Of course I would not condemn all psychiatrists. I actually know more than a few, some good, some not so good. I do condemn the profession as a whole in their lack of considering other alternative treatment methods for mental illness, as they define it, through their medical model paradigm.
Of late there have been some amazing alternative treatments being used. However, I know very few psychiatrist who are recommending these kinds of treatment alternatives. These newer methods include: Neurofeedback, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to mention the most recent. Neurofeeback addresses electrical targeted brain connections. This practice is having remarkable positive effects for children, teens and adults. Compare this with psychiatric medications that make chemical changes in the brain that are indiscriminate, not targeted, making changes in the entire brain. We call these changes “side effects.” One of the well known and reported long term side effects of some of these drugs is Tardive dyskinesia. This IS brain damage, and gets worse when the psychiatric medication is discontinued. Now big pharma has created a new medication to deal with this debilitating disease (an iatrogenic disease). In my almost 50 years of working in the traditional psychiatric field, I never knew of a doctor who warned their patients of the potential of this long term effect.
I’m surprised that doctors who are still willing to consider ECT are not considering neurofeedback. My guess is they don’t know about it!
My research is asking the worldwide Choice Theory community if what we are doing is working? Boy I wish psychiatrist would do the same.
If you know of doctors who are working with patients to grow their good mental health, I would love you to share that news with me, and everyone else reading here. As far as I know, the psychiatric field, that includes psychiatrists and others, continues their same old traditional psychiatric practices that are helping some and failing most. The news has spread that the pandemic did not only increase physical illness, it also increased mental health/illness. It’s also clear that the traditional practices to deal with this present crisis is not up to the task.
I’ll share with you Dr William Glasser, the founder of choice theory psychology, description of the DSM: “It’s a good describing all of the many creative behaviors unhappy people have come up with in an attempt pt to feel happy and meet their needs.”
There is NO scientific evidence that any of the traditional approaches to psychiatry works!
Thanks for sharing what you want by writing all that you have with me. I sincerely hope you are able to get some, or all of what you want. I’m guessing that won’t be from me however. My ultimate goal is to be another voice adding to the chorus of many to change the status quo of the system that contributed to your abuse, as it did, and still does, for so many.
Presently the work I am doing is to introduce another, and I believe more effective and helpful notion of dealing with emotional disturbances. As I wrote in my blog, I spent years in a system I knew was doing more harm than good. To the extent that I could, I practice Choice Theory with my clients, patients, parents I was coaching then and now. This included people who were on medications (not proscribed by me). With those folks, I encouraged them to educate themselves about the medication they were on, the short and log term effects of these medications, while simultaneously offering alternative therapy that was more helpful and effective.
My goal in working toward a paradigm shift is to change the unhelpful, unhealthy, and in some cases abusive standard treatment that you and several others on this thread experienced. I know this is a long and challenge mountain to climb, with so many who are practicing in the traditional methods because of the financial gain or actual belief that this is the way to go.
I am sincerely sorry about your isolation and your worry about your son. Here’s some advice that you can take or leave. The next time he texts you simply say, “I love you. I miss you”
Thanks for your comments. There presently is a lot of attention on trauma in the mental health world these days. There are a couple of specific and effective new treatments that are very helpful to many folks: EMDR and NeuroFeedback.
I call your attention to the subject of my blog. I am not stating, nor implying the Growing Good Mental Health is the process to help people who are experiencing debilitating emotional disturbances.
What I am advocating for is that EVERYONE understands and experiences GOOD MENTAL HEALTH, and that EVERYONE knows what to do to develop, maintain and improve their GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. I envision a world where people know what to do and whose help to seek when they are experiencing and upset or disturbance, the same way we do when we have a tooth ache or nausea and vomiting.
Loved reading your blog and all about your journey Charlotte! Thank you.
By any chance would you be willing to write a blog, similar to what you’ve written her, about how you are Growing Good Mental Health, every day, that began with this story.
I along with a couple of other women, are on a mission to change the present mental illness-mental health paradigm away from the medical model to help people begin defining and working every day to Grow Good Mental Health, just as we do our physical and dental health.
Thanks for this important and helpful blog Bob (may I call you Bob?) I agree and support all that you write about.
Did you read my recent blog “Growing Good Mental Health” I invite you to take a look. In addition to the important work you write about, it’s also time to start teaching and talking about what every person at every age can do to grow their own good mental health. That means we also need to start defining what mental health is, as more than just the absence of Mental Illness symptoms.
I would love your thoughts and comments about my blog and this idea.
I sincerely hope that I am an integral part of a movement that uses my 50+ years of experience in the field to condemn, (not meant to incite hatred) of the present and lob existing field of Mental Health, Behavioral Health and psychiatry. Did you know that when a dentist from South Dakota suggested to dentists that they could do more than fill cavities there was and large and unhappy push back among dentist! They feared they would lose their livelihood!
Shall I tell you about the young adult I met in an Intensive Outpatient Treatment center (who had been to several “Therapeutic Wilderness Programs” as well as inpatient hospitals and was being home schooled? He was prescribed Prozac and aged 8-years old and was still on it at age 20! Do you know what effects Prozac has on an adolescent going through puberty? I bet you don’t because there is no information documented by the drug company. However, we both know that it had some effect. How about the 70-year old woman I worked with who was diagnosed with “clinical depression” because of her flat affect. She still walked 5 miles a day as she had before she went to see her primary doc who diagnosed her with this and put her on an antidepressant. Because she was not getting any “better” and instead was getting worse, (medication?) she too came to an intensive outpatient setting FINALLY, upon my nursing instincts she was seen by another medical doctor and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Do you know what one of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is? Flat affect, low energy and change in general disposition and outlook. Or shall I tell you about the man in his 40s who was feeling less energetic, less able to perform sexually, with the usual symptoms of anxiety and depression. No surprise, he was put on antidepressants, and when the first batch didn’t work the dosage was increased and when that didn’t work he was put on an additional antidepressant without the original antidepressant being discontinued. Eventually, this man chose to stop seeing this pyshciatrist and went do a counselor in private practice. He also decided to discontinue taking the antidepressants. But it took him 3 years to do it. And this same antidepressant now has the research indicating that this medication causes harm not help.
JobJob, Please help me understand what is it that YOU want from defaming my blog with your comments and defammin Robert Whitaker who is a well respected health reporter?
I’m asking sincerely. I would be interested in engaging in a productive conversation and discourse.
(Princeton, NJ? Just curious, but do you work for on of the drug companies in Jersey? I understand that perhaps you, and certainly the drug companies have a lot to lose by changing the mental illness paradigm!)
What is it you want that you’re trying to get by making the comments you have about my article?
Do you believe your comments and criticisms are adding to the discourse? Are your comments helping you feel better?
I sincerely look forward to you answering my questions so that we might enter into a productive conversation.
I’ll share with you a question I ask children and adults AFTER I’ve actively listened and understood all of their feelings and distress.
“What is it you want that you’re trying to get by crying-depressing-feeling anxious -fearing?” Fill in the last part with whatever the doing, feeling or thinking is? “If we could figure our a way to help you get what you want are you interested in learning?” Understanding that all behavior is purposeful is understanding that people, young and old, behave the way they do to get something that they want. (That includes all of the angry and abusive comments made by many in this comment section.)
I learned these “Magical Questions” as I called them while I was raising my identical twin sons who ofter were so emotional they acted out or displayed their emotions before the had words to describe these feelings. What surprised me is no matter how upset my child was, he would answer the question! Then together we could figure out another way to help him get what he wanted, or figure out a reasonable substitute.
Hope this helps.
Thanks again for sharing you experiences and thoughts with me.
Thank you Steve. I was beginning to feel quite lonely.
Clearly there are many, many people still steeped in the DSM/psychiatric view despite the research indicating that this is unhelpful and harmful!
Clearly, working toward a paradigm shift is an uphill journey. Luckily, I see signs that you and I are not alone in this mission.
Readers, I encourage and invite you to define Mental Health for yourselves. I defined it from my point of view, not to represent it as the ONLY, or the BEST definition.
I do believe that professionals within the “Mental Health” field have a professional obligation to define Mental Health, and that this definition should include more that the absence of symptoms. When working with a client, I believe that professionals should share their definition, ask clients to define it for themselves. Then together you work as a team for the same target and goal.
Thanks for your extensive and thoughtful reply.
I agree, emotions are feelings, whether they are meant to be felt or not.
Choice Theory explains that ALL behavior is total. That means every emotion/feeling has simultaneous acting, thinking and physiology (internal body response)occurring at the same time. And all behaviors are purposeful That is, when I’m feeling angry, or sad, or happy, that is my internal attempt to help me get what I want and need. For me, an emotion is a signal, letting me know that the world is out of or in good order. Emotions ARE felt — driving me to take action, or change my thinking to get what I want and more effective meet my need.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this Kate. It’s pretty clear from your words that you have had your share of negative experiences within the traditional psychiatric system.
I do believe we almost always have choices, although that does not mean the choices are good ones or easy. If you haven’t already, I would strongly encourage you to read “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. He speaks of being in control of his thinking, even in a concentration camp. When you are on psychotropic medications this is much harder, but still something over which you have control.
Dear Tom Shapiro,
Of course I would not condemn all psychiatrists. I actually know more than a few, some good, some not so good. I do condemn the profession as a whole in their lack of considering other alternative treatment methods for mental illness, as they define it, through their medical model paradigm.
Of late there have been some amazing alternative treatments being used. However, I know very few psychiatrist who are recommending these kinds of treatment alternatives. These newer methods include: Neurofeedback, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to mention the most recent. Neurofeeback addresses electrical targeted brain connections. This practice is having remarkable positive effects for children, teens and adults. Compare this with psychiatric medications that make chemical changes in the brain that are indiscriminate, not targeted, making changes in the entire brain. We call these changes “side effects.” One of the well known and reported long term side effects of some of these drugs is Tardive dyskinesia. This IS brain damage, and gets worse when the psychiatric medication is discontinued. Now big pharma has created a new medication to deal with this debilitating disease (an iatrogenic disease). In my almost 50 years of working in the traditional psychiatric field, I never knew of a doctor who warned their patients of the potential of this long term effect.
I’m surprised that doctors who are still willing to consider ECT are not considering neurofeedback. My guess is they don’t know about it!
My research is asking the worldwide Choice Theory community if what we are doing is working? Boy I wish psychiatrist would do the same.
If you know of doctors who are working with patients to grow their good mental health, I would love you to share that news with me, and everyone else reading here. As far as I know, the psychiatric field, that includes psychiatrists and others, continues their same old traditional psychiatric practices that are helping some and failing most. The news has spread that the pandemic did not only increase physical illness, it also increased mental health/illness. It’s also clear that the traditional practices to deal with this present crisis is not up to the task.
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[Duplicate Comment]
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I’ll share with you Dr William Glasser, the founder of choice theory psychology, description of the DSM: “It’s a good describing all of the many creative behaviors unhappy people have come up with in an attempt pt to feel happy and meet their needs.”
There is NO scientific evidence that any of the traditional approaches to psychiatry works!
Thanks for continuing the dialogue
Report comment
Thanks for sharing what you want by writing all that you have with me. I sincerely hope you are able to get some, or all of what you want. I’m guessing that won’t be from me however. My ultimate goal is to be another voice adding to the chorus of many to change the status quo of the system that contributed to your abuse, as it did, and still does, for so many.
Presently the work I am doing is to introduce another, and I believe more effective and helpful notion of dealing with emotional disturbances. As I wrote in my blog, I spent years in a system I knew was doing more harm than good. To the extent that I could, I practice Choice Theory with my clients, patients, parents I was coaching then and now. This included people who were on medications (not proscribed by me). With those folks, I encouraged them to educate themselves about the medication they were on, the short and log term effects of these medications, while simultaneously offering alternative therapy that was more helpful and effective.
My goal in working toward a paradigm shift is to change the unhelpful, unhealthy, and in some cases abusive standard treatment that you and several others on this thread experienced. I know this is a long and challenge mountain to climb, with so many who are practicing in the traditional methods because of the financial gain or actual belief that this is the way to go.
I am sincerely sorry about your isolation and your worry about your son. Here’s some advice that you can take or leave. The next time he texts you simply say, “I love you. I miss you”
With respect,
Nancy
Report comment
Dear Dogworld,
Thanks for your comments. There presently is a lot of attention on trauma in the mental health world these days. There are a couple of specific and effective new treatments that are very helpful to many folks: EMDR and NeuroFeedback.
I call your attention to the subject of my blog. I am not stating, nor implying the Growing Good Mental Health is the process to help people who are experiencing debilitating emotional disturbances.
What I am advocating for is that EVERYONE understands and experiences GOOD MENTAL HEALTH, and that EVERYONE knows what to do to develop, maintain and improve their GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. I envision a world where people know what to do and whose help to seek when they are experiencing and upset or disturbance, the same way we do when we have a tooth ache or nausea and vomiting.
Report comment
Loved reading your blog and all about your journey Charlotte! Thank you.
By any chance would you be willing to write a blog, similar to what you’ve written her, about how you are Growing Good Mental Health, every day, that began with this story.
I along with a couple of other women, are on a mission to change the present mental illness-mental health paradigm away from the medical model to help people begin defining and working every day to Grow Good Mental Health, just as we do our physical and dental health.
If yes, let’s connect!
If not, thanks again for your great blog!
Nancy
Report comment
Thanks for this important and helpful blog Bob (may I call you Bob?) I agree and support all that you write about.
Did you read my recent blog “Growing Good Mental Health” I invite you to take a look. In addition to the important work you write about, it’s also time to start teaching and talking about what every person at every age can do to grow their own good mental health. That means we also need to start defining what mental health is, as more than just the absence of Mental Illness symptoms.
I would love your thoughts and comments about my blog and this idea.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Report comment
To Nathan MD, Princeton
Dear Anonymous “job jog”
I sincerely hope that I am an integral part of a movement that uses my 50+ years of experience in the field to condemn, (not meant to incite hatred) of the present and lob existing field of Mental Health, Behavioral Health and psychiatry. Did you know that when a dentist from South Dakota suggested to dentists that they could do more than fill cavities there was and large and unhappy push back among dentist! They feared they would lose their livelihood!
Shall I tell you about the young adult I met in an Intensive Outpatient Treatment center (who had been to several “Therapeutic Wilderness Programs” as well as inpatient hospitals and was being home schooled? He was prescribed Prozac and aged 8-years old and was still on it at age 20! Do you know what effects Prozac has on an adolescent going through puberty? I bet you don’t because there is no information documented by the drug company. However, we both know that it had some effect. How about the 70-year old woman I worked with who was diagnosed with “clinical depression” because of her flat affect. She still walked 5 miles a day as she had before she went to see her primary doc who diagnosed her with this and put her on an antidepressant. Because she was not getting any “better” and instead was getting worse, (medication?) she too came to an intensive outpatient setting FINALLY, upon my nursing instincts she was seen by another medical doctor and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Do you know what one of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is? Flat affect, low energy and change in general disposition and outlook. Or shall I tell you about the man in his 40s who was feeling less energetic, less able to perform sexually, with the usual symptoms of anxiety and depression. No surprise, he was put on antidepressants, and when the first batch didn’t work the dosage was increased and when that didn’t work he was put on an additional antidepressant without the original antidepressant being discontinued. Eventually, this man chose to stop seeing this pyshciatrist and went do a counselor in private practice. He also decided to discontinue taking the antidepressants. But it took him 3 years to do it. And this same antidepressant now has the research indicating that this medication causes harm not help.
JobJob, Please help me understand what is it that YOU want from defaming my blog with your comments and defammin Robert Whitaker who is a well respected health reporter?
I’m asking sincerely. I would be interested in engaging in a productive conversation and discourse.
(Princeton, NJ? Just curious, but do you work for on of the drug companies in Jersey? I understand that perhaps you, and certainly the drug companies have a lot to lose by changing the mental illness paradigm!)
Report comment
Sam,
What is it you want that you’re trying to get by making the comments you have about my article?
Do you believe your comments and criticisms are adding to the discourse? Are your comments helping you feel better?
I sincerely look forward to you answering my questions so that we might enter into a productive conversation.
thanks,
Nancy
Report comment
Thanks for all you’ve shared Nijinsky.
I’ll share with you a question I ask children and adults AFTER I’ve actively listened and understood all of their feelings and distress.
“What is it you want that you’re trying to get by crying-depressing-feeling anxious -fearing?” Fill in the last part with whatever the doing, feeling or thinking is? “If we could figure our a way to help you get what you want are you interested in learning?” Understanding that all behavior is purposeful is understanding that people, young and old, behave the way they do to get something that they want. (That includes all of the angry and abusive comments made by many in this comment section.)
I learned these “Magical Questions” as I called them while I was raising my identical twin sons who ofter were so emotional they acted out or displayed their emotions before the had words to describe these feelings. What surprised me is no matter how upset my child was, he would answer the question! Then together we could figure out another way to help him get what he wanted, or figure out a reasonable substitute.
Hope this helps.
Thanks again for sharing you experiences and thoughts with me.
Report comment
Thank you Steve. I was beginning to feel quite lonely.
Clearly there are many, many people still steeped in the DSM/psychiatric view despite the research indicating that this is unhelpful and harmful!
Clearly, working toward a paradigm shift is an uphill journey. Luckily, I see signs that you and I are not alone in this mission.
Report comment
Thank you!
Report comment
Readers, I encourage and invite you to define Mental Health for yourselves. I defined it from my point of view, not to represent it as the ONLY, or the BEST definition.
I do believe that professionals within the “Mental Health” field have a professional obligation to define Mental Health, and that this definition should include more that the absence of symptoms. When working with a client, I believe that professionals should share their definition, ask clients to define it for themselves. Then together you work as a team for the same target and goal.
Report comment
Thanks for your extensive and thoughtful reply.
I agree, emotions are feelings, whether they are meant to be felt or not.
Choice Theory explains that ALL behavior is total. That means every emotion/feeling has simultaneous acting, thinking and physiology (internal body response)occurring at the same time. And all behaviors are purposeful That is, when I’m feeling angry, or sad, or happy, that is my internal attempt to help me get what I want and need. For me, an emotion is a signal, letting me know that the world is out of or in good order. Emotions ARE felt — driving me to take action, or change my thinking to get what I want and more effective meet my need.
Report comment
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this Kate. It’s pretty clear from your words that you have had your share of negative experiences within the traditional psychiatric system.
I do believe we almost always have choices, although that does not mean the choices are good ones or easy. If you haven’t already, I would strongly encourage you to read “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. He speaks of being in control of his thinking, even in a concentration camp. When you are on psychotropic medications this is much harder, but still something over which you have control.
Report comment
Thanks for all your comments. Keep them coming please, so we can continue our conversations!
Cheers,
Nancy
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Of course Jim. I have power and control over only one person’s health and health decisions — my own! The same is true for you!
Thanks for reaching out.
Cheers,
Nancy
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