Treating schizophrenia without drugs.

Interesting article form the BPS Research Digest on treating schizophrenia without drugs.

Link here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot....ugs.html#links

"Among the patients for whom drug treatment was delayed, about one-third actually ended up recovering without needing to take medication at all, and longer-term, their outcomes tended to be superior to those patients who were treated with drugs immediately.

...

""The above cited studies at least highlight the fact that no disadvantages and several advantages have been noted with no or a low-dose anti-psychotic medication in combination with psychosocial interventions for first episode schizophrenia spectrum patients," the researchers said."

In the past, spiritual_emergency posted a number of links to articles on similar subjects on the Psychosis & Schizophrenia forum.

good article.

i read somewhere (again i think i came across the page through one of spiritual_emergency's links) that blocking the dopamine thingmies, it only delays the psychotic episode so that when you come off them, you get another psychotic episode. well - i think that was basically speculation since i had one rather successful try with antipsychotics. the next time they stopped working

but it's worth some thinking as the meds sometimes cause really nasty side-effects. and it's important to treat what caused psychosis, not just the psychosis itself.

twilight

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

pachyderm, the quote you quoted was exactly the one I was going to quote.

I've mentioned these names previously: John Weir Perry - Jungian Psychiatrist; Jaako Seikkulla - Clinical Psychologist. Both had recovery rates in the range of 80-85% using minimal or no medication. Other clinicians who used a similar approach include Loren Mosher, RD Laing, Harry Stack Sullivan -- there's probably more although I can't think of them all at the moment. Some of them show up in the mentor's album on my profile for those who care to look.

The issue of recovery without medication is one that's vital to address but at the same time, we can't overlook that medication is a tool that makes an incredible difference to some people. The critical factor is that who it helps and who it hinders is a very individual situation. We need to be able to adopt a mindset that allows the individuals affected to be able to determine for themselves, what is best for them. As an example, I'm thinking of an individual I encountered who was taking Zyprexa. One of the debilitating side-effects of Zyprexa can be diabetes and that particular individual had become diabetic as a result but the important thing is -- to him -- that was a better life than what he'd been dealing with before. A similar argument can be made for ECT. Personally, I wouldn't choose it for myself or a loved one but there are some people out there who identify it as a form of treatment they benefited from. For this reason, I would never want to see it outlawed even as I remain in firm opposition to forced ECT or neuroleptic treatment.

I wouldn't want to be in the position of imposing diabetes on someone else but neither would I want to be in a position of denying them treatment that they might determine is personally helpful. Unfortunately, the rule of thumb is to throw neuroleptics at all cases of psychosis regardless of cause. I'm thinking of yet another individual who underwent a period of psychosis that was likely drug-induced; the drugs themselves were probably a form of self-medication. A more appropriate treatment for him might have been addictions counseling and psychotherapy that would help him address his underlying stressors. Instead, he's spent nearly two decades on antipsychotics that, try as he might, he cannot seem to come off.

Many individuals might find they can cope without anti-psychotics if they are in an environment where they can be supported through the "fragmentation crisis". Alternatively, they may find they can manage with only a brief trial or a lowered dose of antipsychotic medication. The challenge for professionals, caregivers and sufferers of all stripes is to try to create the sort of environments where that kind of support can unfold.

I'm saying all this with a certain degree of hesitation -- my desire has been to withdraw from this forum because I can no longer speak freely in this space of the experience that is not only mine, but also has one of the best recovery rates (Jungian based psychotherapy). Nonetheless, I recognize there are some important issues to be considered. Anguished mothers are one of them. Recovery and medication is yet another. As time permits, I maybe be able to drag some other relevant articles into this space.

~ Namaste