Mental Health Support

... break the habits of thinking that were keeping them down, or maybe therapy for PTSD , and then they ease off their meds essentially "cured."

That ain't me. Without meds I inevitably revert to the dark paranoid nightmare place. I've got one foot in that world now because I quit (against doctor's advice) a med I don't like the side effects of. I feel like I've got more latitude to experiment than some people because even at my very worst I've never been a danger to myself or others. Well, except when I stopped eating enough or I ran until my feet bled... but these days I like to think people around me would notice such things and intervene. I'm not a loner living in my car or shack, or a funny looking guy in the library who doesn't talk, and I haven't been for a long time.

But I'm never "cured." When I do quit meds the downward spiral is inevitable. Same as if I quit my asthma meds I can't breathe. As a stupid teenager I'd "forget" or deliberately try to tough out the asthma without meds and inevitably end up in the ER, a few times in a hospital room. It didn't matter how stubborn or determined I was, without meds asthma kicked my ass. It's scary to think about now. That could have killed me.

Ask my wife, if I offer advice, run away!!! But I do have experiences to share, mostly of the "here's a stupid thing I did" variety. If I quit taking "crazy meds," gradually or cold turkey (and I have), sometimes I'm not the first to notice the consequences.