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Mad in America: Rethinking Mental Health

Episode 13 Susie talks about stopping her antidepressant cold turkey after 2 years and how her doctors failed to recognise antidepressant withdrawal

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

Episode 13 Susie talks about stopping her antidepressant cold turkey after 2 years and how her doctors failed to recognise antidepressant withdrawal

Apr 25, 2017

This week, Susie tells us about her experiences of stopping her antidepressant drug cold turkey after 2 years of taking it. She also tells how her doctors failed to identify antidepressant withdrawal and didn't listen when she tried to explain.

In this episode we discuss:

How feeling lonely and having caring pressures led to Susie seeking help from her doctor
How Susie consulted a student doctor who prescribed her antidepressant
That Susie had previous positive experience with antidepressant drugs
That the doctor Susie consulted did not tell her about adverse effects or difficulties with withdrawal
That her antidepressant made her feel violent and angry
How the most difficult adverse effect was paralysis
How Susie took her antidepressant for 2 years and then stopped ‘cold turkey’
That Susie was misdiagnosed by three different doctors who failed to recognise or treat her for antidepressant withdrawal
That people in withdrawal need support from family or friends, sometimes even for basic things like being fed
That there is a lot of education of medical professionals needed on psychiatric drug withdrawal
That Susie feels fortunate to have finished with her medication but that she describes withdrawal as like ‘going through hell’

Shownotes: http://www.jfmoore.co.uk/LTW_episode_13.html

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