Psychiatric drugs are controversial. There’s the good story and the bad story. In his book ‘Anatomy of an Epidemic’, Robert Whitaker puts it like this: ‘There is a famous optical illusion, and depending how you look at it, you either see a beautiful young woman picture which tells of a revolutionary advance in the treatment of mental disorders. Or you see an old hag picture which tells of a form of care that has led to an epidemic of disabling mental illness.’

When I used mental health services I got a heavy dose the good story from my prescribers. They tried me on just about everything. Some of the drugs made me feel worse, others didn’t make any difference. One drug did make me feel better (though later evidence suggests it was a placebo response). At the time I started to question the good story. Since then I’ve read many authors, mostly psychiatrists, who tell the bad story. At the same time the good story on psychiatric drugs has flourished, through drug company marketing and the revival in biological psychiatry; it’s the story that fuels our current mental health systems.

Here’s my summary of the two stories (which inevitably do not do justice to the complexity of this subject).

THE GOOD STORY

THE BAD STORY

Psychiatric  drugs reduce symptoms by correcting a chemical imbalance.

Psychiatric drugs reduce symptoms by creating a chemical imbalance.

Psychiatric drugs help to heal the brain.

Psychiatric drugs can disable or damage the brain.

The use of higher doses or more than one drug can increase the healing.

The use of higher doses or more than one drug can increase the damage.

People should stay on the drugs long term.

People should not stay on the drugs long term.

People often relapse after coming off the drugs, proving that they need them.

People often relapse after coming off the drugs, due to withdrawal effects.

People who keep taking their drugs do better in the long term than people who don’t take them.

People who don’t take drugs do better in the long term than those who do take them.

Psychiatric drugs are effective treatments and improve long terms outcomes for people

Some psychiatric drugs are barely more effective than a placebo and long term outcomes haven’t improved since they were introduced 50 years ago.

Psychiatric drugs are safe treatments.

They can cause serious or life shortening side-effects.

Of course everyone is unique and each drug is unique, so it’s hard to generalise. But I’m much more persuaded by the bad story than the good one, based on my reading, on my personal experiences and on the serious damage I’ve seen some of the drugs do to some people.

The chances are that people get more exposure to the good story, so it’s worth looking into the bad story, especially if you prescribe or take psychiatric drugs. These books will tell that story far better than I have here: 

Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker

The Myth of the Chemical Cure by Joanna Moncrieff

Psychiatric Drugs Explained by David Healy

The Emperor's New Drugs by Irving Kirsch
 
Medication Madness by Peter Breggin

Doctoring the Mind by Richard Bentall