Summary of Interviewing Jim Gottstein of psychrights.org (rebroadcast nov. 15, 20220)

00:00:00 - 00:45:00

In this YouTube video, Jim Gottstein, founder of psychrights.org, discusses various topics related to mental health. He shares personal experiences with mental health episodes and the societal implications of untreated mental illness. Gottstein emphasizes the negative effects of medication and highlights alternative methods to treating psychosis, such as the open dialogue approach in Finland and the Soteria house. He advocates for addressing childhood trauma and the underlying causes of psychosis to provide people with the support they need to recover. Gottstein stresses the importance of instilling hope in people and creating a safe environment without forcing treatment upon them. He also discusses successful programs such as International Peer Respite Soteria Summit and alternatives to psychiatric drugs.

• 00:00:00 clear from this section that the interview is with Jim Gottstein, an attorney who has worked for psychiatric patient rights. He discusses his personal experience with a mental health episode in 1982, which led to hospitalization and ultimately a diagnosis of mental illness. However, he was able to find a psychiatrist who helped him understand his condition and learn how to manage it. The discussion also touches on his interest in patient rights and the pharmaceutical industry, as evidenced by his book The Zyprexa Papers, which exposes issues with the antipsychotic medication Zyprexa made by Eli Lilly.
• 00:05:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein, founder of psychrights.org, discusses his struggles with sleep-deprivation and the steps he has taken to mitigate its effects. He also comments on the societal implications of untreated mental illness, particularly the problem of homelessness, arguing that the root cause is often a lack of resources and support for those who are severely mentally ill. Gottstein suggests that providing supervised group living arrangements, such as halfway houses, could help these individuals work towards greater stability in their lives.
• 00:10:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein discusses the use of antipsychotics, which he prefers to call neuroleptics. He explains how these drugs block 70 to 90 percent of dopamine transmission in the brain and act as a chemical lobotomy, which has been linked to brain abnormalities in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Gottstein argues that the assumption that mental illness is a permanent condition is largely caused by the drugs, and people can recover without them. He cites the open dialogue approach in Finland and the Soteria house in the 1970s as examples of alternative methods to treating psychosis, resulting in an 80 percent recovery rate, compared to the five to six percent rate in the current system.
• 00:15:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein, founder of psychrights.org, discusses his efforts to help people start and maintain programs that have been proven to work, such as Social Security and housing, to help socially acclimate and treat individuals with dignity, conversation, respect, and coordination rather than pharmacologically. He argues against the use of force and involuntary commitment in psychiatric imprisonment, and highlights the importance of making individuals with mental health conditions feel safe rather than escalating the problem through force. He also mentions the international peer respite and soteria Summit, which involves short-term crisis places where people can come to during an extreme state, staffed by people with lived experience of having gone through the system and gotten through it.
• 00:20:00 In this section, the speaker argues that while individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others should be locked up, it does not necessarily justify the use of drugs that can cause long-term damage. The speaker recommends a book that delves into the scientific studies regarding psychiatry and mental health, emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions about treatments. The speaker also discusses the insanity defense and explains that it does not really exist in the United States since winning on the insanity defense can lead to long-term psychiatric institutionalization.
• 00:25:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein of psychrights.org emphasizes the importance of engaging with people who have mental health issues and creating a safe environment without forcing treatment upon them. He cites research on the negative effects of drugs used in the mental health system and the shortened lifespan of people with serious mental illness. Gottstein advocates for addressing childhood trauma and the underlying causes of psychosis to provide people with the support they need to recover. He also discusses successful programs such as International Peer Respite Soteria Summit that prioritize patients' autonomy and focus on ensuring their safety without using force.
• 00:30:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein discusses the message that the current mental health system sends to individuals with mental illness, stating that it tells them to abandon hope and resign themselves to a life of taking medication and being hospitalized. He stresses the importance of instilling hope in people and having them believe in themselves. Gottstein also mentions a playlist of short videos that explain the basics of programs aimed at helping people with mental illness, including peer respite. Additionally, Gottstein responds to a question about whether schizophrenia is a unique condition that can be accurately diagnosed, and whether other countries have been more successful than the US in treating mental illness without medication. He explains that the World Health Organization has conducted studies on this topic, and Robert Whitaker's book Mad in America provides additional insight.
• 00:35:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein of psychrights.org discusses two studies conducted by the World Health Organization that found higher recovery rates for people diagnosed with schizophrenia in undeveloped countries compared to those in Western countries. The studies challenge the prevailing notion that medication is necessary for recovery from schizophrenia and suggest that over-medicating is a problem across various medical fields. Gottstein believes that medicine has moved from curing acute conditions to managing chronic ones, providing recurring revenue for pharmaceutical companies. He also shares that he was given melarel when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but does not take psychiatric medication anymore.
• 00:40:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein shares about his personal experience with using medication to manage his mental health issues. He discusses his preference for taking a benzo such as Halcyon for occasional use to block the cycle and achieve restful sleep. He also shares how he recognizes the warning signs of his symptoms escalating and takes action to prevent further progression. Jim emphasizes the importance of having insight into one's condition and finding effective strategies to manage symptoms. He also talks about the support he receives from his wife and how he has successfully managed his mental health for many years. Jim concludes by stating that, in his opinion, a diagnosis of mental illness is simply a diagnosis of being human.
• 00:45:00 In this section, Jim Gottstein of psychrights.org emphasizes the importance of having alternatives for individuals who choose not to take psychiatric drugs, such as peer respites, so-teria houses, open dialogues, intentional peer support, and healing homes, all of which have been shown to be effective. The goal is to make these approaches more available and mainstream, with the hope that we can achieve an 80% recovery rate at some point. Gottstein's email address is also shared for anyone who wishes to contact him.