I recently was subjected to an interesting exchange on social media that encapsulates my ongoing concerns regarding the medical authority in the United States.
I came across this stack via Adrian Gaty. I have experienced the consequences of this first hand. In my twenties following trauma and again in my 30's postpartum I was convinced to try several antidepressants. One real humdinger of a psychiatrist even told me to my face that he was looking forward to experimenting on me (with different ssri's) 😳 I should have run immediately- I did shortly after. None of them ever really worked, I saw small, temporary improvements but they were always short-lived and I always knew something was still wrong. And I believe I am still dealing with the side effects to this day (most notably, weight gain but I am fairly certain there are other hidden issues as well). Thank you for your advocacy and I'm encouraged that even a small handful of professionals are willing to seek the truth and speak out on this. Thank you!
The reality is whenever someone takes a drug, they are doing a n=1 trial. An experiment. While the psychiatrist saying he was looking forward to experimenting on you was poorly put... Are you sure they didn't say they were looking forward to experimenting with you? One tiny word changed, but a huge difference in meaning. That's what every single dr and every single psychologist for that matter, is doing every time they prescribe a treatment whether it's meds or therapy, and I wonder if you over reacted to what you thought they said rather than what they actually said? I'd give that psychiatrist props for being honest about the experimental state of our use of drugs, and surely you'd rather someone look forward to experimenting on you - which is what working with you to treat you is in effect - than be grumpy about it because you're such a difficult patient?
Yes, we are literate. These sketchy medical and psychiatric “professionals” take advantage of bureaucracy to control information, and worst of all, try to control our interpretation of plain text, such as the labels, warnings, and studies on meds. If someone tells me not to check their methods, 1) I become more skeptical, and 2) so often, the methods of these sketchy doctors and practitioners, and even some of the studies, do not stand up to scientific rigor, nor procedural logic. Most people can follow logic even without formal training in it.
They’re so convinced that the public is hopelessly stupid. Why should we trust an insular, well-funded group of people who insist that every patient possesses subhuman intelligence?
I'd love to be treated as a quasi-god - having just listened to a patient regale me with details of her complaint about the drs who didn't want to write her up as a very sick elderly woman for a full resus if she coded - she'd rather undergo a violent procedure that is virtually certain to at best extend her intubated and brain dead life and chew up ICU resources - CPR was developed for healthy people, not sick ones with severe heart and lung disease - I wish is my response! If only she respected what multiple doctors were telling her. But no. She's done her research, watched the TV shows, and wants a full code. That's what people mean when they say you're not a doctor, you haven't felt ribs break under your hands as you do CPR, you haven't watched the violent frantic deaths it gives people, or the stress of families with brain dead or damaged survivors - let alone the fact that a third of people who do survive wish they hadn't! Because of the poor quality of life they have. And you're so sick your chances of survival are effectively zilch. Let alone all the resources that are wasted on dying people. That could be put into quality palliative care instead, into making people's lives worth living while they're alive, instead of desperately extending the lives - on life support - of people who are too sick to benefit. That's when I say not being a Dr means patients make screwed choices. Patients tend to be desperate to stay alive, drs know that there are plenty of fates worse than death.
Devil's advocate - there's more to that assertion than what you think.. I tend to agree you don't need a medical degree to critique medical literature, but unfortunately there are plenty of ignorant patients who can lead me to thinking something similar in frustration.
These drugs did me far more harm than good. I lost my life and family to these mind altering drugs. It's a wonder I lived to talk about it. I nearly died from heart failure, repeated bouts Antipsychotic induced hyponatremia that landed me in ICU, numerous blood transfusions etc etc. I even I had to have heart surgery. I am off all the drugs now and at 65 I am far healthier now than I was in my 40's and hopelessly poly drugged.
I came across this stack via Adrian Gaty. I have experienced the consequences of this first hand. In my twenties following trauma and again in my 30's postpartum I was convinced to try several antidepressants. One real humdinger of a psychiatrist even told me to my face that he was looking forward to experimenting on me (with different ssri's) 😳 I should have run immediately- I did shortly after. None of them ever really worked, I saw small, temporary improvements but they were always short-lived and I always knew something was still wrong. And I believe I am still dealing with the side effects to this day (most notably, weight gain but I am fairly certain there are other hidden issues as well). Thank you for your advocacy and I'm encouraged that even a small handful of professionals are willing to seek the truth and speak out on this. Thank you!
The reality is whenever someone takes a drug, they are doing a n=1 trial. An experiment. While the psychiatrist saying he was looking forward to experimenting on you was poorly put... Are you sure they didn't say they were looking forward to experimenting with you? One tiny word changed, but a huge difference in meaning. That's what every single dr and every single psychologist for that matter, is doing every time they prescribe a treatment whether it's meds or therapy, and I wonder if you over reacted to what you thought they said rather than what they actually said? I'd give that psychiatrist props for being honest about the experimental state of our use of drugs, and surely you'd rather someone look forward to experimenting on you - which is what working with you to treat you is in effect - than be grumpy about it because you're such a difficult patient?
Yes, we are literate. These sketchy medical and psychiatric “professionals” take advantage of bureaucracy to control information, and worst of all, try to control our interpretation of plain text, such as the labels, warnings, and studies on meds. If someone tells me not to check their methods, 1) I become more skeptical, and 2) so often, the methods of these sketchy doctors and practitioners, and even some of the studies, do not stand up to scientific rigor, nor procedural logic. Most people can follow logic even without formal training in it.
They’re so convinced that the public is hopelessly stupid. Why should we trust an insular, well-funded group of people who insist that every patient possesses subhuman intelligence?
I'd love to be treated as a quasi-god - having just listened to a patient regale me with details of her complaint about the drs who didn't want to write her up as a very sick elderly woman for a full resus if she coded - she'd rather undergo a violent procedure that is virtually certain to at best extend her intubated and brain dead life and chew up ICU resources - CPR was developed for healthy people, not sick ones with severe heart and lung disease - I wish is my response! If only she respected what multiple doctors were telling her. But no. She's done her research, watched the TV shows, and wants a full code. That's what people mean when they say you're not a doctor, you haven't felt ribs break under your hands as you do CPR, you haven't watched the violent frantic deaths it gives people, or the stress of families with brain dead or damaged survivors - let alone the fact that a third of people who do survive wish they hadn't! Because of the poor quality of life they have. And you're so sick your chances of survival are effectively zilch. Let alone all the resources that are wasted on dying people. That could be put into quality palliative care instead, into making people's lives worth living while they're alive, instead of desperately extending the lives - on life support - of people who are too sick to benefit. That's when I say not being a Dr means patients make screwed choices. Patients tend to be desperate to stay alive, drs know that there are plenty of fates worse than death.
Devil's advocate - there's more to that assertion than what you think.. I tend to agree you don't need a medical degree to critique medical literature, but unfortunately there are plenty of ignorant patients who can lead me to thinking something similar in frustration.
These drugs did me far more harm than good. I lost my life and family to these mind altering drugs. It's a wonder I lived to talk about it. I nearly died from heart failure, repeated bouts Antipsychotic induced hyponatremia that landed me in ICU, numerous blood transfusions etc etc. I even I had to have heart surgery. I am off all the drugs now and at 65 I am far healthier now than I was in my 40's and hopelessly poly drugged.