Friday, August 30, 2013

Two million people tortured every year in Australia’s psychiatric hospitals


Two million people tortured every year in Australia’s psychiatric hospitals. How can anyone ignore that?! That’s 10 per cent of the Australian population. How is it that despite the United Nations, agreeing that forced drugging and electro-shock and other inhumane psychiatric treatments are torture, so much of the population is in denial that this is happening?

UN declaration of psychiatric forced treatments to be torture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ1Hisscsi8&feature=player_embedded#t=0


The government stats on how many people are tortured in psychiatric ‘hospitals’ are here:

·          ‘In 2007–08, around 12% of people aged 18 years and over experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress and a further 21% experienced moderate levels of psychological distress (similar to 2001 and 2004–05 rates).’

·         ‘In 2007–08 mental and behavioural problems (11% or 2.3 million people)’

·         ‘In 2007, 1.9 million Australians aged 16–85 years (12%) accessed services for mental health problems in the previous year’

 
‘The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture agrees, and has as recently as 2013 called for the abolition of forced psychiatric interventions’


David Oaks says because we  not just the 99% ‘We are the 100%’ because those harmed by psychiatry are inclusive of all humans, (yes, and other animals, if you want to know, I might add.) http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-faq/go/now

‘Despite the significant strides made in the development of norms for the abolition of forced psychiatric interventions on the basis of disability alone as a form of torture and ill-treatment and the authoritative guidance provided by the CRPD, severe abuses continue to be committed in health-care settings where choices by people with disabilities are often overridden based on their supposed “best interests”, and where serious violations and discrimination against persons with disabilities may be masked as “good intentions” of health-care professionals.’


Do not deny this is happening. The evidence is all too obvious. Psychiatric forced drugging, electro shock and other cruel and humane practices are not ‘care’ or in anyway about ‘health’.

Please sign my petition to stop this torture in the guise of psychiatric 'care' from continuing to happen in our government's name. Help us also gain an apology for psychiatric abuse ever having occurred.

https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/attorney-general-s-department-stop-psychiatric-abuse-and-gain-an-apology-for-it-ever-having-occurred


Thank you to everyone who has signed so far. Please pass on the petition link to as many people as you can.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Australian politicians who want to stop psychiatric abuse


I have narrowed this search down to my electorate, Melbourne Ports, this includes all the Senate candidates for Victoria, but only the House of Reps for Melbourne Ports, for the Sept 2013 election.


If anyone from other areas wants to collaborate or comment on their area, with candidates who are going to do something about stopping forced-drugging, electro-shock and other psychiatric abuse, I would be most interested.


That said, I am aware that the Socialist Alliance has this written on their website, ‘The Socialist Alliance will guarantee patients' control by legislating the right of access to all information required for informed consent; the right to appoint a legal guardian of a patient's choice; the right to choose or refuse medical treatment; the right to choose contraception appropriate to the patient and abortion as required. Hospitals to be forced to admit their surgical, pharmacological and other nosocomial mistakes as a matter of due process.’

            This sounds promising, but they are not running in either Senate for Victoria, or House of Reps in Melbourne Ports. They are, however, running in other electorates.
 

These are the replies I got for my electorate in regards to stopping psychiatric abuse:



'Hi Initially,

Thanks and this was brought to my attention prior to last (2010) election. We are most definitely against such forced treatments. I seem to recall we put out a media release against it at the time. My own Solicitor had been involved in legal cases, representing those forced to undergo such treatment against their will.

Please do your best to spread the word and get our vote up.

It will be simple for voting the Liberal Democrats into the Senate for NSW; we drew number 1 on the ballot paper!

Thanks,'


Peter Whelan

National President

Liberal Democratic Party



twitter@auslibdems

***



'Dear Sir,

As a fellow sufferer of occasional but debilitating bouts of depression, I am fully supportive of your strong desire to end abuse.

The resurgent Australian Democrats and I will do whatever it takes to end this old-fashioned method of playing with people's human rights and then promote successful, modern Scandinavian techniques.

My name is Richard Grummet and I am 1 of 6 candidates on the ballot paper for the Australian Democrats in Victoria.

In the spirit of our founder Don Chipp, we intend to "Keep the Bastards Honest" - particularly on this crucial human rights issue - if elected.

But we need your help to get back into the Senate somewhere in Australia in 10 days time.

With only 2% of the vote and the right preference flows we will do it - but we need the no.1 above the line vote of you and your friends on the Senate ballot paper Australia - wide.

Please let me know ASAP - if we can do more.

Yours Sincerely,'

Richard Grummet.
Australian Democrats


(Also in The Democrats' health policy they list the right to choose or refuse medical care and

'consumer involvement in the development and provision of health care services, policies and programs'
***


'Hi Initially NO,


I am coming to this Senate election from running my own small business and hope to contribute in a practical way. My background and starting interests are on the website at www.bobnicholls.com.au

I am not aware of the problems that you raise but could look into it at  a later time, if for no other reason than people being afforded dignity and respect.

I do have as one of my goals (see website) to look into mental health as a root cause of many of our society’s ills. This is all I can offer to you at this stage.


If you feel strongly on this, please keep pushing everyone. We should all have passion for something.
 

Regards,'
 


Independent

 

***

'Dear Initially No,


The WLP is a party of transparency, accountability and justice.  We are against unnecessary interference with the liberty of the subject. This would include unwarranted intrusions into peoples' health on spurious scientific grounds.  While we do not have a specific platform on forced drugging and electro-shock, rest assured that the senators, once elected, will ensure that whole sectors of society, including psychiatric practice, will come up for scrutiny and exposure, as it arises.
 

Kind regards,'

Binoy

 

 
***

 

‘Hi Initially,

Senator Online believe as I do that the community has a right to have their voice heard in the Senate. For too long we have heard  Politicians from both sides of the divide, tell us what they think is best for the Community. A vote for SOL will give the voice to the people. Should the majority of the community agree with any particular issue, then they will be supported by SOL.

We are not a traditional political organisation with policies that are influenced by party politics, or by vocal minorities, or subject to doing "deals". We are about putting the voice of the majority above special interest groups. We will be the voice of the silent majority!!

The Party is proactive.

• SOL will promote and submit Bills to Parliament as they are supported by a clear majority of the public. 

• You will be able to cast a vote and influence Bills in Parliament directly through the Senator Online Website or App.

• SOL will provide balanced information and the pros and cons on each Bill. You will have clear awareness of what is going on in Parliament, enabling you to engage and act.

• In the future, you will be able to collaboratively create and vote on Bills with other members of the public through a "wiki".

SOL MPs and Senators will submit Bills that are supported by the clear majority of their constituency.

• We stand for giving the public a clear voice on each and every Bill and important issue, putting "democratic" back in democracy and making the deliberations universally accessible. We believe in providing people with the opportunity to have their voice heard on every Bill and issue that is being debated in Parliament.

• Equally importantly, we stand for the power of informed debate. By using the unmatched "enabler" of information — the internet — we seek to prompt informed debate on the issues that are important to the majority of Australians.


Our policies will be determined by the clear majority view of Australians. In the future, you will be able to collaboratively develop and vote on Bills with other members of the public through a "wiki".

SOL is best described as a directional party, that will aid our government.

 

Please go to our website www.senatoronline.org.au, and see how this will work’

 

Regards,

Lloyd Taylor

Senator Online Candidate - Victoria



***


Initially,

'Our overall policy (http://greens.org.au/equality-everyone) states as follows:

 PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE


Whether in prison, immigration detention or psychiatric facilities, people held in detention are particularly powerless and vulnerable.  The Greens believe that all detainees have a right to be treated humanely and with dignity.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is an international agreement designed to protect people in detention from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It ensures that these facilities can be independently monitored and inspected. We will commit $15 million over the next four years to ratify the convention and protect the vulnerable in detention.

With regard to more specifics regarding psychiatric forced treatment . I will forward your email onto our relevant Senator, Penny Wright  who is our mental health spokesperson

Regards,'

Janet Rice


Victorian Greens Lead Senate Candidate 


***

‘Hi Initially

 

Thanks for your email.


As you probably know, Greens Senator Richard Di Natale is a medical doctor and has been responsible for many important initiatives - re preventative health, problem gambling, junk food.

I am not aware of any specific actions re abuse, but in general the Greens work and policies on mental health issues is very strong and supportive, standing up for more funding and some important specific initiatives.


Apart from the refugees health initiative that you mentioned, we have also recently called for better rural mental health funding, see http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-21/greens-mental-health-policy/4901766.

extending the mental Health Nurse Incentive program, and additional services for care in the community too.  Here are links to our platform http://www.greens.org.au/platform and our health policy, it http://greens.org.au/policies/health.


We are so pressed for time, I hope that gives you an idea of the party values and aims, even if I have not addressed your specific concerns.


Take care and Best wishes’


Ann Birrell



I am surprised with this miniscule result in return replies.

Those against psychiatric torture regimes comprise of at least 5% of the vote. This could be a major win for a party or independant. Those who are ignorant and could be made aware of this major abuse of human-rights, comprise of more than 20% of the vote.

Psychiatric survivors, activists, compassionate individuals, those diagnosed and incarcerated in hospitals for no crime… our voice needs to be heard, recognised, validated and the horror of psychiatric abuse needs to stop. We have the United Nations backing us. Why do Australian political parties that have policies regarding human-rights claim such ignorance of what happens on their doorstep? of what can happen to anyone who goes through trauma, crisis who doesn’t get enough support and validation for their suffering?

Do politicians not know how cruel toxic drugs such as neuroleptics are, that shut down neurotransmitters so a youthful person feels like they have Alzheimer’s, so they twitch uncontrollably, sleep most of the day? Can’t they imagine how horrible it is to lose your memory during the 40 or so bouts of ECT that a psychiatrist recommends and forces on individuals without their consent?

Psychiatric abuse needs to stop. I want parties who will back us, who advertise this policy to stop psychiatric abuse properly. I want politicians who are loud and clear that they will stop force-drugging, electro-shock and other invasive procedures. It will be a major win for whoever does this. Whoever goes into hospitals and lets those being tortured by psychiatrists know that they should vote, because their party is going to stop the horror of psychiatric abuse.

I am surprised so many Australians still believe that biological psychiatry, is the social-psychiatry of Hollywood movies. No, psychiatrists rarely talk or listen to patients, they mandate, brainwash and forcefully drug and electrocute. They forcefully inject and electrocute  those grieving the loss of their loved-ones, with major tranquilisers, that cause brain-damage and other disabling. It is not okay to do this to asylum seekers, Greens, hint, hint... I want clarity on that, that you will not send psychiatrists to forcefully drug refugees, like you have promised to do. They are people who have obviously been through trauma and adversity, they are detained and suffering, they are in crisis, they need to talk with people would are empathetic, who listen and enable them to have courage to live, who are trustworthy professionals that will help anchor their crisis in some sort of consensual reality, that allows for diversity. People that will give them hope and ways to cope, so they don't despair and wonder what reality actually is. They are people who really don't need their minds policed by psychiatrists, who will forcefully torture them with drugs and electro-shock, then demand that they agree that they are 'mentally ill' and need to take the 'recommended dose of meds' that is harming them unendurably. That's what psychiatrists do, they don't listen, they experiment and police diversity, unless they specifically state that they are social-psychiatry, that they do psychoanalysis and only prescribe drugs when a patient really wants that. Understand that pollies!
We must end the psychiatric regime in 2013 by Initially NO
Attorney-General's Department: Stop psychiatric abuse and gain an apology for it ever having occurred

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Australia’s voting: Senate candidate or party to STOP PSYCHIATRIC ABUSE? anyone?


Or how about a

Human dignity party

With these policies:

·         Stop using the term, ‘mental illness’ and other derogatory psychiatrisms http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-faq/go/now

·         Stop forced-drugging

·         Stop forced electro-shock

·         Cease coercive-control measures

·         Mandatory informing of harmful effects of psych drugs, withdrawal effects of drugs. Psychiatrists who do not inform their patients should be legally liable.

·         Allow for people grieving, particularly those involved in bushfires. Don’t give them a psychiatric label as if there is something wrong with them! Get person-centred empathetic counselling to help people move through their trauma. Give them some help through Centrelink until they're rehabilitated. Don't necessitate that they agree that they have a 'mental illness'. Grief and trauma are not illness, but they do play havoc with people's lives. The more support a person gets the better, quicker they are able to be enabled.

·         Fund businesses to set up retreats for people to overcome emotional crisis. (Some people who suffer crisis actually do have money, but there aren't enough such retreats available even for money to buy, at present, in this country.)

·         Allow those suffering to speak publically about their experiences so that those suffering similarly can feel that they are being heard. Don’t shut down what is hard to listen to. Allow psychiatric survivors to gain the public's ear and be witnessed and validated.

·         Government needs to cease psychiatric abuse immediately. Dismantle the systems that perpetuated the abuse for decades and apologise.

·         Voices and other percipience needs to be understood better by the public, so there isn’t fear/ stigma in relating to unusual, strange symbolism.

·         Access to career development/ therapy for those who don’t fit into conventional job roles easily, who may also be isolated/ alienated from the community. Allowing for intelligent invention. (Many people with diagnosis are actually educated and talented, just need to work through their inventions with others so they can be grounded in what society needs, so these innovations can come to fruition.)

·         Cease funding psychiatry, but fund those who need to withdraw/ stay on psych drugs because that’s what they’re used to and can’t afford the stress of not having what they’re used to.
  • Set up Open Dialogue, that has proven results in other countries, as well as Voice Dialoguing, also proven to work in helping a person recover from crisis. (This will be far less expensive than hospitalisation and psychiatric services, pharmaceuticals etc in the long run.)

 

(Something like that. The Human Dignity Party should be open to anyone who wishes to add, or comment on that list. The Human Dignity Party should listen and support diversity, social-justice, difference and much needed change.)

 
But there is no Human Dignity Party in Australia as far as I know... So who do I vote for on my birthday?

Labor? bugger them… they use the term ‘mentally ill’


 ‘Mental Health

In May 2011, Labor announced a $2.2 billion mental health package to be rolled out over five years. It includes: more and better coordinated services for the severely mentally ill, expanded community mental health programs, more funding for psychological services, e-mental health, expanded youth-focused programs and a Mental Health Commission to produce an annual Mental Health Report Card. The Coalition says the package borrowed heavily from its 2010 election promises. Health spokesman Peter Dutton told the ABC in June that the Coalition would be "reassessing" mental health policy, and would make announcements closer to the election.’



The Greens? (usually get my vote,  but…)


The Greens say, aren’t we good we’ll get psychiatric treatment for refugees.

Is the Greens party completely ignorant of what peak psychiatric bodies and their psychiatrists do for a living? Are they completely ignorant of how torturous forced drugging with neuroleptics is? Does the Greens party not know these psych drugs and electro-shock cause brain-damage? How horrible! How stupid! Do that not know how many angry people will now not vote for them because of their cruel policy medicalising trauma? Do they never hear angry psychiatric survivors speak? Are they that ignorant of the human-rights needs in this country? Human rights that don’t take money, but just need ugly rich psychiatrists no longer allowed to experiment on people with torturous chemicals. Yes, experiment, all patients of psychiatrists in hospitals, have the information about them, go into charts and stats, without their knowledge, against their will.

REFUGEE HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The old parties are risking the health and wellbeing of thousands of refugees, including children, by dumping them in appalling conditions in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. A caring nation looks after people fleeing persecution and their physical and mental health.

In the rush to set up cruel detention camps and slum cities, there is no plan for independent oversight of refugees’ health and care. The old parties are committed to dumping all refugees who come by boat out-of-sight, out-of-mind in the poorest nations in our region, with no safeguards for their medical and mental health needs.

Reports from whistle-blowers and the UNHCR already tell us that conditions in the camps are harsh and dangerously inadequate, but there is no transparency about what is happening in Australia’s name.’


Greens… um, this means you will be subjecting refugees to forced drugging. That’s what RANZCP, Australia’s peak psychiatric body does. You do know that don’t you? Why would you subject traumatised people to the torture of neuroleptics and other psychiatric drugs?

I am a psychiatric survivor. I know this is not okay.
 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (An editor’s nightmare, too many exclamation marks.)

 

I’m searching, searching, searching for a Senate Candidate that wants to stop psychiatric abuse. Who the hell am I going to vote for? The UN has declared forced psychiatric drugging and electro-shock as torture. Even Israel has stopped forced electro-shock. Australia continues, oblivious, ignorant… calling it ‘care’.

                Australia is so dumbed down, it can’t hear our voices. Pathetic. I’m ashamed of this country.

                I really have no one to vote for.

Or so I thought...
Just putting an after-thought in this blog, because I have found,The Socialist Alliance says it, 'will guarantee patients' control by legislating the right of access to all information required for informed consent; the right to appoint a legal guardian of a patient's choice; the right to choose or refuse medical treatment; the right to choose contraception appropriate to the patient and abortion as required. Hospitals to be forced to admit their surgical, pharmacological and other nosocomial mistakes as a matter of due process.’

But none for the Socialist Alliance are standing in the House of Representatives in my area. And none for Senate in my state. Boo. I still have no one to vote for.


Friday, August 23, 2013

Coughing at the mental health convention


At the TheMHS conference, there was a keynote address by Bernadette McSherry on Debating Mental Health Laws.

McSherry brought up a slide on ‘a recent report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.’

A large portion of the audience started coughing.

Coughing can mean the audience that wants to listen, misses words. It's very disruptive and loud. It is also something I recognise from my decade or so working in theatre. For an actor hearing raucous coughing from an audience, they know it is an old and deliberate way of members of the audience showing disapproval.

Disapproval of those in law trying to stop torture? Excuse me?!

The coughing, from those in suits, stopped being as vigorous as soon as the slide changed.

Yes, I understand sometimes people get a tickle in their throat. But, this wasn’t some poor fellow feeling embarrassed about their involuntary noise. This was about people making loud noises over the top of the speaker, deliberately, a large group of them, heckling, thinking they could then pretend it wasn’t deliberate.

Or maybe, those people that coughed, have a psychosomatic reaction when someone accuses them of being professional torturers? (not that McSherry did, but the quote from the UN more or less does, if you think about it.)

I appreciate what TheMHS is doing, but it was sometimes those asking the questions on the floor that I was happier hearing from. I feel there is far too much focus on establishment, those who are toeing lines and hedging their bets… not enough actual listening to psychiatric survivors, not enough allowing of psychiatric survivors to speak of the looming monsters that are allowed, via our government, to rule our lives (who assault us further with ad campaigns using their terminology of abuse.)

Any commission into mental health needs to be run by those with recent lived-experience of what psychiatric services do, because they know how it feels to be under this regime, of yes, torture. Yet those with lived-experience are only deputy commissioners in Australia.

There were speakers blathering on about patients making Advanced Directives, but there was little understanding of how to get psychiatrists to follow these unless they said exactly what a psychiatrist wanted to hear.

          I did that. A GP I got discharged to in 2012, when I was off a treatment order (CTO), asked me some questions on what she should do if I became ‘unwell’. I just said what I knew would sound compliant, so I wouldn’t be put back on a CTO. It was not what I wished. Ask anyone on a CTO, or anyone who has recently been on one questions about ‘care’ and they’ll just spout what they think will mean they won’t get put back on a CTO. They’ll also tell you that they’re satisfied with their treatment, when they really, really HATE the treatment, think it DOES NOT WORK and would not wish anyone else to suffer it.

The diagnosed get told that they must agree that they have a ‘mental illness’ that they ‘must be compliant with treatment’ etc… and they know what happens if they don’t parrot what the psychiatrist wants them to parrot, they get increased dosages, or another medication added to their daily swallow, or the depot, or electro-shock, or forced ‘hospitalisation’.

If I coughed at everything that upset me, to show my disapproval, I’d have a very raw throat!

That said, TheMHS is a progressive conference, but I sat back feeling somewhat hurt because my view was not on stage, that is, until some lovely audience members got up and said their piece. Put a smile on my face to have my thoughts spoken so clearly. I wished they were the ones on the panel on the stage. I think in future, the panels should include at least some token people that don’t toe the line and hedge their bets or put on that hard money orientated mean-face. It’s not as though those people are unknown. It’s just that those people are denied an audience. I’d like to see that change with a bit more tokenism of those activists with lived-experience happening. Sure, we’ll get the uglies coughing disapproval, but I don’t see why torturers should rule a convention! I’m not saying order them to leave the theatre, but you know… who wants to hear them? Annoying sick fucks.

          There are also things that really worry me about boarder protection in Australia, that was mentioned. That can mean the type of speaker I want to see isn't even allowed into my country. I guess I'm also worried for myself, not only for people I might ask to come here. So, if I go anywhere I'm checking in with that country's embassy first. Don't want to be booked in to speak in another country, flying all the way, then put into detention and forced to take psych drugs, because there's something on my passport that I don't know about that puts me in the same category as a terrorist!
Non compos mentis by Initially NOclick here
 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Psychiatrists MUST tell their patients of harmful effects of withdrawing from psychiatric drugs too rapidly


THIS MUST BE MANDATORY!

It has come to my attention that psychiatrists STILL do not tell their patients that there is a need to withdraw slowly from major tranquilisers/ neuroleptics/ ‘anti-psychotics’.


This is a breach of ‘informed consent’. Not giving this information to a patient, means a person can be put through unnecessary suffering, which can be very dangerous, even deadly. This suffering could be alleviated, if they were informed to withdraw slowly, and, in ideal circumstances, aided and helped by a psychiatrist or GP in doing this.

People who may stop taking psych drugs for very good reasons. Quite often people don’t want to take them forever, because of the horrific debilitating side-effects, and, because they don't really do what psychiatrists claim they should be doing.

People often get told by psychiatrists that they have to take neuroleptics forever. This is not reasonable, especially when there are so many side-effects, when important social functions such as driving, reading, sex function, conversation and operating machinery are hampered. Especially when there is Tardive Dyskinesia, or akinesia emerging, and this harm caused by the drug is dismissed or ignored by the treating psychiatrist… what is a person to do? People as young as 23 complain of feeling like they have Alzheimer’s on these drugs. I felt that way myself, until I came off them. I was sure my brains had eroded. No, it was the neuroleptic.  There’s also those 25 years that get torn from the lives of people on a regimen of neuroleptics. Read enough and you’ll know all this, and that you need to come off psych drugs slowly. But if your sight is blurring because of the drugs and your thoughts are clouded and you’re chronically fatigued, then how are you going to do that?


I’ve seen over a hundred psychiatrists in a 14 year period and none of them informed me of the horrific withdrawal effects of neuroleptics. Yet psychiatrists do know to withdraw people slowly from one neuroleptic before getting a person to take another, or they should.


Peter Breggin, a psychiatrist, writes at length about withdrawing from neuroleptics in his book, ‘Your drug may be your problem.’


Icarus project has a free pdf on ‘Harm reduction’.

All psychiatric, medical, clinical psychology, mental health and psychiatric drug related websites should include something similar about slow withdrawal from drugs/ harm reduction.

Psychiatrists should be informing all patients about drug related harm reduction. Australia has got to make this mandatory for psychiatrists to do.

Hospitals have systems in place for harm reduction for stimulant use.


It is ridiculous that these hard drugs, which are major tranquilisers, have for so long been written off in documents by ‘Mental Health’ organisations as not having harmful withdrawal effects. It is ridiculous that these withdrawal effects are seen as ‘symptoms of psychosis’. They are NOT.


I came off Solian, from 200mg to nothing and my whole face and body twitched as parts of me came back to life. I had a headache that lasted 2 weeks. At that time, 2009, I didn’t know you were meant to come of these drugs slowly, but I’d been medicalised by psychiatry since 1998!


It has taken me 2 years, after slow reduction from Zuclopenthixol, to get my emotions to stabilise and the Tourette’s caused by this drug to fade. I have had a lot of support from friends, Intervoice, my tafe, colleagues and my partner, that allow discussions of what had other years been denied.


I think this INFORMING OF PATIENTS is essential and must be made MANDATORY. I think everyone could agree to that, in the very least of things that need to be done, to stop psychiatric abuse, that government could put some legislation in to make certain that this occurs.


There are documents that have said this pressure on people’s minds/bodies, of quickly withdrawing, has been a factor in many horrific shootings by youth, that have happened in the USA.

Certainly drug/alcohol rehabilitation services are well-studied in how to safely withdraw from other hard drugs.


So, please, see that this, is done. Make it mandatory for psychiatrists to inform people to withdraw slowly, never quickly, and to do so under their supervision, so that tablets are not quartered in a way that is unsafe. I don’t want to see another person harmed unnecessarily by withdrawing too quickly from drugs.

(If you are attempting to do this, ask, remind and let your psychiatrist know why you need to reduce your harmful drug. Do not talk of stopping the drug. Just talk about reducing it. Then they are more likely to give you a prescription of a smaller pill, I’ve found. If they refuse, keep asking, get back up, books, a lawyer, or an understanding friend.)


As an individual please make enough conversation happen to grant MANDATORY HARM REDUCTION INFORMATION TO BE GIVEN, BY ALL PSYCHIATRISTS IN REGARDS TO PSYCHIATRIC DRUG WITHDRAWAL, TO THEIR PATIENTS. And please feel free to write emails to RANZCP and the AMA letting them know why this must be made mandatory.
 
I need a healer not a drug dealer by Initially NOclick here