I’ll share what I’ve learned being on both sides of the couch, so to speak. As a teen and young adult I spent a lot of time “in the system”, spoke to a lot of therapists, psychiatrists, etc. I hated every minute of every therapy session, why? Because I didn’t want to be “fixed”, I wanted to be listened to, not talked over, not told to “challenge my negative thoughts”, or whatever nonsense was being spewed by the graduate intern on duty. So I usually didn’t listen, was probably labeled “defiant, resistant, uncooperative, precontemplative”, the list goes on. It is ironic that some years later I actually became a clinician. I can honestly say that most people don’t want to be fixed, they want the space to be heard and given a chance to heal.
Yet, I understand the desperation of being trapped in an unabatting state of pain; it can be easier to blame the overwhelmed, imperfect system that’s supposed to be helping you.
You are correct in saying “complex problems have complex solutions”, yet I wonder if every causative factor to these “complex mental problems” has been thoroughly examined?
Big Pharma runs commercials for SGAs with happy, grinning people walking on the beach as if ingesting a pill will right all that’s wrong in life. The behavioral health field as a whole, (not just psychiatry) but psychology, counseling and social work, have all done a fine job of commercializing healing. Do deep breathing, erase a lifetime of trauma, or the fact you’re losing your home. As professionals, we pride ourselves on our “evidence-based practices”; legitimizing our interventions and treatment plans with observations and data collection; at the end of the day, we are driving home the message that we’re experts who have all the answers, or at least want to seem like we do, right? We market ourselves as “fixers”, then get defensive and frustrated when our clients don’t respond like perfect test subjects, why? Because they are real human beings with unique challenges, not hypothetical case studies. Treatment is really nothing more than social control, even with the best intentions. It’s up to the people to reclaim their agency; for me, “a good professional” is an ally and the community is the solution.
Carol and Russ, my thoughts are with you. You exhibit great strength and I know you’ll create positive change out of this tragedy. You have given me a renewed sense of hope; I am a survivor of this horrific system who went on to become a clinician; lately, working within community mental health has left me feeling like an empty hypocrite, a piston in this engine of oppression and dysfunction. Maybe there is a way to fight back.
James,
I’ve heard good things about ‘The Candida Cure’ for autoimmune/inflammatory disease in general; I’m definitely researching it further. I’ve also started seeing a naturopathic doctor for orthomolecular medicine. You are absolutely right about needing to advocate for ourselves; many clinicians don’t have a real understanding of what “informed consent” is, particularly in psychiatry. “Take this pill, it’s good for depression, anxiety, etc.” When I ask about side effects, the response I got was, “Well, don’t worry about that, because then you think you’re going to have them”. My reply: You mean the nocebo effect? I am a researcher you know, I’m familiar with the concept. Then you get accused of “interrogating” them when you question something, or seeking information elsewhere. It’s like asking a wizard to share from his Book of Spells: unthinkable! And probably just as much smoke and mirrors, lol.
I thought the same thing about the lesions being after effects of the Tortuous Mental Stunting, or at the very least it might have accelerated their progression. 75+ sessions of this barbarism in under 18 months, why not? But, of course why would the FDA, AMA, or the APA concern themselves with that, it’s just my brain after all. It’s a whole new breed of deadly consumerism; Big Pharma/APA has completely co-opted mental health care and tricked the public into believing that the sole path to wellness is through popping their magic little pills or, now TMS; Let non-invasive magnets zap you into bliss, all from the comfort of your doctor’s office! Hell, you can even get it done on your lunch break and be back in time for the 2pm conference call. They line their pockets while we get sicker, need more “treatment”, dole out more money, and it goes on and on.
Thank you for bringing this issue to light James.
I’ve been experiencing TRD for the past few years, and had literally tried every medication out there with no results. Like you, I still fought everyday to go to work and provide for myself and my family despite feeling mentally and physically awful. Of course, all of my physical symptoms had been written off by the medical community as psychosomatic; once they see you’re on psychiatric medications, that’s the common reaction. My psychiatrist recommends TMS, not one, but THREE courses of 36 sessions. Three sessions into the third, I say this is ridiculous, I’m paying through the nose to see you and do these treatments, and I actually feel worse! I’m not doing it again! He’s saying it’s helping me; really, because I’ve never had such horrible cognitive dysfunction in my life! I’m exhausted all the time, My memory is gone, I have dysarthia, gait problems, vertigo, tremors, constantly dropping things, etc. Then he tells me, I’m being “non-adherent” to the treatment plan, and displaying “narcissistic traits”; because I’m challenging a treatment plan that is not working? I go to my PCP explaining my symptoms; he orders a head CT, which shows “cerebral atrophy inconsistent with patient’s age”. Off to the neurologist, MRIs with contrast, and lo and behold, multiple lesions in my brain and spinal column consistent with multiple sclerosis. Maybe if any of these idiots ever thought to listen to what I was saying in the first place, I could’ve gotten the proper treatment 5 years ago.
I’ll share what I’ve learned being on both sides of the couch, so to speak. As a teen and young adult I spent a lot of time “in the system”, spoke to a lot of therapists, psychiatrists, etc. I hated every minute of every therapy session, why? Because I didn’t want to be “fixed”, I wanted to be listened to, not talked over, not told to “challenge my negative thoughts”, or whatever nonsense was being spewed by the graduate intern on duty. So I usually didn’t listen, was probably labeled “defiant, resistant, uncooperative, precontemplative”, the list goes on. It is ironic that some years later I actually became a clinician. I can honestly say that most people don’t want to be fixed, they want the space to be heard and given a chance to heal.
Yet, I understand the desperation of being trapped in an unabatting state of pain; it can be easier to blame the overwhelmed, imperfect system that’s supposed to be helping you.
You are correct in saying “complex problems have complex solutions”, yet I wonder if every causative factor to these “complex mental problems” has been thoroughly examined?
Big Pharma runs commercials for SGAs with happy, grinning people walking on the beach as if ingesting a pill will right all that’s wrong in life. The behavioral health field as a whole, (not just psychiatry) but psychology, counseling and social work, have all done a fine job of commercializing healing. Do deep breathing, erase a lifetime of trauma, or the fact you’re losing your home. As professionals, we pride ourselves on our “evidence-based practices”; legitimizing our interventions and treatment plans with observations and data collection; at the end of the day, we are driving home the message that we’re experts who have all the answers, or at least want to seem like we do, right? We market ourselves as “fixers”, then get defensive and frustrated when our clients don’t respond like perfect test subjects, why? Because they are real human beings with unique challenges, not hypothetical case studies. Treatment is really nothing more than social control, even with the best intentions. It’s up to the people to reclaim their agency; for me, “a good professional” is an ally and the community is the solution.
Carol and Russ, my thoughts are with you. You exhibit great strength and I know you’ll create positive change out of this tragedy. You have given me a renewed sense of hope; I am a survivor of this horrific system who went on to become a clinician; lately, working within community mental health has left me feeling like an empty hypocrite, a piston in this engine of oppression and dysfunction. Maybe there is a way to fight back.
James,
I’ve heard good things about ‘The Candida Cure’ for autoimmune/inflammatory disease in general; I’m definitely researching it further. I’ve also started seeing a naturopathic doctor for orthomolecular medicine. You are absolutely right about needing to advocate for ourselves; many clinicians don’t have a real understanding of what “informed consent” is, particularly in psychiatry. “Take this pill, it’s good for depression, anxiety, etc.” When I ask about side effects, the response I got was, “Well, don’t worry about that, because then you think you’re going to have them”. My reply: You mean the nocebo effect? I am a researcher you know, I’m familiar with the concept. Then you get accused of “interrogating” them when you question something, or seeking information elsewhere. It’s like asking a wizard to share from his Book of Spells: unthinkable! And probably just as much smoke and mirrors, lol.
I thought the same thing about the lesions being after effects of the Tortuous Mental Stunting, or at the very least it might have accelerated their progression. 75+ sessions of this barbarism in under 18 months, why not? But, of course why would the FDA, AMA, or the APA concern themselves with that, it’s just my brain after all. It’s a whole new breed of deadly consumerism; Big Pharma/APA has completely co-opted mental health care and tricked the public into believing that the sole path to wellness is through popping their magic little pills or, now TMS; Let non-invasive magnets zap you into bliss, all from the comfort of your doctor’s office! Hell, you can even get it done on your lunch break and be back in time for the 2pm conference call. They line their pockets while we get sicker, need more “treatment”, dole out more money, and it goes on and on.
Thank you for bringing this issue to light James.
I’ve been experiencing TRD for the past few years, and had literally tried every medication out there with no results. Like you, I still fought everyday to go to work and provide for myself and my family despite feeling mentally and physically awful. Of course, all of my physical symptoms had been written off by the medical community as psychosomatic; once they see you’re on psychiatric medications, that’s the common reaction. My psychiatrist recommends TMS, not one, but THREE courses of 36 sessions. Three sessions into the third, I say this is ridiculous, I’m paying through the nose to see you and do these treatments, and I actually feel worse! I’m not doing it again! He’s saying it’s helping me; really, because I’ve never had such horrible cognitive dysfunction in my life! I’m exhausted all the time, My memory is gone, I have dysarthia, gait problems, vertigo, tremors, constantly dropping things, etc. Then he tells me, I’m being “non-adherent” to the treatment plan, and displaying “narcissistic traits”; because I’m challenging a treatment plan that is not working? I go to my PCP explaining my symptoms; he orders a head CT, which shows “cerebral atrophy inconsistent with patient’s age”. Off to the neurologist, MRIs with contrast, and lo and behold, multiple lesions in my brain and spinal column consistent with multiple sclerosis. Maybe if any of these idiots ever thought to listen to what I was saying in the first place, I could’ve gotten the proper treatment 5 years ago.