concede that the professional opinion on psychiatric medication is not set in stone. There is a huge deal of controversy, not only in regard to treatment but cause.
My personal belief is that people should avoid medication if at all possible and this is because we know that neuroleptic medication comes with some heavy duty side effects including but not limitied to, pulmonary complications (i.e., heart failure), metabolic disorders (i.e., diabetes), neurological damage (i.e., tardive dyskinesia) and death (i.e., neuroleptic malignant syndrome). Am I willing to insist that people take such medications if they do not wish to take those risks or do not find the medication to be helpful for them? No, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing so. At best, medication is a tool but it is not the
only tool.
We also know that some cultures and settings that do not have the option of using neuroleptic drugs, nonetheless produce recovery rates substantially superior to those achieved in developed nations. We need to learn what we can from these alternative viewpoints so we can reduce the risks and enhance the possibility of recovery for all people -- including those who identify medication as personally helpful.
Clearly, the issue of medication is a complex one and if people wish to make an informed decision they will have to seek out reputable sources of information and expose themselves to a range of thought and opinion. Ultimately, they are probably in the best position to make that choice for themselves. For this reason, I am as opposed to forced medication as I am to forced
non-medication. I am also opposed to the silencing of opinions. It's far better, in my estimation, that all voices and perspectives be heard and encouraged in any open dialogue. We can never know who is reading our words or who will find some helpful insight in them. There are many paths to recovery and the most successful form of treatment is always the one that works for that particular individual.
See also:
- Defining Anti-Psychiatry
- Schizophrenia & Hope