jc

Institutional power seeks to co-opt or elevate only those dissenting voices that validate its underlying structure. By rewarding 'safe' critique, the status quo creates the illusion of openness while protecting its core ideology from genuine disruption.

@Phuxlea @Cooperdavis @awaisaftab @javeedsukhera Eh. Javeed blocked me for absolutely no reason

@Cooperdavis Some disagreements can be uncomfortable but I'd be comfortable with @awaisaftab and @javeedsukhera

It’s never comfortable but it’s necessary

@Mad_In_America “It is not clear that the same group who oversaw the mass over-prescribing of psychiatric drugs is best placed to address a problem that they themselves have caused.”

Rearranging Deck Chairs While the Titanic Goes Down—The American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology Issues Deprescribing Recommendations By Carrie Clark & Mark Horowitz buff.ly/k0Um9Zo

I can understand this is a difficult time for my psychiatry colleagues. I am sure they all have good intentions, but it turns out that the most widely used psychiatric treatment, antidepressants, causes significant iatrogenic effects (e.g. severe withdrawal reactions, PSSD), is not very effective (at best) and does not target an underlying biological abnormality after all. Although many people still seek a psychiatric diagnosis and a medical approach, increasing numbers highlight how misleading and disabling this approach can be. Their voices are starting to be heard, and we need to work with them to provide help for people who have been harmed by psychiatric treatment, and to prevent more harm being done. Trying to shoot the messenger doesn’t help anyone.

@HenryRunamucker @markhoro Simon needs to be exposed on a global level.

@atomicaceso @markhoro Citing Simon Wessely 🤦‍♂️

Arrested Development voice-over: “Kemtrup thought he might be able to elevate the tone of the discussion by offering incisive psychological insights. He did not.”

@ompsychiatrist So now you’re stealing slogans used by marginalized people? Psychiatrists aren’t victims. If anything, they’re oppressors.

“Nothing about us without us.” If antidepressant skeptics are shaping NIMH policy, the APA must demand that at least one practicing psychiatrist with expertise in evidence-based treatment also be appointed. Mental health policy cannot become an ideological echo chamber. Patients deserve science, balance, and clinical reality. #Psychiatry #MentalHealth science.org/content/articl…

The facts are, for decades most Drs have recieved little training in deprescribing; withdrawal has been minimised & reframed as relapse; proper tapering protocols weren't developed or implemented, while services have favoured brief medication visits over proper withdrawal support

The status quo often frames the prescribed harm community as comprising (loons, anti-psychs, extremists etc) when it comprises brave, thoughtful committed individuals who want justice for losing their own health or the lives of loved ones to drug harms they were told don't exist.

There are two people in this debate. One is a highly published, globally influential thinker whose work is widely respected by patients and clinicians. The other paid for Twitter and ChatGPT.

Statements from the ASCP and APA seem the closest to gathering what 'Psychiatry' thinks - the idea that there are just a few bad apples out there is nonsense. It is systemic poor training.

For years, patients were told that coming off antidepressants was straightforward. But some have described intense and prolonged symptoms. Now, doctors and health officials are reckoning with the challenges of getting off SSRIs. wapo.st/42yetJq

@DescribeHealth That they had to do it to progress with my appointment

@atomicaceso Can you elaborate - what did they say?

You can always decline the PHQ-9 depression screen for yourself or your child. Maybe even mention it was developed by Pfizer's marketing department

My personal opinion, as a trained psychiatrist, is that a good number of people diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder do not actually have that disorder. Just because someone worries sometimes that does not mean they have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Just because someone gets sad sometimes that does not mean they have Major Depressive Disorder.

Tyler black distorts what many 'anti-psychiatrists' say & believe & then goes to war with his own distortions. This is what's called 'straw man' or 'bad faith' argumentation. Back in reality, many 'anti-psychiatrists' would identify as adopting a position very close to you own.

@PatMcGorry @BadreNicolas A crusade to save their own lives after being harmed by their trusted prescribers and left for dead?

@BadreNicolas Agree listening to people we disagree with and acknowledging what we can agree on. However that’s only possible if protagonists are not in good faith. Many are some are not and are on a crusade. Extreme defenders of reductionism on are obstacles to a more sophisticated model

Psychiatrist here, and I respectfully don’t view it that way. To me, what many refer to as “anti-psychiatry” often reflects real issues and concerns with psychiatry. I prefer (1) listening, (2) agreeing with true critical facts, (3) improving the field rather than constantly defending it. (A) Chemical imbalance hypothesis We messed up. Antidepressants are not insulin for diabetes. They do not rebalance anything. It has been said in offices thousands of times. Sorry. Anyone is fair in repeating that. We don’t get a pass because most books have moved on. (B) SSRI & Mass-shootings The evidence is definitely not there, but something worth studying. If someone says that there is a link with confidence, we can/should provide feedback. However, the thought is not completely far-fetched. If SSRIs can cause suicidality and mania, it is not crazy to want to examine this. (C) Rosenhan - Psych hospital "study" While the famous study taught to those who take Psychology 101 that psychiatry can’t recognize mental health was debunked as false. Its findings are not entirely incorrect. (a) It is very hard for psychiatrists to diagnose correctly, especially when people are not being truthful. (b) We often don’t spend enough time with patients who are hospitalized. (D) Over-medicalization & over-prescribing Those are significant issues. I want society to demand robust safeguards and alternatives for those things. I actually think that in many states, safeguards for involuntary treatment are excellent (though there are improvements needed, many of which I have advocated for). Regarding alternatives, I think that those are seriously lacking right now. I often find it odd that seeing a psychiatrist is a common recommendation for people saying they feel sad or anxious. I am not accusing Tyler Black of being wrong. This is not a rebuttal; I agree with many of his points; he didn’t even bring up (C) and (D). We have a different style and approach, though I think that our goals are aligned to improve the mental health of our respective nations.

If people were told that antidepressants would make them numb rather than correct an underlying mechanism AND that we don't know how they do this or understand the consequences, at least they could make a better informed decision.