drug withdrawal – A New Vision for Mental Health

Experts call for fewer antidepressants to be prescribed in UK

Author: Editorial 6th December 2023 0 Comments

“Open letter to government from experts and politicians says rising usage ‘is a clear example of over-medicalisation’” This report by Tobi Thomas has been published in The Guardian. It begins: “Medical experts and politicians have called for the amount of antidepressants…
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a coherent system

Andrew Tresidder, antidepressants, APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence, Beyond Pills, British Medical Journal, deprescribing, depression, drug withdrawal, International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal, John Read, psychiatry, Sam Everington, social prescribing, The Guardian

The government has a moral duty to help those harmed by prescribed dependence forming drugs

Author: Editorial 22nd June 2023 0 Comments

This “ open letter by healthcare professionals ” calls for specialist NHS services to support patients harmed by taking prescription medications. Published in the British Medical Journal, the letter begins: “This week, BBC1’s Panorama drew sharp attention to the problem of prescribed drug dependence and…
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a coherent system

antidepressants, BBC Panorama, benzodiazepines, BMJ, British Medical Journal, drug dependency, drug withdrawal, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry, Public Health England

The experiences of 585 people when they tried to withdraw from antipsychotic drugs

Author: Editorial 5th January 2023 0 Comments

This research paper from Prof. John Read has been published in Addictive Behaviors Reports. The abstract says: “Introduction Many recipients of antipsychotic drugs try to stop taking them, primarily because of distressing adverse effects. Little research has been undertaken into the withdrawal…
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collaborative practice

Addictive Behaviors Reports, antipsychotics, drug withdrawal, John Read, psychosis, Research

Estimating Risk of Antidepressant Withdrawal from a Review of Published Data

Author: Editorial 16th December 2022 0 Comments

This article – from Mark Abie Horowitz, Adele Framer, Michael P. Hengartner, Anders Sørensen & David Taylor – has been published in the journal CNS Drugs. The abstract says: “Adaptation of the brain to the presence of a drug predicts withdrawal…
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collaborative practice

Adele Framer, Anders Sørensen, antidepressants, CNS Drugs, David Taylor, depression, drug withdrawal, Mark Horowitz, Michael Hengartner, Research, withdrawal confounding

Pharmaceutical Journal: Deep disappointment as government scraps plan for national helpline

Author: Editorial 21st July 2022 0 Comments

Writing for The Pharmaceutical Journal, Julia Robinson reports : “The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will not be taking forward recommendations to set up a helpline to support patients struggling with prescribed drug dependence, The Pharmaceutical Journal has learned. This follows…
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a coherent system

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence (APPG), Department of Health and Social Care, drug withdrawal, Julia Robinson, Luke Montagu, The Pharmaceutical Journal

Common Statistical Method Conflates Withdrawal with Relapse

Author: Editorial 21st April 2022 0 Comments

“Researchers argue that common study methods for psychiatric drugs may inadvertently minimize withdrawal effects and inflate drug efficacy.“ This article by Peter Simons has been published by Mad in America. It begins: “Survival analysis is a statistical technique often used to…
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a coherent system

BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, drug withdrawal, Janus Christian Jakobsen, Joanna Moncrieff, Mad in America, Peter Simons, relapse, Research, statistics, Survival analysis

New paper on how to stop antipsychotic drugs deemed ‘historic breakthrough’

Author: Editorial 31st March 2021 0 Comments

“Stopping medications is an important part of the job of a psychiatrist, yet it has received relatively little attention. In clinical practice, I often see patients perking up when they reduce their antipsychotic medication, and they tell me that they…
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collaborative practice

Antipsychotic drugs, coming off psychiatric drugs, drug withdrawal, Jen Mills, Mark Horowitz, Metro, psychiatry

Benzo Free: The World of Anti-Anxiety Drugs and the Reality of Withdrawal

Author: Editorial 26th March 2020 0 Comments

This book has been written by D E Foster: “Do you suffer from anxiety or insomnia? Have you ever taken Xanax to help? What about Klonopin, Ativan, or Valium? Perhaps Ambien or Lunesta? Over 36 million people in the U.S. take…
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collaborative practice

anti-anxiety drugs, anxiety, benzodiazepines, books, D E Foster, drug withdrawal, insomnia, nonbenzodiazepines (z-drugs), thienodiazepine

I know antidepressant withdrawal symptoms are real. Why didn’t doctors?

Author: Editorial 5th June 2019 0 Comments

Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett says: “It’s something of a relief to see before you, written down in black and white, what you have known to be true for a long time: in this case, that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms aren’t, well,…
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collaborative practice

antidepressant side-effects, antidepressants, depression, drug withdrawal, psychiatry, Rhiannon Cosslett, Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Guardian

How to Find Other People Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs: Introducing TWP Connect

Author: Editorial 29th January 2018 0 Comments

The owners of the TWP Connect website say: “… you might be thinking about possibly reducing one or more of your psychiatric medications—or perhaps you’re supporting or working with someone who is. Maybe you began a taper a few weeks or months…
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collaborative practice

Clients & Patients, cold turkey, drug withdrawal, networking platform, Psychiatric Drugs, psychiatric medication, The Withdrawal Project (TWP)