“CRAZY AND IT WAS is a frighteningly compelling, multi-layered story of one individual’s lost years in the prescription drug-saturated medical and mental health systems. The book reveals how corporate forces are influencing healthcare decisions for the millions who take the advice, ‘talk to your doctor.’ The author, who is no conspiracy theorist and still relies upon medication, shows through her own research, medical records and journal entries, an up close and personal account of how and why these systems alarmingly fail so many whom they aim to help. Written solely for her own catharsis, this page turner is also an eye-opening source of information for anyone reexamining the widely-pervasive, social assumptions regarding the reliability of pharmaceuticals and the systems that bring them into our lives.”
The book is written by Laurie Oakley, who was prescribed SSRI’s for her depression in the 1990’s, which caused cognitive difficulties, suicidal ideation, and panic attacks. She was then prescribed Klonopin for the panic attacks, which left her with chronic, untreatable insomnia. Her memoir interweaves journal entries on her experiences with psychiatric drugs with research studies on psychiatric medication and information about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry.