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Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health


The Mad in America podcast, hosted by James Moore, examines mental health with a critical eye by speaking with psychologists, psychiatrists and people with lived experience.

When you hear such conversations, you realise that much of what is believed to be settled in mental health is actually up for debate. Is mental health a matter of faulty biology or is there more to it? Are the treatments used in psychiatry helpful or harmful in the long term? Are psychiatric diagnoses reliable? With the help of our guests, we examine these questions and so much more. 

This podcast is part of Mad in America’s mission to serve as a catalyst for rethinking psychiatric care and mental health. We believe that the current drug-based paradigm of care has failed our society and that scientific research, as well as the lived experience of those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, calls for profound change. 

On the podcast over the coming weeks, we will have interviews with experts and those with lived experience of the psychiatric system. Thank you for joining us as we discuss the many issues around rethinking mental health around the world.

For more information visit madinamerica.com

 

May 16, 2017

This week we interview Simone who talks about her experiences of postnatal depression, fibromyalgia and her treatment with antidepressants. Simone describes how nutrition played a huge part in her recovery and how she now supports others with their health and wellbeing.

In this episode we discuss:

  • How Simone experienced Post Natal Depression after the birth of her first child
  • That she struggled to bond with the baby and how she felt guilty and upset all the time leading to a visit to her doctor
  • How a doctor diagnosed depression and prescribed antidepressants
  • That the drugs made her feel completely numb
  • How she took the drugs for around 2 years and then decided to stop
  • That the main side effects were dry mouth and nausea but she felt very little, if any, benefit
  • That Simone was careful to gradually reduce her antidepressant drugs when stopping
  • How Simone started to battle with extreme fatigue which made working difficult
  • That another doctor then prescribed another antidepressant that is commonly used for chronic pain but they didn't help at all
  • How Simone eventually saw a pain psychiatrist who was a great help and support and didn't rely on drug treatments
  • How Simone started to make fundamental changes in her life to deal with her mood and her chronic pain
  • How changing her nutrition meant that she could be pain free and without inflammation
  • That Simone believes that depression is your body’s way of telling you that you need to make significant changes in your life
  • How Simone now supports other people with their health and wellbeing after retraining as a coach
  • That Doctors are under severe time pressure and therefore are not able to look at a patients life holistically
  • That Simone recommends the work of Dr. Kelly Brogan and the Human Givens Institute
  • The fact that social media can be a major source of anxiety for children and that we should be working on their psychological strength when they are young
  • That people should cut out sugar from their diets before considering taking an antidepressant

Podcast show notes: http://www.jfmoore.co.uk/LTW_episode_18.html

To give me your feedback please email me on feedback@jfmoore.co.uk 

© James Moore 2017