This week, we have an interview with Christopher Jump. Christopher describes his transformational journey starting with a very difficult childhood which led him to be treated for many years with various psychiatric medications. After successfully withdrawing, he now works a Program Manager for Heart & Soul inc in California, an organisation which offers a variety of mental health recovery-oriented and wellness support opportunities for people in need of mental health support.
In this episode we discuss:
âą How Christopher was hospitalised with Major Depressive Disorder and was medicated
âą How his very difficult childhood led to more than 15 years of treatment with various psychiatric medications
âą That his Psychiatrist did no physical examination but concluded in 5 minutes that he had a brain abnormality
âą How he had to agree to take the medications to get released from hospital
âą That the side effects of the drugs were very troublesome and made him more anxious and agitated
âą That the medication led to an increase in self harming and suicidal thinking
âą The doctors advice was always to increase dosages or to add additional drugs
âą How long terms usage of psychiatric medications leads to psychological and physical problems
âą How he had previously tried to quit his drugs cold turkey but always ended up back in hospital
âą How Christopher stopped his drugs by tapering and what therapies helped him during withdrawal
âą How looking back, Christopher feels that stopping the drugs was the best thing he ever did
âą How he now works in peer wellness and support for Heart & Soul Inc, an organisation staffed by people with lived experience of mental healthcare
âą How, when he was first struggling, Christopher needed someone to listen to him and a supportive environment rather than a diagnosis and medication
âą That people should rule out any physical reason for depression or anxiety before resorting to medications
