Channel Title: Medicating Normal Channel Description: "Medicating Normal", feature length documentary, 76 minutes Combining cinema verité and investigative journalism, "Medicating Normal" follows the journey of five Americans – a newly married couple, an army combat veteran, a student, and a waitress. All suffered from problems that used to be considered part of the normal fluctuations of human emotion—mild depression, anxiety, sleeplessness—and all but one were seriously debilitated by the psychoactive drugs commonly prescribed to treat these issues. "Medicating Normal" is the untold story of what can happen when profit-driven medicine intersects with human beings in distress. <video> UCLA - David Geffen School of Medicine - "Medicating Normal" Post-Screening Panel Discussion/Q&A Description: On October 26, 2023, a hybrid film screening of the documentary "Medicating Normal" was presented at the UCLA Iris Cantor Auditorium. This is a recording of the post-screening expert panel discussion and audience Q&A. The panel includes David Cohen, PhD; Lynn Cunningham; and Peter Eliasberg; and was moderated by Helena Hansen, MD, PhD. Film synopsis: As seen on PBS, Medicating Normal, an award-winning documentary, tells the untold story of the long-term consequences of taking prescribed psychiatric medications (anti-anxiety meds, sleeping pills, antidepressants, ADHD meds, etc). The film relays the experiences of a newly-married couple, a female combat veteran, a waitress and a teenager made worse by the very medications they believed would help. The film’s subjects struggle with serious physical and mental side effects, including neurological damage, while taking the medications and also from attempting to withdraw. One-in-five Americans take these commonly-prescribed medications daily, and often for a lifetime. The claims extolling their benefits are often the only ones presented in mainstream media. The other side of the story is rarely reported, and it is a story of harm done. Co-sponsored by the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Research Theme in Health Equity & Translational Social Science (HETSS), Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center, UCLA Psychiatry Department, Center for Social Medicine and Humanities, and the Rangell Social Medicine Grand Rounds Series #UCLA #UCLAHealth #DGSOM #DGSOMUCLA #BruinProud #MedSchool #medicalstudent Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ Learn More About the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA · Official Site: https://medschool.ucla.edu · Follow DGSOM on Instagram: https://uclahs.fyi/3zPsIfw · Follow DGSOM on Twitter: https://uclahs.fyi/3tK1MtH · Follow DGSOM on Linkedin: https://uclahs.fyi/3Quh3J3 · Like DGSOM on Facebook: https://uclahs.fyi/3tHZLhC · Subscribe to DGSOM on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidGeffenSchoolofMedicineatUCLA </video> <video> A Conversation w/ Emily Grey: Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Guest Bio: Emily Grey is a medical activist using her lived experience of PSSD to advocate for awareness, recognition, and research for the condition. She has suffered from PSSD since March 2019 after taking the SSRI citalopram. She is teaming up with researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa to increase knowledge about the experiences of people with PSSD. She believes in informed consent for all people receiving mental health treatment. Emily has been telling her story and helping others tell theirs for four years. RESOURCES: PSSD Network: https://www.pssdnetwork.org/ PSSD Network Twitter: @PSSDNetwork or https://twitter.com/PSSDNetwork Recent article in the Guardian on PSSD: https://www.theguardian.com/.../ssri-antidepressants... Diagnostic criteria: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8925105/ One of Dr Melcangi's papers, more available on PSSD Network website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S002228602201345X... Interview with Dr Irwin Goldstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VhQVQvbL7I Queens University Sexual Health Research Lab: https://www.sexlab.ca/pssd Emily Rice's thesis on PSSD: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/.../861ccec9-f4ae-4082-8546... Yassie Pirani, counsellor: https://www.willowleafcounselling.ca/yassie Dr Lori Brotto, UBC Sexual Health Research Lab: https://brottolab.med.ubc.ca/about/dr-lori-brotto/ National PSSD associations: -Germany: https://www.pssd-hilfe.de/ -Finland: https://www.pssd-suomi.com/en -UK: https://www.pssd-uk.org/ -Canada: https://www.pssdcanada.ca/ </video> <video> "Medicating Normal" | Docu | 76-min | EN (CC in: ES, DA, DE, FR, HE, IT, JA, NL, NO, PL, PT, SV, ZH) Description: This full-length, award-winning documentary unearths the shattering truth that millions of people worldwide are injured by prescribed psychiatric medications. Interweaving stories of harm with expert testimony, the film reveals how a profit-driven industry hides the risks of long-term use. This untold story is a compelling call to examine the consequences of medicating normal human suffering. Featuring Experts: -Anna Lembke, MD, Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical School, Author, "Dopamine Nation" -Peter Gøtzsche, Danish physician and medical researcher, Co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration, Director, Institute for Scientific Freedom -David Cohen, PhD., researcher, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Development at Luskin School of Social Work, University of California Los Angeles, Co-author, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" -Robert Whitaker, Science Journalist, Author, "Mad in America" and "Anatomy of an Epidemic." -Allen Frances M.D., Psychiatrist, Professor and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, co-chair of DSM-IV Task Force, Author, "Saving Normal" -Mary Vieten, PhD., Psychologist, Executive Director of Warfighter ADVANCE, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Ethical Psychology & Psychiatry, ISEPP -Ellen Vora, M.D., psychiatrist and author, "The Anatomy of Anxiety" For more information, visit https://www.medicatingnormal.com Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm </video> <video> A Convo w/ Naftal Benisty: Benzodiazepine Reinstating/Holding & “Benzotired” Podcast Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ Guest bio: Naftal Benisty is a trained Social Worker from the Netherlands. Naftal contracted Lyme disease in the Summer of 2016. After antibiotic treatment for Lyme, shortly after he developed a severe form of tinnitus. After two months of barely sleeping and trying homeopathic remedies as a sleeping aid with no avail, he declined rapidly. Desperate, exhausted and cognitively declined he begged his G.P. for a sleeping aid and he was prescribed several Benzodiazepines. Despite instantly having adverse effects, he would settle taking anything for some relief. By 2020 Naftal was on a staggering amount of Benzos and dealing with severe fatigue almost every day. In January 2021 thought the Benzo wasn’t effective anymore and briefly checked the internet for an alternative. He asked his prescriber to switch him to a Z-drug. After instantly switching, he experienced his first psychosis a week later. Still not knowledgeable about Benzodiazepines, he did connect his psychosis to switching medications and reinstated. Naftal had a gut feeling something was wrong and sought professional help. After five years on being on high levels of Benzos, he finally got treated for tinnitus and insomnia with cognitive behavioral therapy. Learning there is no such thing as a sleeping aid that helps long term, he wanted to come off the Benzo. To rapid tapers, an instant switch to Valium (Diazepam) and cold turkey events led to a life-threatening event and kindling. Eventually he instated 7 milligrams of Valium (Diazepam) and ended up holding on 5 milligrams of Valium. After months of acute withdrawal; barely sleeping, psychosis, grand mal seizures, akathisia and an endless list of debilitating symptoms, he went to look online in a state of severe cognitive impairment and found a few sources like the Ashton Manual. Shocked to learn what happened to him and the uneducated medical community, he was compelled to speak out and inform others. In October 2022 Naftal started his podcast Benzotired as a novice, which mostly revolves about this journey trying to come off and finding information about Benzodiazepines. Additionally, he advocates for awareness in his country. Throughout the show he has guests on who share their story being harmed by Benzodiazepines. Benzotired is best listened to on Spotify. RELEVANT LINKS: “Benzotired” podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HHdbrsbTpMMmlrL9TCWfi Website: https://benzotired.jimdosite.com Email: benzotired@outlook.com Unlock bonus "Benzotired" content: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/benzotired/subscribe </video> <video> What a Doctor Learned About Benzodiazepines Is Not Taught in Med Schools Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ This clip is an excerpt from the following full video interview: https://youtu.be/htNq0ju45V8?si=D4NyV6tG-TLYtA_T Guest bio: Dr. Patricia Halligan is an Addiction Psychiatrist. She completed her psychiatry residency at Cornell-The New York Hospital and Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is double board certified in General and Addiction Psychiatry and holds medical licenses in both New York and South Carolina. Dr. Halligan is an advocate for those suffering during the Opioid Epidemic and an avid Buprenorphine prescriber since 2003. She is active in the fight against the overprescribing of Benzodiazepines and Z drugs and has been performing long slow Valium tapers in her private practice for decades. Dr. Halligan believes in the power of connection and trained at the Center for Group Studies in NYC to run modern analytic groups for people in recovery. To learn more about Dr. Halligan, visit: https://www.drpatriciahalligan.com/ RELEVANT LINKS: Ashton Manual (BENZODIAZEPINES: HOW THEY WORK AND HOW TO WITHDRAW): https://www.benzoinfo.com/ashtonmanual/ </video> <video> Prominent Psychiatrist Fired For Telling Truth About Drug Trials Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ This clip is an excerpt from the following full video: https://youtu.be/-iY30swDoyw?si=RZHAMxiJ7bMw6uh- Guest Bio: David Healy is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton Canada. He has been raising concerns about withdrawal from antidepressants and suicide and other behavioural problems especially in children since the mid-1990s and was an expert witness in a successful legal case about withdrawal and dependence in 2004 and in regulatory hearings about suicide in younger people at the same time. He figures we have made little or no progress sorting these issues out and now have several major public health crises on our hands. David Healy, MD is the author of twenty books to include Shipwreck of the Singular: Healthcare’s Castaways, Children of the Cure: Missing Data, Lost Lives and Antidepressants, and Pharmageddon among others. He is also the founder of RxISK.org, a website dedicated to educating and empowering patients to have better conversations about their meds with their doctors and to collect data on the unintended consequences of prescription medications so that we can draw attention to them. RELEVANT LINKS: Dr. Healy's website: https://davidhealy.org RxIsk: https://RxISK.org/ Healy on FB: https://www.facebook.com/david.healy.7773 Healy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidHealy Healy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidhealy6933/videos </video> <video> Why do most doctors dismiss people's experience of psych drug withdrawal? Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ This clip is an excerpt from the following full video: https://youtu.be/8aZEu9IhaBA Guest Bio: Mark Horowitz is a training psychiatrist and researcher who has a Ph.D. from King’s College London on the neurobiology of depression and the action of antidepressants. He also, for many years, took the drugs he prescribed. When he tried to come off them, he had a quick and sharp education into the world of withdrawal and the lack of knowledge in the medical field about this topic. Since then, he has tried to bring more awareness to the topic of safe de-prescribing of psychotropic drugs through his academic work, including articles published on how to safely taper antidepressants and antipsychotics, and work with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK on developing their guidance for patients stopping antidepressants. He is currently the clinical research fellow on the RADAR trial in London, looking at the effect of gradually tapering people with schizophrenia off their antipsychotics. Follow Mark Horowitz: Mark's website: https://markhorowitz.org/ Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/markhoro </video> <video> If Psychiatric Drugs Don’t Cure Disease, What Do They Do? Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm This clip is an excerpt from the following full interview: https://youtu.be/81YMjwry6zI Guest Bio: Joanna Moncrieff, MD is a Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and works as a consultant psychiatrist at the North East London Foundation Trust. She has been writing about the over-use and misrepresentation of psychiatric drugs since the 1990s and she has also researched and written about the history, politics and philosophy of psychiatry more generally. She is currently leading UK government-funded research on reducing and discontinuing antipsychotic drug treatment (the RADAR study), and collaborating on a study to support antidepressant discontinuation. In the 1990s she co-founded the Critical Psychiatry Network to link up with other, like-minded psychiatrists. She is the author of numerous papers and her books include A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs Second edition (PCCS Books), published in September 2020, as well as The Bitterest Pills: The Troubling Story of Antipsychotic Drugs (2013) and The Myth of the Chemical Cure (2009) (Palgrave Macmillan). Dr. Moncrieff's Website: https://joannamoncrieff.com/ Dr. Moncrieff's Books: https://joannamoncrieff.com/upcoming-talks/ Dr. Moncrieff's Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannamoncrieff For more information, including links to the scientific evidence base for the statements in this video, as well as further resources: http://medicatingnormal.com/ </video> <video> Multiple Drug Combinations Are Not Tested in Trials & Often Cause Harm Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ This clip is an excerpt from the following full interview: https://youtu.be/eL79Npa4uYI Guest bio: Raymond Singer, Ph.D., board certified by the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, with Added Forensic Qualifications, and a full member of the Society of Toxicology, specializes in evaluating the effects of toxic substances on nervous system and behavioral function. He has adapted available technology and methods in behavioral and neural science to applied problems of toxicology, helping scientists, doctors and the public to understand the extent of toxic illness in our society. His vita shows over 125 books, papers, presentations, abstracts and workshops to his peers and to the public on toxicology-related issues, including presentations to the Society of Toxicology, American College of Toxicology, International Neurotoxicology Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, American Academy of Forensic Psychology, American Chemical Society, World Congress of Pathology, International Congress of Occupational Health, World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, and the World Health Organization. Dr. Singer also communicates neurotoxic science to non-scientists, including courts, juries, citizen groups, radio audiences, etc. His opinions have been accepted in numerous state and federal courts in the United States of America regarding disability claims, personal injury matters, and criminal cases, including death penalty cases. Dr. Singer has served as an expert witness in numerous landmark cases, including the Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange litigation-- wherein he testified that herbicides and dioxins damaged the veterans' nervous systems; the Shilling case in Ohio, wherein the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously opined that a neuropsychologist can testify that plaintiffs' multiple sclerosis-like conditions were due to gasoline poisoning; and the Bonner case, where his innovative forensic methods were upheld after exacting scrutiny by a Federal Appeals Court. Governmental and other agencies that he has assisted in toxicological matters include the United States Department of Justice - Environmental Crimes Section, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was employed by the National Renewable Fuels Association to inform the United States Congress regarding the relative safety of alcohol based- versus MTBE based - fuel additives. (Against Dr. Singer's recommendations, MTBE was introduced into the US energy supply, only to be found years later to be a persistent and troubling environmental pollutant, now banned in at least 15 states). He has presented written testimony to the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology , United States House of Representatives, regarding neurotoxic substances at home and in the workplace. Dr. Singer has assisted German Federal lawmakers regarding neurotoxic chemical problems in our society by lecturing in The Great Hall of Parliament, Wasserwerk, Bonn , funded by and upon invitation of the German Federal Government, SPD Bundestagfraktion. Dr. Singer was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Washington State University in 1978. He had been a USA National Institute of Health Post-Doctoral Fellow in Biological Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine. In addition, he had been a USA National Institute of Health Post-Doctoral Fellow in Environmental Epidemiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, under the direction of Irving J. Selikoff, M.D. (a prominent and pioneering public health scientist and doctor who revealed the widespread toxicological problems of asbestos and other low-level pollutants). Link to Raymond Singer's website on recognizing neurotoxicity: https://neurotox.com/project/recognizing-neurotoxicity/ </video> <video> A Convo w/ Kaitlin Wilson: Healing from Delayed and Protracted Effexor Withdrawal Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ Guest Bio: Kaitlin Wilson is a Holistic Nutritionist who lives in Saskatoon, a small city in central Canada. She has traveled and lived in several different cities such as Melbourne AUS. Perth AUS. London UK, and Toronto, Canada where she worked in wine regulation for several years. She was prescribed Effexor at the age of 21 after returning to Canada from Australia, not knowing how this would destroy her life years later. After tapering off the drug in 2018 using a compounding solution, even though she went more slowly than doctors recommended, it was still too fast. She went into a latent withdrawal 1.5 years after discontinuation and has been in protracted withdrawal for the last 3 years. RELEVANT LINKS: Follow Kaitlin Wilson on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaitlinraenutrition/?paipv=0&eav=AfaGguwmoo-Tc0gczxIjuQDjqdavkk4KrpGIQykope2q3N5y5GMt8RVzAc0MhoLmG0E&_rdr Baylissa Frederick's Membership Support Communities: https://baylissa.com https://compassionfocusedhealing.com Surviving Antidepressants Forum: https://survivingantidepressants.org Article, "Estimating Risk of Antidepressant Withdrawal from a Review of Published Data": https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36513909/ Some Effexor Withdrawal Facebook Groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/279738350483330 https://www.facebook.com/groups/221442677940995 https://www.facebook.com/groups/effexorsupportgroup https://www.facebook.com/groups/103788426372995 </video> <video> A Pharmacy Student's Take on Benzodiazepines: Dejanee Neal Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ Guest Bio: Dejanee Neal is a fourth year pharmacy student at St. John Fisher University and her goal is to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry in clinical development; specifically in the areas of oncology and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. She's worked as a community pharmacy intern and served as an extern with The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices (ABBP). She assisted The ABBP with a research project regarding the appropriate prescribing and deprescribing of benzodiazepines, and published a research article of her own about the cognitive consequences of long term benzodiazepine use. RELEVANT LINKS: Cognitive Consequences of Benzodiazepine Use: Is it Worth Losing Our Mind Over? https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/cognitive-consequences-of-benzodiazepine-use-is-it-worth-losing-our-mind-over- Data Show Cognitive Consequences of Benzodiazepine Use https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/data-show-cognitive-consequences-of-benzodiazepine-useSubscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices: https://benzoreform.org Benzodiazepine Information Coalition: https://www.benzoinfo.com </video> <video> A Conversation w Mary Ruddick: Wisdom from the Last Remaining Traditional Cultures Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Guest Bio: Dubbed the "Sherlock Holmes of Health" for her unique ability to expeditiously assess and remediate rare neuromuscular conditions that others have deemed impossible, Mary Ruddick is an ancestral nutritionist and experiential anthropologist who specializes in neuromuscular disorders, infertility, and disabling chronic disease. She can regularly be found endangering herself in the untouched corners of the world to learn from and distill the wisdom from the last remaining traditional cultures. She shares her findings and knowledge via her sought after keynote speeches, 100+ podcast appearances, her published articles, and her work both in front and behind the camera. RELEVANT LINKS: Mary's website: https://www.maryruddick.com </video> <video> A Conversation w/ Asli Anik: People’s Experiences Healing from Prescribed Benzodiazepines Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Guest Bio: Dr. Asli Anik is a Counselling Psychologist living in the UK who has been working as a psychological therapist in the National Health Service for 6 years. Her recently completed doctoral research, which was supervised by Professor John Read, explores people’s experiences of healing from prescribed benzodiazepine dependence, what they found helpful during this process, and their views on what future services in the UK should look like. RELEVANT LINKS: Dr. Anik’s doctoral research: https://repository.uel.ac.uk/download/ee654c822fd1e1a0248e2dca97b81435b3da1fe1f6bcf8722185390ceca6fa7c/67406873/2023_DCounPsy_Anik.pdf The name of the task force that Nicole (host) couldn't remember during the interview is: The International Task Force on Benzodiazepines https://karger.com/pps/article-pdf/87/4/193/3482040/000489538.pdf Guidance for Psychological Therapists: Enabling conversations with clients taking or withdrawing from prescribed psychiatric drugs Guidance: https://prescribeddrug.info/ Resources & Coping Tools: https://prescribeddrug.info/guidance-for-psychological-therapists/appendix-a-resources/ Lived Experience Advisory Panel for Prescribed Drug Dependence Main website: https://leap4pdd.org/ Resources page: https://leap4pdd.org/resources-for-individuals/ There is still one helpline available (the Bristol Tranquilliser Project helpline that is still mentioned in some of the resources has sadly shut down): Postscript360 (formerly Battle Against Tranquillisers) https://www.postscript360.org.uk/ Telephone helpline supporting anyone in England and Wales regarding benzodiazepines, z drugs, gabapentinoids, and painkillers 0117 966 3629 Open 10am to 4pm weekdays General Medical Council: Who to complain to – information for patients in England https://www.gmc-uk.org/- /media/documents/DC6512_Who_to_complain_to___England.pdf_57957369.pdf Benzodiazepine litigation and successful compensation claims: https://benzo.org.uk/legal/index.htm Counselling Psychologist Diane Hammersley’s thesis: An Exploration of How Therapists View Therapeutic Process in Relation to Clients who are Taking Benzodiazepines https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/30923/1/Hammersley%20thesis%202002%20PDF- A.pdf Diane Hammersley is also the author of Counselling People on Prescribed Drugs (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Counselling-People-Prescribed-Therapy- Practice/dp/0803988877), published in 1995, and worked on The Withdraw Project from 1986, which offered psychological therapy for people wanting to withdraw from benzodiazepines. Public Health England (2019) report: Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines: an evidence review. [This is the report showing that that 26% of adults in England, that’s 1 in 4, are prescribed dependence forming drugs.] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data /file/829777/PHE_PMR_report.pdf The action plan for the report above: NHS England (2023). Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care. https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/optimising-personalised-care-for-adults-prescribed- medicines-associated-with-dependence-or-withdrawal-symptoms/ The government has a moral duty to help those harmed by prescribed dependence forming drugs https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj.p1417 The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs (The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines Series): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maudsley-Deprescribing-Guidelines-Antidepressants- Benzodiazepines- ebook/dp/B0CRMV5S71/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= </video> <video> Peter’s Antidepressant & Benzodiazepine Harm—Presented to UCLA Medical School Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ On October 26, 2023, a hybrid film screening of the documentary "Medicating Normal" was presented at the UCLA Iris Cantor Auditorium. This is clip from the recording of the post-screening expert panel discussion and audience Q&A. The full recording can be found here: https://youtu.be/1ND0mhMixfk?si=SNR269CppgfynLsp Peter Eliasberg (featured in this clip) was a member of the post-screening expert panel. Peter is a civil rights lawyer who lives in Los Angeles. Before going to law school, he worked as a freelance photographer and, before that, coached rowing. His life was upended for 4.5 years after he got off an #antidepressant way too quickly. The harmful effects of #withdrawal were exacerbated by his being prescribed a #benzodiazepine that he was advised would help with horrific #insomnia, which was one of the symptoms of antidepressant withdrawal. </video> <video> A Conversation w/ Dr. Georgia Ede - “Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind” Description: Subscribe to Medicating Normal's YouTube channel: https://buff.ly/39Tupxr To view “Medicating Normal," go to: https://medicatingnormal.com/watch Donate to "Medicating Normal Outreach: https://medicatingnmormal.com/donate Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/MNFilm Purchase a DVD (U.S. and Puerto Rico): https://medicatingnormal.gumroad.com/l/MN_DVD Medicating Normal Stickers: https://medicatingnormal.com/stickers/ Guest Bio: Dr. Georgia Ede is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in nutrition science, brain metabolism, and mental health. Her two decades of clinical experience includes twelve years at Smith College and Harvard University Health Services, where she was the first to offer nutrition-based therapies as an alternative to psychiatric medications. Dr. Ede speaks internationally about dietary approaches to psychiatric disorders, nutrition science, and nutrition policy reform. She is also the creator and director of the first medically accredited course in ketogenic diets for mental health practitioners. In 2022, she co-authored the first inpatient study of the ketogenic diet for serious mental illnesses and was honored to be named a recipient of the Baszucki Brain Research Fund’s first annual Metabolic Mind Award. Dr. Ede is the author of the upcoming book, "Change Your Diet Change Your Mind" (on sale 1/30/2024), a revolutionary guide that shows the powerful way we can change brain chemistry with food. RELEVANT LINKS: Pre-Order “Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind” (Releasing Jan 30, 2024): https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dr-georgia-ede-m-d/change-your-diet-change-your-mind/9781538739075/?lens=balance Pre-Order “Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind” (Releasing Jan 30, 2024) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Diet-Mind-Powerful/dp/1538739070/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J020LLOY16UB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GmFbv_RNGAZqMpd4GEdDFWeHJPvfm8u55Y0TVVFjB3htZYYiWb3g5gFy7-QfTkBKBOqjqLyRb2qWVrPfDHz3w44dI6jEH1MdXzpSSB6AXz4z4VOqQ3v_CI9HMfAnDZb4_gTPYU_M_3pSaNDlVRVFiw.rez9s7V4SLWB8nrNMNCYy9gOdjFBkMe8ZmdHxV9eOu4&dib_tag=se&keywords=change+your+diet+change+your+mind&qid=1705244618&sprefix=change+your+diet+change+your+mind%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1 Ketogenic Diets for Mental Health Clinician Directory: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/directory Ketogenic Diets for Mental Health Clinician Training Course: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/training "Why We Get Sick" by Dr. Ben Bikman: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Sick-Epidemic/dp/1953295770/ref=asc_df_1953295770/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=680431421925&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9850488645774765007&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008450&hvtargid=pla-1347604678069&psc=1&mcid=71b0f215ee06347388cd24a5ab53c71d Follow Dr. Ede on Social Media: Dre. Ede’s Website: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/ Dr. Ede on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaEdeMd Dr. Ede on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/ Dr. Ede on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgiaEdeMD </video>

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Description

"Medicating Normal", feature length documentary, 76 minutes

Combining cinema verité and investigative journalism, "Medicating Normal" follows the journey of five Americans – a newly married couple, an army combat veteran, a student, and a waitress. All suffered from problems that used to be considered part of the normal fluctuations of human emotion—mild depression, anxiety, sleeplessness—and all but one were seriously debilitated by the psychoactive drugs commonly prescribed to treat these issues.

"Medicating Normal" is the untold story of what can happen when profit-driven medicine intersects with human beings in distress.

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