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How do you feel about Psychiatry and their drugs?

Adam7986

Declared SP
Hi Everyone,

I feel that they are acceptable and I have found that the numbers the church used to feed me about billions of people being on drugs were just slightly inaccurate. I am considering going to see a psychiatrist myself.

Has anyone had an experience with taking their drugs? How did they make you feel? How about talk therapy?

I have done quite a bit of reading up on psychology and I find it fascinating.

There are Exes out there who still hold onto the idea that taking drugs or seeing a psychiatrist are bad. What is your basis for this opinion if you no longer believe in Scientology?

I'd rather not hear from people who "don't care". If you don't care then why take the time to write it down. I'd like to hear strong, personal opinions from people.

If you have links to show why you think something is good or bad, go ahead and post them. I will take the time to read them.

Sincerely,

Derek
 

Idle Morgue

Gold Meritorious Patron
I would not do them but I will say this:

They are SAFER than doing Scientology - there is a BLACK BOX warning on the label.

Scientology has no warning label - in fact, they will take anyone in and scam them for everything they have including their sanity.

At least you can look up the side effects on the internet without Big Pharma sending OSA to spie on you, harass you, spread vicious lies about you, DECLARE YOU SP, and they will not make you disconnect from your family if you say anything critical about them.


I say work through your problems - time heals all wounds!
 

MrNobody

Who needs merits?
Hi Everyone,

I feel that they are acceptable and I have found that the numbers the church used to feed me about billions of people being on drugs were just slightly inaccurate. I am considering going to see a psychiatrist myself.

I know a few psychologists and psychiatrists, some of them as private persons as well as professionals. The problem with them is the same one that you'll have with a baker or a car mechanic: Finding the right one for you. There are awful ones, bad ones, bearable ones, OK ones, good ones, great ones.

So the essential part is to find the right one for you. 2 of my friends went to the same psychiatrist. one said: "That guy was great, he helped me tremendously" the other one said: "Meh, visiting him did nothing for me". So was this psychiatrist good, bad, or something between?

Has anyone had an experience with taking their drugs? How did they make you feel? How about talk therapy?

One of my friends wouldn't even be able to go out and buy groceries without the help of a combination of these two methods.

I have done quite a bit of reading up on psychology and I find it fascinating.

There are Exes out there who still hold onto the idea that taking drugs or seeing a psychiatrist are bad. What is your basis for this opinion if you no longer believe in Scientology?

I've never ever believed in Scientology and never was part of that cult. In fact I believe that anything Hubbard is bad for any human being.

I'd rather not hear from people who "don't care". If you don't care then why take the time to write it down. I'd like to hear strong, personal opinions from people.

If you have links to show why you think something is good or bad, go ahead and post them. I will take the time to read them.

Sincerely,

Derek

Sorry, no links, just my personal opinion and the opinions of a few close friends of mine. Basically it boils down to the fact that there are some very different schools (concepts) of psychiatry out there and no single Psychiatrist can use all of those equally well. So I'd say go out, try a few, and see which one suits you best.
 

Jquepublic

Silver Meritorious Patron
Hi Everyone,

I feel that they are acceptable and I have found that the numbers the church used to feed me about billions of people being on drugs were just slightly inaccurate. I am considering going to see a psychiatrist myself.

Has anyone had an experience with taking their drugs? How did they make you feel? How about talk therapy?

I have done quite a bit of reading up on psychology and I find it fascinating.

There are Exes out there who still hold onto the idea that taking drugs or seeing a psychiatrist are bad. What is your basis for this opinion if you no longer believe in Scientology?

I'd rather not hear from people who "don't care". If you don't care then why take the time to write it down. I'd like to hear strong, personal opinions from people.

If you have links to show why you think something is good or bad, go ahead and post them. I will take the time to read them.

Sincerely,

Derek

Hi Derek.

I take a medication called citalopram, an anti-depressant. It helps me deal with depression and helps reign in my PTSD. Scientology didn't help or improve either of those two things, in fact made them worse. Citalopram helps me a great deal. My lows aren't as low anymore, and I'm less hypersensitive to noises and movement which is a big benefit in my day to day.

Kim
 

NoName

A Girl Has No Name
I much prefer talk therapy to psychiatric drugs. They have side effects (they're usually mild, and go away if you stop the drug). And to be honest, they aren't that great by themselves. Really good quality reputable studies (meaning those done by academics, and not by CCHR or Big Pharma shills) say that drugs work their best when you combine them with some form of talk therapy. By themselves, they aren't all that much better than placebos.

Personally, I would not try a psychiatric drug unless I was absolutely incapacitated by symptoms, or maybe like a dose or two of valium to get through dental work or something like that.
 

Adam7986

Declared SP
Lately I feel like I have been suffering from a bit of anxiety and I have had a couple of friends point out to me that I am paranoid as well.

It's kind of a frustrating situation that I can't deal with myself, which is why I am going to try to contact a therapist in the next few days to see if I can make an appointment. Hopefully I can get something through Kaiser (my healthcare provider).

I just wondered why people stay away from psychiatry and psychiatric drugs because it seems like without Scientology there's really no reason to be afraid.

Talk therapy seems like it would be useful for me. I really need help working through my problems because the old adage "time heals all wounds" is not true. It may hide them for a while but they are always there.

I tend to get carried away with negative emotions. Once I have a negative thought about something it tends to just pile up more and more and more. I've heard that I might not be the only Ex-SO with that problem.
 

Petey C

Silver Meritorious Patron
Lately I feel like I have been suffering from a bit of anxiety and I have had a couple of friends point out to me that I am paranoid as well.

It's kind of a frustrating situation that I can't deal with myself, which is why I am going to try to contact a therapist in the next few days to see if I can make an appointment. Hopefully I can get something through Kaiser (my healthcare provider).

I just wondered why people stay away from psychiatry and psychiatric drugs because it seems like without Scientology there's really no reason to be afraid.

Talk therapy seems like it would be useful for me. I really need help working through my problems because the old adage "time heals all wounds" is not true. It may hide them for a while but they are always there.

I tend to get carried away with negative emotions. Once I have a negative thought about something it tends to just pile up more and more and more. I've heard that I might not be the only Ex-SO with that problem.

Be wary of informal diagnoses from lay people. AFAIC there's nothing wrong with drugs provided they're taken with an understanding of their effects -- and interaction, if multiple drugs are taken. It seems bizarre to me that some exes still shudder at the idea of taking drugs, whether that be asprin or lithium or diazepam. Sometimes one has to do or take something to dull the existential pain.

I hope you get some benefits from therapy. I certainly have over the years, mainly when I needed to bore someone shitless with something while I worked it out for myself. Or felt so sorry for myself only someone I paid would tolerate listening to me! (I'm joking, and certainly not referring to you.) In the end you have to find the medicine that works for you, and bugger what other people say.

Good luck, safe travel.
 

Jquepublic

Silver Meritorious Patron
I think if you're up to talk therapy then by all means you should go for it. I chose the medical route because after 15 folders of security checking, I wasn't telling anyone jack shit. :p.

I think you got good advice earlier on this thread - just find someone you feel comfortable with and can talk to.
 

NoName

A Girl Has No Name
One more thing about talk therapy - if you have non-Scno friends you can ask for referrals, that would be a good idea. I've had a couple of times when I just didn't feel like a particular therapist wasn't helpful. All therapists aren't created equal. Sometimes it's a personality thing. Sometimes it's a training / quality thing. If you don't feel like a particular therapist isn't helpful, a good therapist would help you find a therapist that's a better fit - not get pissed off or criticize you for wanting to try another therapist. Also, therapists should have treatment goals and be up front with you about it. They shouldn't want you to come back over and over and over again for the rest of your life.

If Kaiser doesn't have anything, are you in college? A lot of colleges have counselling centers affiliated with their student health services. Something else to consider if Kaiser doesn't work out.

I don't think that drugs are necessarily a bad thing. I just think they're overrated. You can't take a pill to get over 20+ years of destructive thought processes you picked up in the Co$ and SO and think that psych drugs work like an antibiotic you take to get rid of an infection. But the drug companies advertisements would have you think that psych drugs work just like antibiotics or blood pressure pills - that is absolutely not true. This is my biggest problem with psych drugs - they over promise and under deliver. Seriously - didn't you leave the Co$ / SO to get away from overpriced promises about sanity?

If you're so paranoid that you can't walk out of your house, I don't see any harm in taking them for the short term. They might make it tolerable to walk out of your house, but they won't make you think like a mentally healthy person. That's what the therapy is for.
 
... I just wondered why people stay away from psychiatry and psychiatric drugs because it seems like without Scientology there's really no reason to be afraid. ...

Not true. Unfortunately, there is reason for concern, especially with regard to the prescription of psychiatric drugs. Some of the legitimate issues include toxicity, ineffectiveness, over-prescription, and health complications including possibly some quite serious ones. Additionally, some doctors may exhibit a relatively cavalier approach to the prescription of drugs.

Medication can be extremely helpful as a part of treatment. In some cases they are a necessary and life time mode of treatment. But they have serious ramifications for the body and the experience of health & lifestyle. A competent doctor admits this and will discuss the full ramifications of pharmaceutic treatment with his patient.

A good general rule: don't use any prescribed substance longer than may be required or in larger doses than is necessary.

Of course figuring out the 'how long' and 'how much' is the tricky bit.

The same is true of any physical treatment of a mental disorder. Contrary to the myth of modern medicine, modern medicine is very ignorant of the complexity of biology. It has succeeded in advancing the state of knowledge to a level unprecedented in human history, but biological organisms are so immensely complex that the full extent of drug & other physical treatments is never completely understood. Hence the need for caution in adopting such measures.

Still, such treatments, along with talk based & cognitive therapies, can be very effective at reducing the worst effects of an ongoing health issue and can be reasonably safely resorted to with appropriate medical supervision.

BTW, I am not only a freezone scientologist but also on lifetime medical treatment for a genetic mood disorder. Accordingly I am familiar with both sides of the debate and don't see it as an 'either/or' choice. Even hubbard went on record as recommending medical treatment where necessary. The difference with the church lies in what constitutes treatment & necessity. :) Make up your own mind.


Mark A. Baker
 

Demented LRH

Patron Meritorious
My cousin is a clinical psychologist. According to her, talk therapy is a good thing but, unfortunately, it is not enough for many patients. They need prescription medications (psychiatric drugs, as sometimes they are called).
 
G

Gottabrain

Guest
Hi Adam,

I'd recommend seeing a Psychologist first, and ask which therapies are used. Gestalt therapy is beautiful, cognitive-behavioural is very effective.

Psychiatrists deal with medications for mental illnesses, Psychologists deal with different therapy approaches that do not use medication.
 

Adam7986

Declared SP
From what I have heard, medication can help balance out your moods. I know a bit about cognitive therapy and I think it is something I would benefit from.

One of the major issues I suffer is not being able to respond to the appropriate situation with the appropriate emotion.

I have no idea how far and how deeply Scientology has affected me. I need guidance on how to handle the real world as opposed to the Scientology ways. I have figured out some things on my own but I think I am reaching a plateau.

A major problem I have is a heavily negative outlook towards things. I know it is a residual effect from the ethics and justice policies of the church, but I don't know how to deal with it.
 

Bill

Gold Meritorious Patron
My personal rules are: Try the mildest treatment first. Avoid drugs and/or surgery if at all possible. Do tons of research. And finally: Do what works.

But, ultimately, nothing is off the table.
 

SpecialFrog

Silver Meritorious Patron
Psychiatrists deal with medications for mental illnesses, Psychologists deal with different therapy approaches that do not use medication.

When that is the case it is largely because of the insurance model. In countries with public healthcare that covers psychiatry, psychiatrists use a variety of therapeutic approaches as well.

If you do go for anything involving medication, expect tuning to be involved. If you don't like how something makes you feel, tell your doctor that. There are always options in terms of other drugs, dosage, etc.
 

PTS

Elliott
If you trust your doctor listen to their advice. If you don't, then perhaps it is time to find a new one. There is no question that sometimes drugs are prescribed as an easy answer, but I wouldn't use that as a reason to automatically exclude them from a physician's arsenal of treatments for neurosis and mood disorders. Anxiolytics can be helpful occasionally and for short term use. I take Xanax once in a while when I cannot unwind at the end of my day. Sometimes generalized anxiety can be treated by getting out of an abusive or overly-stressful situation, or by finding a different job. I've recently seen a peer-reviewed study that found antidepressants to be generally no more effective for most people than a placebo. Don't discount medical marijuana though, it's been a lifesaver for some people.

As for psychiatry my sense is that most people get more benefit from a good talk therapist. The challenge can be finding one at a time in your life when you are possibly already lost in your problems.

However if there is psychosis involved there are medications that are effective and liberating. The first neuroleptics developed in the 1950's such as chlorpromazine gave worthwhile lives back to countless people who up until then were treated in institutions with locked wards. Today's drugs have much reduced incidences of debilitating side effects such as tardive dyskinesia compared to their forerunners. Certainly a major psychosis like schizophrenia needs to be treated by a competent medical professional.
 

NoName

A Girl Has No Name
And one more thing - I agree 100% with what Mark said. I think most psychologists and psychiatrists are basically good people who got into their line of work to help people and still want to help people. But we unfortunately have a culture (due to insurance companies, direct to consumer marketing, wanting a quick fix, drug company marketing directly to physicians, etc.) that makes prescribers cavalier about the use of meds. But if you're a judicious consumer, there's really nothing to be afraid of.

I posted a response in an earlier similar (thread) and editorialized a bit for the benefit of lurkers. I'd posted at one point in the thread that I went to a therapist that did cognitive behavioral therapy and told her I did not want to be on drugs of any kind. She completely respected that. My stance on medication may not have been entirely reasonable, in retrospect, but really I wasn't incapacitated by depression or anything like that to where I think drugs would have had anything to offer.

Then, I posted this following quote. I've been to the CCHR museum in LA, so I know what the Co$ tells its adherents. It's a load of really outdated bullshit that simply does not reflect the reality of YOUR legal rights and current psychology and psychiatry practices.

Also, lurkers, aside from what I said earlier about medication, there are a few things you should know about what psychs can and cannot do to you against your will.

It is illegal for psychs to hold you against your will unless you are a threat to yourself or others.

The only person that I have ever known in my life to be held by a psych against his will was held for only 72 hours after he attempted suicide. That 72 hour hold was micromanaged by a judge. He did not receive any shock therapy or lobotomy or anything like that. He only received medication that he asked for. Within 72 hours, he was seen by a judge who released him from the psychiatric hospital. Then, of his own free choice, he entered a residential treatment facility. It looked very much like my home, he was well-fed, provided with clean clothing and hygiene facilities, and he was free to come and go as he wanted, and I was able to visit him freely.

How does this compare to the Introspection Rundown?

Lisa McPherson was held for 17 days at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, FL with no contact with family or friends. She was forcibly drugged against her will - medication was forced down her throat with a turkey baster. When she was finally brought to the hospital, she was covered in cockroach bites, emaciated, dehydrated, and covered in her own filth. She died as a result of her treatment.

You can read all about this in Janet Reitman's book Inside Scientology.

There is nothing to fear from competent, qualified treatment from wog psychologists or psychiatrists. There is everything to fear from the Introspection Rundown and other misguided quack practices in the Co$.
 

Beacon

Patron
As far as I'm concerned, psychiatric drugs saved my life. I'm doing some of my best work since I started seeing a competent psychiatrist.

Scientology was interesting, but it primarily stirred stuff up without handling it. I wanted SO MUCH for Scientology to deliver what it promised (The Bridge to Total Freedom). So much so that I put up with a very expensive mindf__k for three years.
 

BardoThodol

Silver Meritorious Patron
I had a colonoscopy and whatever drug they gave me sure made me feel good when I woke up.

So good that if Scientology gave me that drug, I'd roll over for a spiritual colonoscopy just for a repeat.

"Ream my thetan, Ronnie! It feels soooo good!"

But, then again, I love invasive surgery.

And I'm nothing but a shameless whore.
 
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