A former physician writes about mental health and recovery using insights from life, science, and spiritual practice.
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Dear Visitors:
Although I trained and practiced as a physician, my background does not include formal instruction in psychiatry beyond basic medical education. This journal presents ideas about treatment philosophy, but must not be considered therapeutic advice. Abrupt changes in one's psychiatric medications can trigger profound cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms, including suicidal thoughts and actions. Consequently, pharmaceutical agents should not be increased or decreased without supervision by a mental health clinician. -
ON THE OTHER HAND, your brain belongs to you, and your opinion counts. If you decide that changing your medication regimen will serve your best interest, then I believe your providers have an obligation to help you try to achieve your goals. I want everyone to be educated about their options, and do what will be most helpful for themselves. No one should feel pushed around by dogmatic and/or limited viewpoints, whether those of psychiatrists, anti-psychiatry advocates, or myself.
I updated the essay on my ‘About‘ section, for anyone interested. It outlines the rationale for my current direction in life, which is motivated by feelings I tried to capture in the poem of two posts ago. Writing the piece took long enough that I’ll consider it my blog post for today. I’m thinking of sending it to my old psychiatrist; the one who drugged me into a stupor, inflicted massive side effects, and perpetuated the abusive distrust familiar from my childhood. Or maybe that would just be petty. She no doubt did her best, given her frustration with me, and the dogmatic clinical paradigm that guided her. On the other hand, she did invite me to write her a letter when I left my last session with her. She encouraged me to let her know how I felt about ending our meetings. It’s taken three years, but now I know. I’d be open to input about whether it makes sense to mail a letter that tells an old therapist how pissed of you feel.
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