Published February 8, 2011
Updated May 15, 2025
If you’ve ever typed “psychiatric meds ruined my life” into Google, you’re not alone — and you deserve better answers than fear-based clickbait. I hear from quite a few people, generally part of special interest groups, who think psych meds are evil, psychiatrists are evil, or psychologists are evil. When groups like Scientology aren’t driving these ideas, these statements of hatred often come from negative personal experiences with psych meds or psychiatry/psychology. Often, these people are lashing out emotionally because they didn’t like how the medicine or other form of treatment went. I get that. Once burned, twice an antipsychiatrist, I guess.
Psych Meds: Why the Hate?
When you tie yourself in knots, live through painful psych treatments, and do things you never thought you would do to get better, and then you don’t get better, you get bitter. I’d say that’s pretty normal and understandable. I’ve certainly experienced this (although I’m far too logical and even-minded to exhibit the fanatical stance seen by others).
But here’s the thing: psychiatry is no more evil than any other branch of medicine; psychiatrists are just doing the best they can with the tools they have. (And yes, I wish they had better tools.)
Let’s not forget, oncologists fight cancer with literal poison and treatments that can kill you; they just hope to kill the cancer before the patient. No one claims they are evil.
When Psychiatry Fails
If we take me as an example, I have had many nasty interactions with the field of mental health:
- I’ve had a psychiatrist not listen to me or my symptoms, which led to a misdiagnosis.
- I’ve had doctors not care about the painful side effects I experienced.
- Psychiatrists have typically not tracked my blood pressure or weight, even when it is standard practice as defined by the prescribing information on many antipsychotics.
- I wasn’t made aware of the tardive dyskinesia and diabetes risks with antipsychotics.
- I had a doctor turn on my vagus nerve stimulator five times higher than it was supposed to be, causing great amounts of pain and trauma.
- I’ve had psychiatrists refuse to treat me because “[I’ve] tried every treatment and none of them have worked. What’s the point in you [me] having a doctor?”
Granted, that sounds pretty bad. I get that. Totally. But keep in mind, some of these things could have been averted by me, and we’re talking about more than 20 years of data. Stuff happens in 20 years.
Positives About Psychiatry and Psych Meds
I could list others like quality of life and quality of skydive, but when it comes down to it, not being dead is really the key.
What Antipsychiatry Groups Don’t Tell You
I don’t usually call people or groups out on my blog. That’s because I don’t want to engage in some sort of ridiculous flame war. I like to live and let live. But honestly, Scientologists and antipsychiatry groups like them harm the mentally ill so gravely that they cannot be ignored.
Lies and Misinformation from a Scientology Group
A major Scientology site that I will not name (and their connection with Scientology is hidden) has articles like the following as of 2025:
- Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock — Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of their favorite boogeymen. I can understand why. It’s a difficult treatment, and some people have had bad experiences. That said, it is nowhere near torture. It is a medical procedure that is given while the patient is under general anesthesia. One recent study showed that ECT was associated with a 50% reduction in the risk of suicide in patients with depression in the year after their hospitalization. This is particularly impressive as ECT tends to be given to patients who are in the worst situations and have failed many treatments. (Yes, I have undergone this treatment.)
- Psychiatric Disorders Are Not Medical Diseases — Psychiatric disorders are medical disorders. And while they can’t be pinpointed with biomarkers yet (researchers are working on it), this is also true of many other real medical issues like migraines. No one says that migraines aren’t real despite the fact that there is no biological proof of their existence (because there aren’t special interest groups dedicated to disparaging them).
- The Brain Is Not the Real Cause of Life’s Problems — Well, that depends. When you have a problem in life, it is not necessarily caused by your brain. It might be a divorce. Ot a death. Or one of a myriad other things. But that doesn’t mean the brain can’t be the cause (or main cause) of some people’s problems. (such as for those experiencing a bipolar mood episode). And we understand more and more every day about the functional and structural differences in the brain of those with illnesses like bipolar disorder. Yes, your brain can be causing your problems.
- Child Drugging: Psychiatry Destroying Lives — No one wants to put a child on medication. No one. Parents agonize about this choice. But the fact is, some children need medication in order to function in school and at home. I don’t think I need to tell you that any medication that is approved for use in children has to show benefit according to multiple studies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. But if you want to get into the weeds about what psychotropic medication does to children’s brains, you can see here. I’ve also written specifically about children on lithium. Some children need medication, just like some adults do.
- Community Ruin: Psychiatry’s Coercive ‘Care’ — This is maybe the most ridiculous claim. Where I live, and in most cities, people who are experiencing homelessness are dying for more psychiatric care. This is a bit of an older number, but I suspect it has only gotten worse: It has been estimated that 25% of people who are homeless have a serious mental illness, and 45% have any mental illness. If those people could get adequate treatment and help to get off the street, that would no doubt improve the community, not ruin it.
Note, when I make a claim in the above, it is backed up by science. When antipsychiatrists make a claim, it is backed up by what, a feeling’? An anecdote? The problem with that is that I can find an anecdote or a feeling that says anything. Anecdotes and feelings don’t actually make things true. That’s why science studies illness — so we know what is true. All antipsychiatrists do is stoke fear based on little to no data whatsoever.
Here are some additional thoughts on antipsychiatry.
Some Doctors Do Bad Things
I would never suggest that there aren’t bad, abusive, fraudulent, money-focused, uncaring doctors, psychiatrists or psychologists out there. They are like every other segment of the population: some of them are paragons of their profession, and some of them definitely aren’t. And those who break the law should surely be prosecuted, just like anyone else.
But really, basing the opinion of an entire field of medicine on the minority who hurt others is like getting food poisoning at a restaurant and then never going out to eat again because “all restaurants are out to make you sick.”
Psychiatry and Psychology Have Saved 1000s of Lives
I could write an article every day forever about how many people psychiatry has saved. I know nasty special interest groups deny it, but every day, people are helped by mental health care professionals.
Mental Illness Exists
One of the more hurtful lies these people tell is that mental illness doesn’t exist. Again, I could fill an entire book proving the physical nature of mental illness, but for now, I’ll just link to an in-depth explanation of what we know about the pathophysiology of bipolar.
Psychiatry and Psychology Have Saved My Life
I’m not kidding about that. For all their flaws, of which there are many, I wouldn’t have survived this long without psychiatry, psych meds, and psychology. Moreover, I wouldn’t have experienced the quality of life I have had for the past couple of decades.
Admittedly, now isn’t the best time for me. Now, psychiatry is having a really hard time with me. Now, things are looking bleak. But current failure does not destroy past success. It’s quite possible to rid someone of cancer only to have it reappear years later. This isn’t because the doctor did anything wrong per se, it’s just that we’re all working with the best tools we have, and they’re far from perfect.
If you want to hate psych meds, psychiatrists, and psychologists, you are quite free to do so. I’m not going to forcibly drag you to an appointment. But to make claims that essentially assert psychiatry and psychology are evil and that mental illness doesn’t exist is to be uninformed, disingenuous, ignorant, and ultimately extremely harmful to the people around you.
In short, stop spreading this vitriolic hatred that stops mentally ill people who truly need help from getting it.
If this article helped you, share it. Someone you know may need evidence more than fear.
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