Behaviorism and Mental Health

Alternative perspective on psychiatry's so-called mental disorders | PHILIP HICKEY, PH.D.

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Tell Your Story
  • Submit Your Story
  • Moderation Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for benzodiazepines

An Anti-Psychiatry Music Video!

July 11, 2017 By Phil Hickey | 1 Comment

Two days ago, on July 9, Richard Lewis published on Mad in America a post in which he draws attention to the prolific worldwide prescribing of benzodiazepines, and the problems that this creates.  The article includes a music video of a song which Richard has written and performs.  The song is called Benzo Blue, and… Continue Reading

Klonopin and prozac withdrawal

April 25, 2016 By A reader | 5 Comments

          It’s been almost 3 months since I have ingested any antidepressants or benzos. Almost died after drinking a large amount of vodka with the daily does of pills. Went to a rehab for a month and have been clean since. This is after over 27 years of benzos and prozac. I am 60… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines: Miracle Drugs?

July 16, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 26 Comments

The first benzodiazepine – chlordiazepoxide – became available, from Hoffman-La Roche, in 1960, under the brand name Librium.  It was soon followed by: diazepam (Valium) 1963; nitrazepam (Mogadon) and oxazepam (Serax) in 1965; temazepam (Restoril) 1969; clorazepate (Tranxene) 1972; flurazepam (Dalmane) 1973; clonazepam (Klonopin) 1975; lorazepam (Ativan) in 1977; and alprazolam (Xanax) in 1981; etc. Benzodiazepines… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal: A Dilemma

January 7, 2015 By Phil Hickey | 53 Comments

On March 17, 2013, I wrote a post titled Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines.  In that post I wrote: “Withdrawal from these drugs is potentially dangerous, incidentally, and medical supervision is a good idea, especially if the dependence is marked.  Try to find a physician other than the one who got you hooked on them in the… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines and Aggression

December 26, 2014 By Phil Hickey | Leave a Comment

On November 19, 2014, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry published Benzodiazepine use and aggressive behaviour: A systematic review, by Bonnie Albrecht et al, from Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Here are the authors’ conclusions: “There appears to be a moderate association between some benzodiazepines and subsequent aggressive behaviour in humans. The circumstances under… Continue Reading

More on Benzos and Cognitive Damage

October 28, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 7 Comments

On September 9, 2014, the BMJ published an article by Sophie Billioti de Gage et al.  The article was titled Benzodiazepine use and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: case-control study, and concluded: “Benzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The stronger association observed for long term exposures reinforces the suspicion of a… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepine Use and Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

October 17, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 6 Comments

On September 9, 2014, the BMJ published an article by Sophie Billioti de Gage et al.  The article is titled Benzodiazepine use and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: case-control study.    The research was a study based on data from the Quebec health insurance program database. Here are the authors’ conclusion: “Benzodiazepine use is associated with an… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines: Disempowering and Dangerous

March 27, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 10 Comments

I recently read an article by Fredric Neuman, MD, Director of the Anxiety and Phobia Center at White Plains Hospital, NY.  The article is titled The Use of the Minor Tranquilizers: Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Valium, and was published in June 2012 by Psychology Today.  Thanks to Medicalskeptic for the link. Dr. Neuman opens by… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines: Dangerous Drugs

March 12, 2014 By Phil Hickey | 14 Comments

On February 25, Kristina Fiore published an article on MedPage today.  It’s titled Killing Pain: Xanax Tops Charts.  The article is based on a study conducted by Jann M et al, and published in the February 2014 issue of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice.  The study is titled Benzodiazepines: a major component in unintentional prescription… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

December 2, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 9 Comments

On November 28, I put up a post on the adverse effects of benzodiazepines, including the potential for protracted and serious withdrawal problems. Since then I’ve become aware of a helpful and interesting resource in this area.  It’s called Benzo Info, and is on Monica Cassani’s blog, BeyondMeds. Monica has first-hand experience of benzodiazepine withdrawal, and her… Continue Reading

Benzodiazepines – Adverse Effects

November 28, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 4 Comments

On November 25, Mad in America posted a link to an article in the Journal of Neurological Sciences.  The article is by Harnod et al, and is titled An Association between Benzodiazepine Use and Occurrence of Benign Brain Tumors.  The authors studied the records of  62,186 individuals in Taiwan  who had been prescribed a benzodiazepine… Continue Reading

Akathisia

June 18, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 40 Comments

Melissa, a commenter on a recent post, asked if I would do a post on akathisia. Akathisia literally means inability to sit.  People with this problem typically pace for long periods, and if they do sit down, they continue to keep moving and shifting their position in the chair. In severity it can range from… Continue Reading

Benzo Withdrawal: Another Story

March 21, 2013 By Phil Hickey | Leave a Comment

There’s another benzo withdrawal story on Mad in America:  The 99th Mile: When Benzo Withdrawal Meets Parenthood  by Melissa Bond. Melissa recounts that when her Down’s syndrome son was 18 months old and her baby daughter was three months, she consulted a physician because of problems with insomnia and consequent exhaustion.  He prescribed 2 mg… Continue Reading

More on Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

March 20, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 4 Comments

In my earlier post on this topic, I mentioned that benzo withdrawal can be dangerous, but it’s been drawn to my attention, by Monica, that perhaps I didn’t adequately stress how dangerous it can be in some cases. If you click here, you can read Monica’s own account of her experience in a detox center… Continue Reading

Withdrawal from Benzodiazepines

March 17, 2013 By Phil Hickey | 12 Comments

Important updates on this subject can be found at the posts listed at the bottom of the post. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I’ve recently come across an article by Matt Samet called Social Vacuum.  It’s dated March 2013, and was published on Robert… Continue Reading

Business As Usual

February 12, 2011 By Phil Hickey | Leave a Comment

Christopher Lane, author of Shyness has written an interesting post.  The gist of the matter is as follows. There’s a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines (benzos for short) that are promoted by Pharma and prescribed by psychiatrists to “treat” anxiety.  (As if anxiety were an illness!)  See my post on the So-called Anxiety Disorders. Benzos… Continue Reading

 

fb-share-icon
Visit Us
Follow Me
Tweet

Recent Articles

  • Torture at Lake Alice “Hospital”, New Zealand
  • Dr. Pies’ Non-Apology
  • Dr. Pies and The Chemical Imbalance Deception
  • Don’t Believe Everything You Read: Words Matter Desperately
  • Is Anti-Psychiatry Harmful?
  • Celebrating the Anti-Psychiatry Movement
  • Dr. Pies:  Still Going Wrong
  • A Psychiatrist Critiques Psychiatry, And Does A Great Job!
  • Dr. Aftab Interviews Dr. Pies
  • Is Psychiatry Dangerous?

The phrase "mental health" as used in the name of this website is simply a term of convenience. It specifically does not imply that the human problems embraced by this term are illnesses, or that their absence constitutes health. Indeed, the fundamental tenet of this site is that there are no mental illnesses, and that conceptualizing human problems in this way is spurious, destructive, disempowering, and stigmatizing.

Disclaimer

The purpose of this website is to provide a forum where current practices and ideas in the mental health field can be critically examined and discussed. It is not possible in this kind of context to provide psychological help or advice to individuals who may read this site, and nothing written here should be construed in this manner. Readers seeking psychological help should consult a qualified practitioner in their own local area. They should explain their concerns to this person and develop a trusting working relationship. It is only in a one-to-one relationship of this kind that specific advice should be given or taken.

Privacy Policy

Recent Comments

Popular Topics…

abuse ADHD akathisia alcohol alcohol/drugs antidepressants antipsychotics anxiety benzodiazepines bipolar books worth reading case study chemical imbalance theory conflict of interest dealing with problems of daily living dependence depression drug DSM DSM-5 ECT expansion of psychiatric turf IF THEY'RE NOT ILLNESSES WHAT ARE THEY? involuntary commitment Mad in America major tranquilizers myth of chemical imbalance myth of mental illness neuroleptics over-medicalization of everyday life parenting pharmaceutical industry placebo posttraumatic stress disorder Psychiatric "spin" research corruption schizophrenia shock "treatment" side effects somatic symptom disorder SSRI's suicide survivors of psychiatry violence war on drugs

© 2009–2021