YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

The USC professor of law, psychiatry and psychology (in addition to a PhD in Psychoanalysis) talks about her history of schizophrenia, her multiple hospitalizations and how she has learned to manage it. They also talk about mental health and the law. - See more at: http://mentalpod.com/Elyn-Saks-on-Schiz ... kdiFe.dpuf

Thanks, guys, for reminding me that Lamictal can make all my skin fall off!

(JK, I'm fine...but I had forgotten about that bit.)

I don't even take Lamictal and now I'm worried.

Hi--

It is very sad to me to see how such a brilliant person as Dr Sachs embraces the medical model of mental illness when there is no scientific evidence for it.

As far as medications go, not only is there no scientific evidence that they give long term relief, but there is some evidence they harm the mind.

Also, there is no evidence for genetics playing a role.

Please see madinamerica.com and theicarusproject.net to validate what I have said. See what the experts and unbiased researchers have to say on this subject.

As a survivor of 10 years in and out of mental hospitals, carrying the label of paranoid schizophrenic, I was fortunate not to have taken the meds for long enough periods of time to become addicted, and not only have I survived this ordeal, but gone on to thrive.

I published a memoir on my experiences and now am establishing an online service to provide self-care alternatives for those caught in the mental health mill.

Perhaps there will be an interview in the near future of someone from the mental patient's movement. Like Robert Whitaker?

Thanks for reading this and doing some independent thinking!

I wasn't going to listen to this episode because psychiatrists are usually so dry and boring and schizophrenia seemed like such a hopeless diagnosis. I'm glad I took the time to listen. Dr. Saks is fascinating, so intelligent and proved to me that schizophrenia is not hopeless. With someone like her in our corner I can't help that feel that someday there might be hope of proper care for people with mental illness which is a lot of people these days. I immediately became warmed to her, respected her and liked her. I hope she'll be on again. Thank you Paul!

I love love love the episodes featuring intelligent, educated women (and men) like Dr. Saks and Mary O'Hara. Both hearing about their struggles while involved in academia and also hearing about their research endlessly fascinates me. Role models for sure.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the show.