Toxic Psychiatry concludes with a chapter that gives us what we need, a run down of the alternatives to medication. Most options that do not involve a psychiatrist, pills, and psychiatric facilities, are less expensive for the patient and less damaging for their mind. If a person in need says the wrong thing to their psychiatrist, that doctor can make a claim that they should be in an institution. Getting in is easy, getting out is hard. This fear, the fear of saying the wrong thing, leads to dishonesty between professional and patient. And when a patient doesn’t feel comfortable saying something to the person who is supposed to be helping them, this may prevent them from discovering the root of their problems. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and many other professionals, are trained to listen to the individual. Psychiatrists are trained to diagnose and prescribe. If you don’t want to see any of those professionals, there are places you can go where there are no doctors, just others like yourself and volunteers who are there to listen. This chapter mentions a few places like this, and they all seem rather affordable. The author also mentions an option that is probably often overlooked, self help.
After reading this book for a second time, I can still say that it is one of the best I have ever read. It is incredibly informative, explains things of a medical nature in a way that a person without that type of education can understand, and gives excellent real life examples. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering seeking out help for mental health issues. I would hope that after reading this book, anyone who had previously considered going to see a psychiatrist, because the profession seems prestigious or because they want the quick fix that pills supposedly can bring, would reconsider. I think if more of the population read this book, we could be on our way to breaking down the profession of psychiatry as a whole, like Dr. Breggin makes mention of in the final chapter.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 