Service-User Knowledge Helps Researchers Develop Psychiatric Drug Tapering Approaches

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New strategies for tapering psychiatric drugs achieved by acknowledging withdrawal symptoms and valuing service-users’ first-hand knowledge.

Review Documents Severe Withdrawal Effects of Psychiatric Drugs

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Researchers find that most psychiatric drugs cause severe withdrawal despite attempt s to gradually decrease the dosage.

Neuropsychological Tests Reveal Consequences of Polypharmacy

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Neuropsychological assessments reveal the cognitive, occupational, and social impact of polypharmacy in psychiatry.

Researchers: Antidepressant Withdrawal, Not “Discontinuation Syndrome”

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Researchers suggest that the pharmaceutical industry had a vested interest in using the term “discontinuation” in order to hide the severity of physical dependence and withdrawal reactions many people experience from antidepressants.

Prescribing an Epidemic: A Veteran’s Story

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Had I known what I know now, I never would have taken any of these drugs, and I absolutely would not have taken a role in which my outreach efforts to get veterans into mental health treatment might place thousands of lives at risk.

Medication-Free Treatment in Norway: A Private Hospital Takes Center Stage

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At the Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center in Norway, patients with a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations are tapering from their medications and, in a therapeutic environment that emphasizes a good diet, exercise, and asking patients "what do they want in life," are leaving their old lives as chronic patients behind.

Fear and Belief in “Chemical Imbalance” Prevent People from Coming Off Antidepressants

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Researchers interviewed people who were given medical advice to discontinue antidepressants.

NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal

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A new update to the NICE guideline for depression suggests providers discuss long-term, severe antidepressant withdrawal symptoms.
sertraline antidepressant withdrawal

Ambushed by Antidepressant Withdrawal: The Escape Story

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I’m alive. More than 30,000 veterans in the past decade alone are not. I was not warned of the risks of this drug. I was not told that once on it, I might never be able to get off it, or the nightmare that would ensue when I tried. I know millions of others were not told either.
A box of Zyprexa pills.

Lack of Clear Guidelines Prevent Clinicians from Reducing Antipsychotics

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A recently published study from noted critical psychiatry expert Joanna Moncrieff explored the barriers that prevent clinicians from helping service users in discontinuing or...
the new yorker

The New Yorker Peers into the Psychiatric Abyss… And Loses Its Nerve

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The New Yorker's story on Laura Delano and psychiatric drug withdrawal is a glass-half-full story: It addresses a problem in psychiatry and yet hides the deeper story to be told. A story of how her recovery resulted from seeing herself within a counter-narrative that tells of the harm that psychiatry can do.

More Psychological Supports Needed to Manage Antidepressant Discontinuation

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Study reviews psychological interventions for antidepressant discontinuation.

Withdrawal Symptoms Routinely Confound Findings of Psychiatric Drug Studies

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Researchers examine how rapid discontinuation can mimic the relapse of mental health symptoms and confound psychiatric drug studies.

Peer-Support Groups Were Right, Guidelines Were Wrong: Dr. Mark Horowitz on Tapering Off Antidepressants

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In an interview with MIA, Dr. Horowitz discusses his recent article on why tapering off antidepressants can take months or even years.

Very Slow Tapering Best For Antidepressant Withdrawal

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A new article in Lancet Psychiatry finds that slower tapering of SSRIs is better for preventing antidepressant withdrawal effects.

Psychological Interventions Can Help When Tapering Off Antidepressants

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Meta-analysis of antidepressant tapering finds CBT and MBCT can aid in tapering, but limited studies met inclusion criteria.

5 Steps to Personalize Deprescribing Practices

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Researchers identify simple ways for clinicians to begin deprescribing conversations.

New Study Explores Approaches to Discontinuing Antidepressants

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Psychiatrist and psychologist outline pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies for discontinuing antidepressants.

Gradual Tapering is Most Successful for Withdrawal from Antipsychotics

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Mixed-Methods study explores the experiences of antipsychotic discontinuation among service users.

SNRIs Added to the List of Drugs with Potential Withdrawal Symptoms

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New research suggests that clinicians should exercise caution prescribing SNRIs as first-line treatment for mood and anxiety disorders.

Systematic Review Finds Antidepressant Withdrawal Common and Potentially Long-lasting

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Prominent researchers conduct a review of antidepressant withdrawal incidence, duration, and severity. Results lead to call for new clinical guidelines.

Antidepressant Use Climbs as Patients Find it Difficult to Discontinue

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Findings point to the role of withdrawal symptoms and prescriber practices in long-term antidepressant use.

New Research on Patient-Centered Deprescribing for Antipsychotics

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Researchers review the risks and benefits of deprescribing from antipsychotic drugs and advocate for a patient-centered approach to tapering.

Study Shows Success With Reduced Antipsychotic Use

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People who reduced antipsychotic use by tapering were doing just as well after five years as those who continued using the drugs.

Study of Online Antidepressant Forums Reveals Long Lasting Withdrawal Effects

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Effects of discontinuing SSRIs and SNRIs reported on an online forum indicate significant and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.