Should I take Psychiatric Medications For Depression and Anxiety?

This is definitely a questionable subject, and a tricky one, By reading some of Dr. Peter Breggin's books, I've come up with new conclusions, which I would like to share with you. The Medication Journey is a long a painful one--Should I take meds or get off them? These are the questions I've had for a long time and recently came to understand.

Dr. Peter Breggin is a well known psychiatrist who has helped many people in the road of non-medication. He is firmly against psychiatric medication as described in his books Toxic Psychiatry, Your Drug May Be your Problem, and Medication Madness. In these books, he describes how dangerous (psych) meds are for you, how they dull the senses, prevent creativity, and have long term disabling effects including diabetes and high cholesterol. I've always believed in his theory of "Medications are like a chemical lobotomy" I believed in his theory of getting off all medications slowly.

He is not wrong or right. Telling someone they can and should stop medications (slowly with or with out a doctor's guidance) and admitting there can and very likely will be very difficult or severe withdrawls and have to learn how to deal with life and it's problems, when the "numbing drugs" are gone...is pretty much like telling a cocaine addict to stop his cocaine but not give him a rehab to go to .

Awhile back, I did, with my doctor's permission, decrease Seroquel slowly from taking 225mg to 50mg. I had "excruciating side effects, mentally and emotionally". During my withdrawl, I had very scary nightmares that were hard to wake up from, and I experienced a severe sensitivity to anything people said, especially those close to me, in which I imagined hurts that weren't meant or not there, I took everything the wrong way and nearly cried over everything. It was so bad, I checked myself into a respite, and suffered it out there. I mean, I would love to get off all my meds, but I would need a very safe place, and there a no such places available that I know of. Hospitals even, won't keep you very long, and they want to give you meds, they don't provide 24/7 psychoanalysis etc. I have been informed Dr. Breggin started some "safe homes" to help people transition off meds and get back into the community and it was said 8% needed medication. These safe houses are few and I cannot afford one.

The reality of psych drugs is they help some and others senses are dulled. Page 176 in Toxic Psychiatry: "Dad is much easier and nicer than before (with Lithium)" while families of the two other subjects complained about theirs being "dull".

The brain is a very complex organ. If the body can be sick, so can the brain (mind). I must believe that regular psychiatrists and doctors have good intention when they observe us and test our blood and try us on different meds to try and see a balance in our brains. Our brain is made up of chemicals and mentally ill people lack serotonin. These psych meds try to increase serotonin.

On the other hand, anyone who is suffering from depression, anxiety, etc should seek talk therapy first before resorting at last to medicine. Unfortunately it appears today the average person does not have the opportunity to a psychotherapist who will use hypnosis and non- medication treatment. Perhaps it's too expensive. In the movie "Sybil" a very disturbed girl had psychotherapy for 11 years and was cured--true story. If she, who had 12 or so personalities, could be "cured" why couldn't you or I ??

Before medicine came about, there existed asylums filled with thousands for the insane. They were often not fed, or clothed, and lay around miseralbe for the rest of their lives, often abused, put in straightjackets, and given high does of electroshock "therapy" which just calmed them down so they would be more docile.

In 1936, Dr. Walter Freeman performed his first lobotomy. He said he invented if because he felt sorry for all the people in the asylums. Previously there was major surgery with lobotomies. Dr. Freeman made it very quick and simple and it only took minutes. The following is a video on Dr. Freeman and his methods of lobotomy. It had either a good effect (on some) or a vegetable effect on others, whereby they needed care like a child permanently.

Alcohol and Drugs can make you very sick if you self medicate. You could lose your job, become moody and difficult to be with, and may lead to many bad things.

Psychiatric Medications are not good for your body either but they may give you a chance for stability when you find the right ones, you could keep your job, and it could help with your mood.

It seems safer to me to take medications although no one really wants to. You should first try therapy and if you need something temporarily to help you out, you may not need it forever, depending on your illness. Some chemical imbalances such as bipolar give a person a need for balance, many not having a choice. Take a look at some famous manic depressives (bipolar people) like Amy Winehouse who just passed away for self medicating, and Britney Spears who shaved her head. Kurt Cobain was also diagnosed and commited suicide. Untreated, any sickness could kill you.