Research: Antipsychotic Meds Cause Hopelessness, “Zombie-Like” State

Editor’s Note: Keep in mind that the use of antidepressants has skyrocketed in this country since the 1990s to the point that more than one in ten Americans are now on them…

by Raven Clabough

A recent MedicalXpress.com article highlights startling research on the serious side effects of antipsychotic medications. In addition, many of the medications are failing to relieve the symptoms for which they were prescribed.

Researchers at Australia’s Murdoch University in Perth and the University of Queensland found that the side effects of the antipsychotics include Parkinsonism, restlessness, involuntary movements, weight gain, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, constipation, dry mouth. and dizziness. The most prevalent side effect is extreme fatigue, which leaves many in a “zombie state,” they report.

Murdoch University Professor Paul Morrison commented,

People using antipsychotic medications experience adverse side-effects that reach into their physical, social and emotional lives, and cause a level of fear and suffering that is difficult for anyone else to fully comprehend.

The proportion that experiences a disturbing side-effect has been estimated at between 50 and 70 per cent, and participants in our study reported on average between six and seven medication side-effects.

Even worse, antipsychotic medications also provoke side effects that are strangely similar to the symptoms that the users are attempting to combat, including feelings of hopelessness.

“The issue here is the extent to which people with a mental illness have been conditioned into accepting the disabling effects of psychotropic medications without protest,” Professor Morrison explains, adding,

The ability of mental health staff to forestall protest arises from the guilt communities thrust upon the sufferer. Without this guilt and shame, would mental health consumers and their loved ones be so ready to accept that a life of zombie-like consciousness and physical discomfort is preferable to hearing voices, or would they be demanding more intensive efforts to develop “cleaner” medications?

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