Editor’s note:  As the author says, Wellness Wordworks is for good mental health information, and truly informed  consent regarding psych meds.  That must include information about alternatives to medicine, and dangerous long-term side effects.  IT MEANS TRYING ALTERNATIVES TO MEDICATION FIRST, NOT AS AN AFTER-THOUGHT.  

We are against “diagnosis and medication first for everyone for life,” which is still standard practice in mental health today.  We believe most so-called mental illness comes from previous trauma, isolation, invalidation, and loss, which are not diseases, and do not respond to psych meds.  Sports, the arts, and support from peers, who have been there,  are the best responses to emotional distress.

This is an article by someone wanting clarification on our point of view.

by Elvia Knoll 

If, Wellness Wordwoorks is “FOR good mental health information and informed consent,” not against psych meds, then you should stop calling people who take meds people that “love their meds.”   It’s NOT that simple.  I work very hard to live an independent life;  I’m not risking that to prove to some group that I am med free.

There are lives at stake here, and each person has the right to choose for themselves what is best, based on their own understanding and values. Stigmatizing people just because we claim to be advocates for  a very noble cause is an insidious form of discrimination.  We all experience varying degrees of suicidal thinking at some point in our lives-  We have to learn to talk about this without judging people even more. They may need meds for a period of tim

But I agree that psychiatrists should be trained in NUTRITION and HOLISTIC practices. Their goal is to restore balance.,rather than “stabilize” into some kind of jobless existence, where expectations are so low.

People in Psych Facilities Are Still People

Recently, someone told me that people in psychiatric facilities are “well adjusted,” because they don’t know the difference.  Bullshit!  They are human beings who sense things, just like all of us do. They want to make their own decisions and be free to live.

I understand some people have brain damage or mental difficulties that get labeled as mental illness, but are really developmental problems.  People get TIRED of dealing with them. Medication is easier because the human spirit is one of FIRE and energy. When there is an imbalance, this fire and energy become unfocused.

We need ways to help people focus their internal spirit and energy so they can achieve what they want to achieve . Even if they have to live in an assisted living situation, there is VALUE in their living.  Just trying to just keeping them calm is so patronizing.

We need a whole lot more ACCEPTANCE to help people heal from their existential dilemmas, and stop trying to numb their feelings.  So I hear your frustration because YOUR experience truly was influenced by misinformation. I appreciate your story and your zeal. Thank you for listening to my side of it. It’s just an opinion based on my experience. I do share your passion for finding solutions. I’d like to work with all the people in this group as allies.

Some Advocacy Groups Stifle Good Mental Health Information

But I am also trying to create alliances with other groups like NAMI Texas, Bring Change 2 Mind, Austin Clubhouse, Beyond Today, — even though in my opinion, some of them are perpetuating misinformation, which is a big problem for me.

i appreciate your opinions and agree that some “treatment” is contrary to what a person actually needs to HEAL. Psych meds are like crutches; if you don’t stop using the crutches at some point- the leg will never learn to walk again.

Some of the “help” is too heavy handed, too controlling.  Some ADVOCVATES  are too controlling.. I don’t want to be that either. I believe in free will, life, liberty, and employment. Sometimes even the label of DISABILITY makes me cringe. I’ve been diagnosed, but am not disabled.  No disrespect to those that are, but i don’t see myself that way. i don’t think it is helpful to see anyone that way.

But some people get comfort from their labels. They feel peace when they find out WHAT the problem is. get answers that make sense to them.  All of a sudden, they are able to move on with their lives. That’s weird. but valid. and the end product — moving on with LIFE  — is great. That is what everyone needs:  the ability to survive, thrive and be happy- or at least content with themselves.

How can we spread good mental health information?