#115: Psychiatric Drugs - The truth about how they work and how to come off them (ft. Dr Joanna Moncrieff)

"This book is a wake-up call to the potential damage we are doing to ourselves by relying on chemical cures for human distress. Its clear, concise explanations will enable people to make a fully informed decision about the benefits and harms of these drugs and whether and how to come off them if they so choose."

Psychotherapist Dr Harriet Fraad and Addiction & Substance Use Disorder Counselor, Ikoi, are joined by Dr Joanna Moncrieff, critical psychiatrist, researcher and author of "A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs". Drawing on extensive research, Joanna demonstrates that psychiatric drugs do not 'treat' or 'cure' mental illness by acting on hypothesised chemical imbalances or other abnormalities in the brain. There is no evidence for any of these ideas.

The discussion covers the major problems with the Disease-Centered model, the problems of telling people they have a brain disease, flawed Random Controlled Trials, the complexity of the withdrawal process, how the medicalization of human distress was been useful for government, the expedient nature of the medical model and how any benefits of medication are often undermined by a lack of housing or general life stability.

References:

A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs: The truth about how they work and how to come off them: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55904282-a-straight-talking-introduction-to-psychiatric-drugs

Joanna Moncrieff's website: https://joannamoncrieff.com/

Joanna Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannamoncrieff

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Email us with feedback, questions, suggestions at itsnotjustinyourhead@gmail.com.

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Harriet’s other shows:

WBAI Interpersonal Update (Wednesdays): https://wbai.org/program.php?program=431

Capitalism Hits Home: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJpiw1WYdTNYvke-gNRdml1Z2lwz0iEH

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ATTENTION! This is a Boring Dystopia/Obligatory 'don't sue us' message: This podcast provides numerous different perspectives and criticisms of the mental health space, however, it should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your medical professional with regards to any health decisions or management.