One of the most informative and effective books that communicated to me the real dangers of psychiatry and, moreso, the dangers of foregoing psychology and speaking theraputically, was Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry" by Peter Breggin, M.D. This book came to me at a time when I made the decision to discontinue poisoning myself with Effexor XR and really begin to research and understand why I was feeling what I was feeling instead of attempting to numb it just because it felt wrong. An account of my journey to clean and clear myself from the clutches of synthetic brain programming is here for anyone wishing to read through it: brain_shivers.

When I hear people discuss psychiatry and the use of psychiatric drugs I feel a surge within me to educate them on the benefits of talking theraputically, opening communication, surrounding themselves with proper and effective support systems but I find it is a struggle to actually convince someone who has been brainwashed into believing that they need medication because of their own desire to have that burning want of a label finally placed on them. Let me explain. It seems to me, that diagnosing someone as depressed, bipolar, schizophrenic, etc, etc is sometimes a greater comfort to someone than actually learning the natural methods by which these emotions, these horrendous afflictions, can be addressed. If a psychiatrist labels someone's Depression, that someone is automatically more inclined to follow the methodology of that psychiatrist and take any drug that is prescribed to them, fully trusting, completely lacking in control simply because a "diagnosis" has been made. This person who suddenly knows what's wrong with me must also know how to fix me, so I'll take any medication they want me to take! What is truly sad and horribly deceiving is that more often than not a psychiatrist only knows the inner workings, the chemical reactions and the effects of synthetic drugs on the brain. They do not know, in actuality, how to cure or address anything. Their ultimate solution is to "pill-erize" a blanket diagnosis and expect to be respected because they have a Phd after their name. In a way, it's rather odd that the same people who really need someone to listen to them, *truly* listen, do not listen to people such as myself who have gone through the psychiatric discombobulation and instead choose to go down the medicated road. It is easier to listen to someone who is staring at you from across the room and claims they know what's wrong with you.

I believe the most important decision one can make is to reprogram their own method of thinking, to understand that not everyone that went to school for 100 years of their life actually understands how to listen. That even though all the training and studying that went into the psychiatrist's education took immense effort and time, ultimately it comes down to money and making sure your hour is paid for. Clinical depression, which is what I was diagnosed with a long time ago, can be made better by discussion and getting to the root of what is causing it. People: depression, anxiety, sadness, immense emotional disarray are all symptoms. Your life doesn't suck because you are depressed. You are depressed because your life sucks. Learn to discuss why your life sucks and learn how to make the changes that are desperately needed for you to be able to change the way you think, the way you address problems, what happened when you were younger to program you to respond the way you do. Find a psychologist or someone who will not simply write you off on a prescription pad and be done with you then wonder why you're back in their office two weeks later feeling worse. Someone who won't prescribe you a higher dose or a stronger, more mind debilitating drug.

If there is one thing that I would say I learned, it's understanding how to analyze what I'm feeling and why then educating myself on how to "fix" the actuall root of the problem and most of all knowing that I cannot always do everything alone. The need for a support system is beyond important. There are instances that aloneness is apparent and unfixable and that requires a giant amount of self-will and strength. It can be done but if a true and honest support system is available, please use it and know that you have the power to heal and manage.

These are just a few of the realizations I've had since I've discontinued using Effexor XR. I know many folks out there are on much stronger and much more dangerous drugs. I know it didn't start out that way. At what point do our minds become wholly synthetic as a result of continual drug use? What is really the difference between being mind-numbed and altered by prescription medications versus "illegal" drugs? How can we allow pharmaceutical companies to supress the cure for such things as cancer or aids because they need to make trillions of dollars off our diseases? When can we, as a collective force, finally put a stop to it?

Thank you for reading.