Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Whitaker and many of Amazon's reviewers have a lot to say about psychiatric drugs, most of them virulently negative. As someone who actually is mentally ill and takes some of these drugs, I see things very differently and I want to share my story and my point of view. I have schizoaffective disorder (a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). I developed this disease in my early 20s. I was beset by mania, depression, and psychosis. The mania and depression were bad but easier to manage than my psychosis. I heard loud, terrifying voices which threatened to kill me and worse. They sounded just as real as any voice I had ever heard in my life. They tortured me morning, noon, and night without interruption. I was completely disabled by them. I was a bright young woman with a good education but I could barely leave my house, let alone work. I could not even have a meaningful conversation with anyone because the voices were too loud. My parents became my caretakers and my friends disappeared completely. Despite my family's support, I felt utterly alone in the world. This went on for years as I tried different antipsychotics. They worked to a degree but the voices simply would not go away. I certainly did not get better or "heal" on my own--despite my family's love and support. No words can describe how hellish and worthless my life felt. I thought about killing myself but my parents helped me hold on to what seemed like a very slim hope that the voices would be stilled one day. Geodon, the last antipsychotic I had settled on, began to give me symptoms of dyskinesia and my doctor made me stop taking it right away. The symptoms went away and I began to take a new drug: Seroquel. Within weeks of starting on Seroquel, the voices dropped off and virtually disappeared. They are very few and far between now and they no longer seem real. It took me a while to adjust to the absence of the voices. I did so rather slowly and with cautious optimism--what if this freedom didn't last? It lasted. Several years have passed and the Seroquel is still working. It can be very sedating, which is why I take it bedtime. It really wasn't such a bad side effect--my body eventually adjusted and in the meantime I just learned to love my morning coffee. All drugs have possible side effects: Seroquel's most dangerous one is that it can cause high blood sugar which can lead to diabetes. I have a battery of blood tests done every year to be cautious. Anyone on medication (psychiatric or otherwise) should. I am in fine shape physically and mentally. I don't have cognitive problems and I am certainly not subdued or "drugged into a stupor." I am happier and more productive than I have ever been before in my life. The pharmaceutical industry, which Whitaker and so many reviewers here look askance at, restored my sanity and saved my life. It didn't work on the first try or even the second, but my doctor and I persevered and did not give up. I am no longer afraid to leave my house and I have a good job. I have a great relationship with my family and I can talk to anyone at anytime without being interrupted by voices. I have friends and a social life again. This may not sound exceptional to a normal person, but it means the world to me. None of it would be possible without the drugs I take. I take them every day--happily and with more gratitude than Whitaker or his acolytes will or could ever understand. I realize that my experience is not everyone's. Like "normal" people, the mentally ill are quite different from each other and we respond differently to different drugs and therapies. Whitaker would have you believe that psychiatric drugs are useless and even detrimental to people like me, though, and that is simply not the truth--not my truth, anyway. I should mention that I work in NYC. The streets are full of unmedicated schizophrenics. Some of them beg for money but others are too out of it to do even that--they are completely absorbed in their fights with their voices. Some are loud and menacing, others just sit in silence looking terrified. It breaks my heart to see them because I could have wound up like them. I would have had it not been for my parents, my doctor, and my drugs. I'd like to bring Whitaker along with me one morning so he could see them, too. Would he really tell me that they're better off than I am? Happier? Healthier? I give them food and money (I want to make them feel better even if it's only temporarily) but most people hurry away from them without even trying to hide their fear and disgust. I would never, ever want to trade places with any of them. Neither would Whitaker or anyone else. (You may have noticed that I wrote the same review for Whitaker's "Mad In America." This is because I have the exact same problem with both books. People with mental illnesses like mine who benefit greatly from medication are not represented. Mr. Whitaker, we do exist!) ***One of the fundamental differences between Whitaker and myself is what constitutes a "positve outcome" for people like me. I believe that the most (if not only) positive outcome for someone with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder is that the voices and any other delusions GO AWAY. I've never met anyone for whom this has happened without drugs. I want to take my drugs and live independently. Others seem to think that living in a group home with a kind caretaker is a positive outcome. I do not see that as a positive outcome, though it could be used as a temporary stepping stone for people who are recovering and learning to be independent. Don't get me wrong--of course it is better to be treated kindly than it is to be treated cruelly. But all the kindness in the world will not put an end to psychosis or silence the voices. Everyone who reads this book, whether they like it or not, must give some serious thought to what truly constitutes a "positive outcome." You all know my opinion and you need to form your own by thinking critically about the information you read--don't just accept the words blindly. edit: Whitaker mentions that atypical antipsychotics (such as Seroquel, Risperdal, and Zyprexa) can cause severe weight gain. This is certainly true, but he fails to mention that a diabetes drug called metformin (brand name: Glucophage) can be used in addition to diet and exercise to help people on these drugs lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. It has been very helpful to me personally in this regard.(You do not have to be diabetic to use metformin for this purpose--I'm not.)