As a psychotherapist (not a psychiatrist/Dr), DO NOT cut yourself off of your psych meds. They are literally drugs and you NEED to be weaned off of them gently by a professional. You can literally damage your brain, get sick, and/or die by stopping w/o professional guidance https://twitter.com/johnyelizar/status/1114978291197173760

As a therapist, whenever a client isn’t happy with their meds, I help them figure out specifically what they are unable with & how to advocate for themselves to the Dr. We can talk about how to ask for a change in prescription or a reducing the dose.

If you don’t trust your psychiatrist, try to find one you feel like you can talk to. Maybe you do need to come off your meds, but it isn’t safe to do it alone. For some, psych meds are a short term bandaid. Others need them daily & that’s ok. Everyone’s wellness looks different

Disclosure: I used to be on antidepressants from 2014-2016, but my insurance changed & I couldn’t afford them (and my psychiatrist stopped taking my calls). I had to stop my meds cold turkey & it felt like my brain was snapping. Felt like I was losing myself. I almost died.

(And I’m a vegan. And I exercise. All that stuff is great as parts of your larger lifestyle and self-care. But 1 thing & 1 strategy is not the magical key to health/wellness. Life and people are too complicated for that.)

And Black ppl esp have every right to not trust the medical profession. Every right. Historically and in the present day. That’s why we need to build our medical social support systems with providers (ideally providers of color) who we can trust. Health is wealth and all that.

Update: I’m plant-based, not vegan. https://twitter.com/queeringpsych/status/1115607881737474048?s=21 https://twitter.com/queeringpsych/status/1115607881737474048