IUBio

The Ravages of Haldol and Electric Shock Treatment on the Schizophrenic; A First-hand Account

J. C. jcl368 at airmail.net
Mon May 27 03:39:04 EST 1996


This is a letter written to me by a new friend of mine, who responded
to my posting on the subject of abusive mental hospitals.  I have heard
a great deal of drivel in these newsgroups claiming that psychoactive
drugs are not unpleasant, or harmful, or in any way destructive to
psychotics or schizophrenics.  These falsehoods are being spread
by neurobiologists, psychiatrists, and people from NAMI, who are
supposedly advocates of the mentally ill, who want nothing more than
to help them.

This letter is forwarded in its original format, unedited, other than the
fact that his and my name are omitted to protect our privacy.  My E-mail
address is above, however, and anyone wishing to respond can either send
such response there, or post it in the group and I will browse at my leisure.

I feel that this letter proves that people with psychotic disorders are not only
decent, kind human beings, who are no more likely than healthy people to be 
violent, but that they also respond to anti-psychotic drugs as would a person
with a normal nervous system.  Also there are some poignant lines on the topic
of electric shock.

The letter is reprinted with the permission of the author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


     Hi J.......,you seem very pasionate about defending the rights of
people with mental illness.My story is not as bad as yours but it was a very
bad place too be.I wasnt hospitalised because i shouldnt of been,i did need
treatment.When i lived in my apartment near here i became paranoid to leave
and began too see funny coulered lights and immagine all kinds of things.It
all really started one night when i set some candles down at my table.Alone
in my apartment i shut off the lights and began a low pitched chant.It was
like mmmmmmmmmmm   mmmmmmmmm ...after a couple minutes i seen something
coming from below come up through the coffee table and slowly float upwards
looking at me.It was glowing white and had a beard and was very human
looking except for the amazing features that made it so extrodinary.It was
about as tall as my hand and then dissapeared through the ceiling.Well i was
amazed and frightened and confused..Before i could get up, out of the
oppisite wall came a dark blackish green light.I knew it was evil and it
came towards me moving very fast.I got up and punched at it and it did
dissapear but unfortunately it returned many times after that.Just the
Blackish green light returned, the one i call good i have never seen
again...Well of all the bazare things i have fealt were happening to
me,paranoia,thinking im being watched.The one thing i am sure really did
happen was that experience...Anyway eventually i had to be taken by the
police out of my Apartment and i was put into a mental hospital..My first
experiences there were kind of unnusual. You see i didnt like anyone there i
thought they were all weird.But as i got to be there longer i became very
understanding,deffensive and felt alot of compassion for them..Jerry one guy
who was very kind was constantly worried that he would have to go for
electric shock treatment..I saw nurses ingnore him and tell him they didnt
know..Well Jerry was horrified,it was obvios as sick as he might have been
that Jerry knew he didnt want Electric Shock treatment....You see Jerry had
been given it twenty years before and told me everyday that it had done
horrible things to him.I here alot of diffrent things about it but in cases
of Electric Shock no matter what the Patient should always be given the
right to decide for themself....Well the result was Jerry became so scared
of the docters and nurses but they did help him somewhat.The Point is Nurses
and Docters in my oppinion have to be always reasuring the Patients always
kind and not make them feel like they have no control over what happens to
them.That is a horifying feeling and one that i experienced often.......Well
about me,i was also put on high doses of medication.My very first dose of
the drug Haldol was so high im sure it must have to be ilegal to give
someone who has never taken it so much.I began walking up and down the
hallway in complete agony.It was the most unpleasent feeling.It was really
torture,im sure my docter could have given it to me in gradual ammounts but
she gave me so much...It was horrible.....I ripped the thing to talk through
of the phone right off...I went up to this male nurse Vince who was one of
the kind people there and he gave me another drug that helped...Well that
was the last time i got to see my docter.The Haldol increased until i looked
like a zombie..I went for two weeks without eating,i lost an incredible
ammount of weight and the other side affects i don't even want to
mention.Even not eating,losing that much weight and vomiting and the other
things that involved several cathaders and whatever those are called i was
never taken off the drug or it was never decreased....Well i could no longer
think for my self i was incapable of defending myself...I could not talk to
my Docter the nurses had no answers for me...Well eventually one day i saw
my docter...Somehow i knew what i had to do...I pleaded with her to see her
and finnaly she agreed and i begged the bitch to take me off the
medication...I knew (Although noone will ever beleive me)that if i didnt beg
that she would continue torturing me.Thats what it was too Torture....Anyway
when i begged and pleaded with her she finnaly agreed (While Smiling)to
decrease my medication...Well i could mention lots of things that arent
right there...Like the Heating...It was always so hot in there...I mean it
was really too much...That may not seem like much but while being on that
Medication it is really hard when it is that Hot..The building defently
needs proper Heating and comforatable places to sit.While on some meds your
legs begin to constantly twitch and your back hurts..You can't lay down you
need somewhere comfaratble to sit...It is important.....Well before that i
was a boxer in training for the 96 olimpics...I lost all my muscle and now
im almost back in shape again finnaly two years later.I plan on trying to
fight Professional...Im 22 you know that.How old did you say you were if you
write back....I suffer from schyco Affective Dissorder my new Docter
thinks.It is not schycoPhrenia i don't here voices.Im on an anti phycotic
that is very light with no side affects...Well maybe you can write back
again..I am interested in helping maybe you can give me some
advice...Goodbye for now.Smile....D.....    






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