The last few days, the traffic to this blog has risen exponentially. It's an interesting story, so I thought I'd share.
I wrote a comment on the blog Shrink Rap, written by three psychiatrists who also have a podcast titled My Three Shrinks that I listen to regularly. They are mainstream psychiatrists, and their charm is simply irresistible to me. The topics they cover generally keep me informed on how typical psychiatrists think about current topics in psychiatry. I just believe it's a good idea to have a well-rounded view of psychiatry because I could get lost in short-sightedness and bitterness in my anti-psychiatry activism. Their views are surprisingly easy on the ears.
Anyway, the comment I made (where I revealed I was anti-psychiatry) stirred a whole slew of heated discussions on that topic. A summary can be found on Dinah's latest post titled I Don't Care if You Hate Shrinks. In short, Roy, one of the shrinks, linked to my post How I Deal With Mental Breakdowns. Well, some readers, and Dinah, had a problem with Roy linking to a anti-psychiatry blog.
And so the discussion continues. It's a great discussion, and I hope you check it out, especially if you are a regular reader of Rayne's World. And this discussion has brought literally hundreds and hundreds of readers to this blog, and especially to a certain post, which happens to be the most personal post I've ever written on Rayne's World.
Just for the record, I am not anti-psychiatrist, just anti-psychiatry. Shrinks are people too, and most of them are pretty nice. They just need to practice true informed consent, rather than cookie-cutter treatment regiments for individuals arbitrarily placed in DSM boxes. I just had to throw that in so no one would fear I'd gone to the other side.
Shrink Rap is now a part of my blog roll. Check them out if you believe in true informed consent. This blog only gives the anti-psychiatry side of things, and I would never want an individual to feel stigmatized for choosing psychiatry. It all boils down to choices, folks, all choices.
5 comments:
Jayme,
I haven't followed everything on Shrink Raps site but I read the last thing you wrote there today and it's lovely and if anyone takes offense to it they have a problem.
You are so loving and kind--I still have so much anger towards psychiatry even though I won't call myself anti-psychiatry.(only because I believe in an ideal world, psychiatry would actually respond to the problem well and there are a few psychiatrists out there already doing so) I don't know what to call myself. So I just live with my anger and try to spread the message you do--people diagnosed with incurable disease often are not in the least bit incurable.
Dinah says there is no data--that is because they refuse to acknowledge us!! We go off the radar and it's like we never were.
be well sweet Jayme!
One of the reasons I don't just step away from psychiatry altogether is so I won't go off the radar. It's important to be in their faces, not obnoxiously, but to be models of what is possible. Just being who I am is making a difference, and you can say the same thing without giving yourself an "anti-psychiatry" label.
well...I joined you on Shrink Rap. My comment comes right after yours. And I agree--it's a good idea to stay on their radar. I think I learned something from you today! I hope I shared my story with as much grace as you did.
Unfortunately, many c/s/x have no choice -- they are forced into the system by their controlling family members, neighbors, relatives, etc. sad to say.
Great post on shrink rap, pointing out that normally the mentally ill are representent badly.
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