I love this article so much. Thank you Rob, this is amazing. Anyway enough fangirling, let me explain why.
Since RFK Jr made his statements on SSRIs in response to Karen Senator Tina Smith's emotional blackmail campaign, countless news headlines repeated the same garbage. I understand they feel noble in fighting the evil supposed stigma of the millions of antidepressant users. However, they contribute to the pressing and overlooked marginalization of harmed patients.
They write that SSRIs do not cause violence at all, that they are completely safe and effective, and they save lives. None of the articles mention any of the real risks, whether it is increased risk of suicide, akathisia, or lasting sexual dysfunction. Even Awais Aftab, a practicing pro-psychiatrist, acknowledges the drugs are not for everyone and warns about the real risks. It is an objective fact that the drugs increase violence in some people. The same is true for alcohol and no-one calls it a stigma to point out.
This matters to me personally because when I was prescribed an SSRI at the age of 16. In my first few weeks, I became very agitated, violent and threatening. I recently uncovered an email that showed a horrifying report of my behavior in the first month I was on the drug. However, the email did not mention the drug and instead laid the blame on me. I was kept on the drug for years and my behavior mellowed... UNTIL I got off and dealt with a horrific withdrawal. Withdrawal made me more violent towards myself and cost me many life opportunities.
When the media uncritically prop up the drugs and villainize people who raise questions, they are attacking people like me. This is why I advocate and appreciate voices like yours.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
Significantly, I've seen a court submission where a drug company actually accused a patient of being "negligent" for being unaware that the SSRI could cause a violent reaction.
I started to read one article and got so angry! It only leads to what you mentioned about treating psych meds like it's all insulin but it also means that if someone tries to defend the points that ARE true then they'll just be discredited as conspiracy theorists or worse. Or someone looking at the article, who may realize some of the information seems off (since they're not actually fact checking after all) to distrust all sorts of news from them from now on. Even to their own detriment or due to misinformation!When someone can say "why would I trust that news? It's all lies" from all sides of any problem, this is not just about opinions. Especially not when they can mean life or death for some of us!
Exactly! I agree with every point you're making. Any passably knowledgeable and somewhat open-minded person who might decide to read USA Today or the New York Times or Mother Jones to consider their take on these issues will recoil in disgust and have their own worst cynicism reinforced. And regular readers of those outlets will simply have their worst, least-knowledgeable prejudices buttressed with outright lies.
“In fact, depressed feelings, even intense ones, are in no meaningful medical way similar to a physical condition that can put a person in a coma within minutes if they don’t get an injection.” Such a great response to the broken record of “SSRIs are just like insulin for diabetes” argument!
i thought it was too. It was superb. No matter how depressed i got it never felt life threatening as in insulin shock or cardiac arrest or asthma etc etc. i never was afraid i was going to die of depression but when i had antipsychotic induced cardiac arrest i was terrified i was going to die leaving my two young children without a mother.
May this latest PsychForce Report go viral, and open up honest discussion about who is currently controlling the discourse around psychiatric drugs, and what the actual, unbiased, scientific research reveals. Thank you for your integrity, and tenacity, Rob.
Finally some nuanced coverage on RFK and SSRI'S and psych drugs. Thank you for the courage in tackling this issue as psych drugs and psychiatry have become more politicized than ever before. i am grateful for your work. 🙏💕
I love this article so much. Thank you Rob, this is amazing. Anyway enough fangirling, let me explain why.
Since RFK Jr made his statements on SSRIs in response to Karen Senator Tina Smith's emotional blackmail campaign, countless news headlines repeated the same garbage. I understand they feel noble in fighting the evil supposed stigma of the millions of antidepressant users. However, they contribute to the pressing and overlooked marginalization of harmed patients.
They write that SSRIs do not cause violence at all, that they are completely safe and effective, and they save lives. None of the articles mention any of the real risks, whether it is increased risk of suicide, akathisia, or lasting sexual dysfunction. Even Awais Aftab, a practicing pro-psychiatrist, acknowledges the drugs are not for everyone and warns about the real risks. It is an objective fact that the drugs increase violence in some people. The same is true for alcohol and no-one calls it a stigma to point out.
This matters to me personally because when I was prescribed an SSRI at the age of 16. In my first few weeks, I became very agitated, violent and threatening. I recently uncovered an email that showed a horrifying report of my behavior in the first month I was on the drug. However, the email did not mention the drug and instead laid the blame on me. I was kept on the drug for years and my behavior mellowed... UNTIL I got off and dealt with a horrific withdrawal. Withdrawal made me more violent towards myself and cost me many life opportunities.
When the media uncritically prop up the drugs and villainize people who raise questions, they are attacking people like me. This is why I advocate and appreciate voices like yours.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
Significantly, I've seen a court submission where a drug company actually accused a patient of being "negligent" for being unaware that the SSRI could cause a violent reaction.
I started to read one article and got so angry! It only leads to what you mentioned about treating psych meds like it's all insulin but it also means that if someone tries to defend the points that ARE true then they'll just be discredited as conspiracy theorists or worse. Or someone looking at the article, who may realize some of the information seems off (since they're not actually fact checking after all) to distrust all sorts of news from them from now on. Even to their own detriment or due to misinformation!When someone can say "why would I trust that news? It's all lies" from all sides of any problem, this is not just about opinions. Especially not when they can mean life or death for some of us!
Exactly! I agree with every point you're making. Any passably knowledgeable and somewhat open-minded person who might decide to read USA Today or the New York Times or Mother Jones to consider their take on these issues will recoil in disgust and have their own worst cynicism reinforced. And regular readers of those outlets will simply have their worst, least-knowledgeable prejudices buttressed with outright lies.
“In fact, depressed feelings, even intense ones, are in no meaningful medical way similar to a physical condition that can put a person in a coma within minutes if they don’t get an injection.” Such a great response to the broken record of “SSRIs are just like insulin for diabetes” argument!
i thought it was too. It was superb. No matter how depressed i got it never felt life threatening as in insulin shock or cardiac arrest or asthma etc etc. i never was afraid i was going to die of depression but when i had antipsychotic induced cardiac arrest i was terrified i was going to die leaving my two young children without a mother.
May this latest PsychForce Report go viral, and open up honest discussion about who is currently controlling the discourse around psychiatric drugs, and what the actual, unbiased, scientific research reveals. Thank you for your integrity, and tenacity, Rob.
Rob, thank you!
Outstanding article Rob!
Finally some nuanced coverage on RFK and SSRI'S and psych drugs. Thank you for the courage in tackling this issue as psych drugs and psychiatry have become more politicized than ever before. i am grateful for your work. 🙏💕
Thank you!