To the Editor:Re “There’s a Reason So Many People Quit Antipsychotic Drugs,” by Daniel Bergner (Opinion guest essay, June 4):Thank you to Mr. Bergner and The New York Times for countering hate and prejudice and raising a voice of reason on the subject of forced psychiatric treatment.
There are so many of us: those who were harmed by forced treatment, those whose loved ones were harmed, those who lost loved ones to horrible physical side effects of psychotropic medications or to suicide when people chose death over another round of forced treatment.
Patients flock to the few places that offer effective, humane treatment modalities (Open Dialogue, Soteria House).
Providing housing without preconditions along with access to voluntary mental health services is the best evidence-based practice recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and used with great results all over the world.
But it does not create a lot of profit for pharmaceutical companies and psychiatric hospitals.
Persons:
Daniel Bergner, Bergner
Organizations:
New York Times, Mental Health Services Administration, U.S . Department of Health