Mad in America

This online event is looking at working with clients who are taking or withdrawing from prescribed drugs.

In this event we aim to discuss the issue of increasing numbers of prescriptions of psychiatric drugs, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants. While these drugs may help some people in the short term, there is growing evidence that many patients report persistent withdrawal and other negative effects. The event will particularly focus on antidepressants and implications for therapeutic practice.

The event is based on the “Guidance for Psychological Therapists - Enabling conversations with clients taking or withdrawing from prescribed psychiatric drugs”. The guidance was funded and steered by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), in conjunction with the APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence Secretariat (all members of the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry (CEP)), and the National Survivor User Network (NSUN). It is endorsed by the main non-modality specific professional bodies, including the National Counselling Society (NCS), for use by their members and relevant training organisations.