Let's Talk Withdrawal

Holly shares her own experiences of the psychiatric system and psychiatric drugs, how she approached withdrawal from the drugs and talks about how she became a nutritional therapy practitioner.

Stevie describes her experiences taking antidepressant drugs and her severe and protracted reaction to trying to withdraw. She also tells us about the help and support she received and what approaches she took to support herself during the most difficult times.

Chaya shares her own experiences of the psychiatric system and psychiatric drugs and also tells us how she now helps and supports those struggling to withdraw from their psychiatric medications. Chaya promotes a naturopathic approach to supporting people with their health and wellbeing.

Elaine describes her experiences with the drugs, how she approached her withdrawal and describes feeling humiliated and judged by her psychiatrists rather than helped.

Judy is a holistic mental health practitioner, mental health advocate and founder of the Alternative Health Revolution. We talk about Judy's experience of the psychiatric system, her excellent and informative website alternativementalhealthrevolution.com and her advice for those struggling with antidepressant withdrawal.

Sinead has taken antidepressant drugs for the last 16 years. She has attempted to withdraw on several occasions and describes how that process was for her.

Dr. Peter Groot from Maastricht University and his colleagues in the Cinderella Therapeutics Foundation have invested considerable time in researching and creating Tapering Strips, a method by which users of many classes of psychiatric drug can safely withdraw. Dr. Groot discusses his own experiences with antidepressants, his approach when creating tapering strips and some of the difficulties encountered along the way.

Interview with David who has taken antidepressant drugs on and off over the last few years. David talks about his experiences of the mental healthcare system and how he has been supported by his medications and how and why he went about stopping his drugs.

Meghann describes starting antidepressant drugs for OCD at the age of 9, how she came to consider her withdrawal 17 years later and how she feels now, 2 years after finishing with the drugs.

Dr. Sidley worked within NHS mental health services for 33 years in a variety of nursing, psychological and managerial roles. Gary is now a freelance writer and trainer with an interest in promoting alternatives to bio-medical psychiatry as ways of responding to human suffering.

Gemma talks about her experiences with both antidepressants and benzodiazepines and in particular the difficulties that parents of children with special needs encounter when they seek treatment for emotional or psychological distress.

Marion is a Psychotherapist who works with the Human Givens approach to supporting people in emotional or psychological distress. Through her work, Marion has become increasingly concerned about the effects of psychotropic medications on patients and on their ability to engage with therapy.

Simone experienced Post Natal Depression after the birth of her first child. She describes how nutrition played a huge part in her recovery and how she now supports others with their health and wellbeing.

Dr. Moncrieff has an interest in the history, philosophy and politics of psychiatry, and particularly in the use, misuse and misrepresentation of psychiatric drugs.

This week, Megan talks about her experience with anxiety and insomnia and how that led to her being prescribed an antidepressant. She also talks about her two failed attempts to withdraw and how that meant she approached her tapering more carefully to ensure that she could minimise the withdrawal effects.

Talk with Robert Whitaker, journalist and author of the award winning book, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America.

This week, Tina talks about her experience with depression, her use of antidepressant drugs and how a change in her medication led to her withdrawal problems. She also tells how her doctors failed to advise her about antidepressant withdrawal in advance or recognise it when it arose.

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.

Discussion with Dr. Johnstone about our reliance on the concept of diagnosis and how that doesn't fit well with psychological or emotional distress and how a predominantly biomedical view tends to lead to a purely medication centred approach to mental healthcare.

This week, Nora tells us about her experiences of sudden and extreme adverse reactions that occurred almost as soon as she started her antidepressant. She also tells us about the attitude of her doctors and how her life has changed since that short course of treatment.

We talk about Kevin's films, his approach to film making and his thoughts on how we treat people that ask for help with their mental health.

Interview with Christopher Jump. Christopher describes his transformational journey starting with a very difficult childhood which led him to be treated for many years with various psychiatric medications.

Interview with Dede Moore who shares her own powerful story of antidepressant treatment and withdrawal. Dede uses the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to assist those in withdrawal from antidepressants or benzodiazepines.

Interview with Dr. David Healy, internationally respected psychiatrist, psychopharmacologist scientist and author.

Interview with Dr. Terry Lynch who is a GP, psychotherapist, author and mental health educator. Ten years into his career as a GP, he became very concerned about the medical approach to emotional and mental suffering and was not prepared to remain silent.

Interview with Daryl who was only 9 years old when he was taken into mental health services and medicated. He talks about being made to take both antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs and he describes the lies told to him to justify treatment. Daryl also talks very bravely about PSSD, Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction.

Talk with Professor Gøtzsche about his background in research, his views on antidepressant prescribing and how pharmaceutical manufacturers have influenced mental healthcare.

Talk with Giovanna from Australia. Giovanna was prescribed an antidepressant aged 17 and tried many times to withdraw over the next 23 years. She shares her experiences with us including the advice and support that she received and her hopes for the future.

Talk with Claire who shares her powerful story of being prescribed antidepressants at the age of 16 and her experiences of trying to withdraw. She describes how she tapered gradually over 2 years but went on to experience SSRI discontinuation syndrome.

Talk with Professor John Read from the University of East London about the overuse of psychiatric medications and the alarming growth in the prescribing of antidepressants, benzodiazepines and other psychiatric medications.