Can lightning strike in book form?

I am truly sorry. This book is - so far - only available in Danish. I hope that the author, Anders S?rensen , will have it translated into multiple languages ASAP. For - - - this is a book with the potential to change lives. Plural.

It is called "Noget I b?r vide ... Om Utrapning af Psykofarmaka " (Something you should Know - about quitting psychopharmaceuticals) , and the author is a psychologist who also has a Ph.d. in psychiatry.

Now ... does this sound like an exciting book? I guess many people would say "nah.".

Let me tell you why I found it a fascinating and illuminating read:

My mother was a psychologist. She fought tirelessly against the bio-psychiatric narrative, and helped her clients quit anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs if they so wished. Slowly and methodically. For this, she was vilified and ridiculed by prominent psychiatrists in Norway - "what does a psychologist know about psychiatric medication?" was their recurring response. She didn't stop fighting until the day she walked onto the rainbow bridge to her next adventure...

She said that the claim of depression and psychosis being a biochemical imbalance in the neurotransmitters was false. This book verifies that fact through research!

She claimed that even small dosages of drugs had a huge impact on people. That, after gradual tapering, the final dosage was the worst. Ditto.

She thought that the homeostasis of the body was disturbed by the psychiatric drugs. See page 83.

This book should be a part of the curriculum of all who studies to work with people. Not only within the medical professions, but also social work. Not only does it offer an up-to-date insight into the mechanisms behind the various drugs, it also shares a way to do the tapering in a responsible way. Going cold turkey on psych-meds are NOT to be recommended - it can, among other things, lead to the exact symptoms you were prescribed the drug in the first place, such as depression and psychosis.

And, more than that, Anders delves into alternatives to drugs. Viable, responsible ways to work alongside people, helping them heal without mind- and emotion-numbing pharms.

Let me in closing add a personal note: I have a personal history with such pharmaceuticals. In 1993, I felt a bit down, with a job that required a lot, adjusting to married life and feeling the pressure of having our first kid on the way. So I got an appointment with a psychologist, who referred me to an MD. I had read "Listening to Prozac" by Peter D. Kramer, and when he suggested I try Seroxat (an early gen SSRI, Parotexin), I was eager to give it a try.

It threw my system out of whack. The side effects were severe, I got hypoglycaemia and noticed personality changes that scared me, as well as lightning going through my skull when quitting the drugs.

I gave bio-psychiatry 26 years to fix me. In 2018, I quit gradually, no longer believing in their drugs. And I am not a fanatic - if a drug can give you temporary relief from an unruly mind - fine! Short-term, it can be a relief simply to drift away from our "normal" world. And sleep is a great healer.

But there is a question I suggest you ask your therapist, if s/he wants you to pop a Zyprexa or another drug: "Have you tried it yourself?".

If the answer is "no", ask "Why?". Life is a journey with its ups- and downs. Depression, psychosis, anxiety - it is all a spectrum we touch.

My life as a monk may not be something you would choose. But having left psychiatry behind has given me deep insights into myself and others. And a multitude of beautiful meetings with people who are working to change the world for the better.