ABSTRACT
Psychiatric drugs are prescribed by psychiatrists and general practitioners to almost everyone with a psychiatric diagnosis. This chapter suggests alternatives to psycho-pharmacological psychiatry. It argues that education about the risks of psychiatric drugs and problems associated with withdrawal, as well as physical health monitoring, can reduce mortality in psychiatric patients, and enhance wellbeing. Supporting the self-help efforts of people in severe emotional distress and collaborating with dedicated family members, community members, and professionals in the development of humanistically oriented support systems should be strategies of first choice for all countries in their approaches to sustainable development goals 3, including lower- and middle-income countries. Such strategies will safeguard psychiatric patients’ civil rights simultaneously. Some psychiatrists and major pharmaceutical companies deny that the effects of psychotropic drugs are a significant factor in reduced life expectancy. Poorly developed primary care community-based service infrastructure for psychiatric patients deter recovery and in some cases, increase mortality.
